​“Today’s result over a strong team like East Torrens, was confidence building and will certainly be a stepping stone as we solidify our place as a strong finals contender” boasted a happy Dodgers Coach Davey Roach, after the win.

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Both teams scored runs in the opening 2 ½ innings, with Golden Grove opening the scoring in the bottom of the first when Hunter Ung drew a walk and then rounded the bases to score on Cameron Majewski’s triple to left field off East Torren’s ace pitcher Zac Gratton.

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The Red Sox then evened the score in the top of the second when Gratton, batting, reached first base on a passed ball after striking out against the Dodgers starter Noar Soar. Gratton then advanced around the diamond to score on a stolen base and two passed balls.

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In the bottom half of the second the Dodgers’ Noah Sutherland led off with a walk, and then put his team back in front by advancing the bases on two passed balls, before sliding home safe on a wild pitch.

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The Dodgers scored two more in the bottom of the third, and then catcher Jack Adams’ bases clearing triple ignited a five run fourth inning, breaking open the match and giving The Grove a seven-run buffer, and from they never looked back. Sutherland and Soar also added doubles for the Dodgers, with Ung hitting a single.

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Ethan Lee led the East Torrens batting with a single and a double, while Joshua Bell, two singles, Hamish Lee, double, and Aaron Davis, and catcher Oscar Patman both recording singles.

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Gratton showed plenty of flair on the mound for East Torrens, striking out eight, but three walks, Majewski’s triple, a single by Ung in the third, and aggressive base running by the Dodgers accounted for four runs, and the Sox ace was replaced in the fourth by Josh Bell. Then came a five run onslaught off Bell in the fourth, and it was Aaron Davis who took the ball for the Red Sox in the final two digs.

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“Despite the top pitching performance from Zac (Gratton), we were able to once again take advantage of our on base opportunities with heads up base running resulting in multiple runs” noted Roach.

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"Our base running is proving to be a crutch for us against top teams but we have work to do in the batting box. Five hits and just eleven balls in play for a six-inning game is not the formula for long term success. We’ll use the upcoming games and trainings to address this area of our game “expressed Roach. “But I’m assured our coaching staff can bring out the confidence in our players that we’ll need against top pitchers.”

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Dodgers starter Noah Soar turned in a steady outing, but he also got crucial backup from his teams’ great fielding to escape any major threats from the strong East Torrens lineup.

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“Credit to Noah Soar for his solid 3 ⅔ innings pitching, before we broke the game open. His strong outing allowed an ideal game situation for Chevy (Roach) to take the ball at the midway point” added Roach.

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Roach fanned three, and then scattered four hits over his 2 innings of work, before handing the ball to Majewski in the sixth. East Torrens did mount a three-run surge in the top of the sixth, but the Dodgers big lead and their solid defence, assured the win.

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Golden Grove snuffed out several Red Sox rally opportunities with several defensive gems, starting in the first inning when catcher Jack Adams threw out Red Sox runner Joshua Bell on an attempted steal of second, followed by a tailor made double play from second baseman Noah Sutherland who flipped a ground ball over to shortstop Cameron Majewski, for a perfect 4-6-3 DP in the third inning.

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In the fourth, the Dodgers continued to frustrate East Torrens batters, when Cameron Majewski made a great sliding grab deep in the hole at short. Majewski was quick to jump back to his feet to complete a beautiful throw to nail the runner at first. Two batters later, and with Red Sox runner Ethan Lee at second, centre fielder Caleb LeCouteur raced in to scoop up a one hopper on Hamish Lee’s line drive double, and then launched a “Hail Mary Bomb” to Adams at home, who made the tag on the lead runner (Ethan) Lee who attempting to score from second.

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Coach Roach made a key defensive move late in the game, shifting Noah Sutherland into right field. Sutherland, a former East Torrens player, and now in his first year with the Dodgers, made a nice running catch on a flyball and then made a heads up throw to second base to double up a stray Red Sox runner.

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“Our fielding today was by far the best example of what can happen when you put in the time and effort training with purpose” said the Dodgers skipper. “We often acknowledge the mundane nature of some of the drills, but to the teams credit they have bought the skills learned from those drills to our game plan, and it showed on Sunday with multiple breath taking plays,” Roach said.

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East Torrens sparkplug Eli Davis also made a couple of fine defensive plays at second base in the fifth inning, when he snagged two sharply hit ground balls and threw out two runners allowing the Red Sox to retire the Dodgers in order.

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“We saw some great plays made with some good pitching”, commented East Torrens Head Coach Anthony “Bubba” Dienelt. “At this level, we are focused on teaching the fundamentals of the game and how to play the right way in situations, rather than focusing on the end results”.

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Meanwhile the Dodgers coach wasn’t getting too complacent with the win over their northeastern rivals. “Despite our six run win over a top side like East Torrens, I’m not confident of an outright win if it had not been for our fielding. We will continue to work on all aspects of our game in the hope of maintaining our winning standard for the remainder of the season. “ he said.

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Following Sunday’s win, Golden Grove now occupy first place with an unblemished 5 wins and 0 loses record, while East Torrens and Kensington sit in second place, following Kensington’s weekend victory over Northern Districts.​