National test: A's pushed to the limit in 7-5 win

A's veterans take charge, leading comeback from 3-0 and 5-4 deficits with key plays

Teams led by one player often die when that one player fails, but teams with many leaders can survive many miscues and off days like the A's did in a 7-5 victory as exciting and difficult as any the A's have had in recent memory.

Fearless Billy Dodson led the charge against the Nationals and put a charge into the rest of the A's when the spitfire stole home to tie the game 3-3 in the fifth after the A's trailed 3-0 early.

Mellow Mike Mastro' remained poised under pressure and drove in Dodson before he could steal home again, but after Chris Kirtley homered to give the Nationals a 5-4 lead in the top of the 7th. Dodson had just doubled home Steve Nojima -- new to the A's not new to baseball -- he artfully ran the bases, holding at second with his eyes on the ball to make sure Dodson's long fly to left landed safely, which it barely did after the left fielder made a long run after the ball.

Mastro', who drove in a run in each of his final three trips to the plate with a sac fly in the third, a grounder that drove home Clinton Yeager (2-for-5) from third with one out in the fifth, the third time he laced a bullet to center scoring Dodson (3-for-4) with the go-ahead run at 6-5 with one out in the bottom of the seventh.

"Not a lot of guys can do what Dodson did and steal home like that in a close game with the pitcher going from the stretch, but that's Billy, he doesn't think about the odds and just goes with his gut," A's manager Ryan Metcalfe said. "What Mastro' did wasn't easy either. He doesn't tighten up or get sweaty palms when there are runners on base ahead of him and the game is on the line. I like the way this team keeps pulling them out."

The A's worked to produce an insurance run in the 8th with Matt Wolfe working the count for a leadoff walk. Kevin Metcalfe followed with a well-placed sac bunt that set up Steve Nojima for an RBI single through the left side of the infield against the hardest throwing pitcher the A's have seen in 2 seasons, Roy Sisk.

Sisk may throw harder than Shawn Purcell, but the A's righty has continued to establish himself as one of the top pitchers in the REBL. Purcell had trouble getting to the park in time, but he made it for the first pitch, which he watched instead of threw and tuned up to enter in the third trailing 3-0.  Purcell allowed just four hits and struck out 10 Nationals in the finals seven innings with only one of the two runs scored off him earned.

Purcell still had to pitch out of several tough situations. Dodson's error in the third meant Purcell was in a one-out, two-on jam when he got a strike out and a pop out to keep the lead at 3-0. Kirtley was the one National who had Purcell's number, ripping a double to deep left to lead off the fourth before his homer to lead off the seventh. Dodson made up for his error throwing Kirtley out at the plate on a one-out grounder. Steve Andrews singled and stole second before Purcell got a big strikeout to end the fifth with the A's energized.

The A's scored 3 in the bottom of the fifth with as one out singles by Yeager and Dodson set up Mastro' who hit the ball hard enough for Yeager to score and Mastro' reached on a throwing error that moved Dodson to third. The Nationals could have made it out of the jam if not for the hustle of A's catcher Brodie Nissen, who grounded to short but avoided the double play by a hair at first, allowing Mastro' to score the go-ahead run in a 4-3 contest.

Mike Mastro' was on the ball to drive in a run all 3 times he batted with runners in scoring position.

Billy Dodson got to watch 3 of his hits take flight and the A's got to watch him fly home.

Shawn Purcell was too late to start but took the mound in time to allow 4 hits in the final 7 innings.

Dodson - MVP