Hustle saves damaged A's

Belcher arrives just in time to send healthy 9 to scrappy battle
-- one fought with 10 walks, 4 hit batsmen, and 6 stolen bases.

Battling the dog days of August, the A's could have wilted to the heat, playing like 30-plus athletes with sore limbs or succumbed to the indifference of knowing there is little the team can do to change their No. 3 seed in the REBL playoffs --- just 4 weeks away.

The A's offense sputtered in the first when Shawn Purcell hit a one-out single and was stranded on second with REBL's top hitters, Mike Mastro and Billy Dodson up next. The A's followed with unfamiliar defensive mistakes that turned a 1-2-3 inning for starter Steve Nojima into a 4-run deficit, after two errors and two doubles and a wild pitch and passed ball. The A's continued to have catching woes in the second with starters Brodie Nissen and Shane Francisco off on vacation. The Giants would get another run in the second off a two-out double and a pair of passed balls. In the third Nojima didn't help himself with 3 walks, two wild pitches and two passed balls along with an RBI single account for 3 runs and an 8-2 lead. The A's got an assist on their two runs, getting one with a walk and an error before Keith Lederer hit an RBI double. The lead went to 9-3 after each team scrapped for a favor run in the fourth.

The A's tied the game up with a 6-run fifth with just one hit. Minijack, pitching in his first REBL game, had too much life on his fastball to control posting four walks and two hit batsmen. The only two batters who made contact drove in runs, with Purcell getting an RBI ground out and Wolfe laced an RBI single to right. Four other A's scored on wild pitches, tying the game at 9-9, forcing Giants manager Glen Hurley to himself in to pitch.

Billy Dodson helped to settle down the A's by volunteering to catch instead of Clinton Yeager, who was in his second career game at catcher. Dodson has a few more games experience and the right intensity for the duty today, which included catching Purcell's strong fastball and sharp curve, especially on third strikes. Purcell kept the strikeouts coming at nearly the same pace as Nojima, who struck out 10 of his 12 outs in 4 innings. Purcell struck out 8 in 4 innings, but more importantly he walked none (Nojima 2), and allowed just 4 hits (3 of which never left the infield -- Nojima allowed 5 hits but the four errors and eight WP/PB were too much to overcome or allow him to continue (9 runs, 2 earned and 23 batters faced to Purcell's 17).

"I think Billy set the tone willing to move anywhere in the infield we need him after years of calling shortstop home," A's manager Ryan Metcalfe said. "He caught well, got on base and sparked the offense. This team needed the Dodson spunk today. The team looked kind of lifeless before he started catching and I think it energized Clinton right away because he got on and started stealing bases. The Giants may have been pitching wild, but it took a team-first approach to hitting to earn the walk or hit by pitch and take the extra base on the wild pitch, especially those plays at the plate where you have to be focused to get the right jump and run hard to th plate expecting contact."

The A's maintained the momentum they'd taken in the 6th off Hurley, who battled the hard-throwing Purcell with some of the softest pitching in the REBL. Perhaps jealous, Hurley hit Purcell with one out then let Yeager advance to third on a failed pickoff. He scored on a Dodson single. Mastro' followed with another sharp single to left to set the tab le for a deep fly by Wolfe that sent Dodson home with the A's first lead at 11-10.

The lead was shortlived after Purcell was hurt by a two-out strikeout that Dodson couldn't handle, putting runners on second and first for an RBI single by Minjack.

Rene Torres instilled some life in the listless A's working for a walk and then stealing second in a cloud of dust. Roland Belcher, who saved the A's once again as their 9th man, revitalized his rusty swing to hit a soft liner to left center. Torres didn't want to risk scoring on Belchers belt, and waited for the ball to drop before trotting to third. He scored when Yeager hit a sac fly to deep left. Belcher tried to keep the rally with a surprise steal of second, but Purcell grounded to short and retook the mound with a 12-11 lead that would stand. Purcell pitched a 1-2-3 7th and only an allowed an infield single in the 8th. The A's added two more runs in the 8th with a bunt single by Dodson sparking the rally. An error, two walks set the table for Belcher to close the game with a run batted in by his back.

The A's, well entrenched in a second or third place finish, have labor day off before 3 straight games against team they beat by an average margin of 16-4 earlier this season. The series starts Sept. 9 at Napa College against the Blue Jays at 10 a.m.

Billy Dodson (right) celebrates hanging onto a third-strike curve by Shawn Purcell for the game's final out.

Unquestioned hustler Rene Torres broke an 11-11 tie in the 7th in true Jackie Robinson fashion. Our #42 led off the 7th with walk, stolen second and scored on a two-out sac fly by Clint Yeager.

Roland Belcher arrived just in time to save Ryan Metcalfe from playing on 1 leg, and managed a hit, stolen base and an RBI on a bases loaded walk. He also supplied gritty d at first catching a pop up.

Dodson - G15MVP