’Dawgs move to .500, cruise past Davies

Brenton Bauerle
Posted 7/1/15

In a league like Connie Mack, putting up a crooked number on the scoreboard is roughly as common as a perfect game; the combination of the transition to wood bats and the high caliber of pitching …

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’Dawgs move to .500, cruise past Davies

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In a league like Connie Mack, putting up a crooked number on the scoreboard is roughly as common as a perfect game; the combination of the transition to wood bats and the high caliber of pitching talent deflates offense to dead-ball era levels of futility. Rare does not mean nonexistent, however, and the Cranston Bulldawgs Connie Mack squad proved that emphatically with an 8-3 victory over Davies to improve to 2-2 on the young season.

When the line score reads eight runs over seven innings, one might expect that the Bulldawgs simply powered their way to victory. But that was far from the case. In actuality, the Bulldawgs registered only two extra-base hits all day, instead relying on consistent, disciplined at-bats to draw walks and solid contact hitting to move runners up and over.

But as consistent as the offense was, routinely registering baserunners despite the fact the Bulldawgs were missing five starting players due to participation in the 15/16 all-star game and work-related absences, the defense might as well have been its evil twin. The Bulldawgs routinely misread plays on the basepaths, allowing runners to grab extra bases due to errant throws and general unawareness. Compounding the issue were several errors, including a dropped infield fly and two throws from the infield that sailed past first and allowed Davies’ runners to move into scoring position.

“Mostly [the fielding problems] are a mental thing,” said Bulldawgs’ assistant coach Allen Pacific. “Early in the year a lot of guys miss games, so we have guys going out playing positions for the first time, and that plays a lot into it as well.”

Luckily for Cranston, its defense didn’t have to do much to help keep Davies off the board, as lefty starter John DeRouin did his best Clayton Kershaw impression, going 6 1/3 innings while giving up only one earned run. And beyond the numbers – which are stellar in their own right – his performance was even more impressive considering his youth (only 15 years old) in comparison to a league where players’ ages range tremendously.

“He threw a gem today,” said Pacific on his starter. “He mixed it up well, but mostly he just stayed with the fastball and moved it around, putting it outside the zone on two-strike counts to get guys to chase. He pitched a great game.”

Working behind a stellar start, Cranston overcame its defensive lapses to score almost every inning, maintaining a 3-1 lead until a five-run top of the fifth inning gave it what both sides knew to be an insurmountable lead.

With the win, the defending Connie Mack champion Bulldawgs pull even for the season at 2-2, with several of their games having been cancelled due to weather. With summer hitting its stride and players (hopefully) able to make it to games more consistently, look for the Bulldawgs to defend their title with gusto.

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