On another hot and humid night, the Cubs and Dodgers got together for a very competitive game.
Joe Careccia got the Dodgers off on the right foot when he singled to lead off the game and immediately stole second. Dennis Lane singled him home, and the Dodgers broke out on top 1-0.
The Cubs put a crooked number on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second. Mike Reutter reached on an error to start things off. Pat Martone doubled and quickly the tying and go ahead runs were in scoring position with no outs. Matt Miles singled home Martone and stole second. Jim Bonaparte, in turn singled driving home Miles. Sherwin So played copycat by singling home Bonaparte and stealing second himself. One out later John Coulombe drove home the 4th run of the inning, and the Cubs were owners of a 3-run lead.
Was this the moment that the Cubs would take control of the game? Not! The Dodgers answered right back, scoring 3 in the top of the 3rd to tie the game at 4. Steve Marshall started the rally by walking with two outs. It seemed harmless enough, but walks kill! Mike Surin and Carreccia singled, followed by a Lane double and a Jim Bradley RBI single.
The Cubbies answered back in the bottom half of the frame with a single run. Bryce Cutler led off with a walk (walks kill) and stole second. Cutler advanced to 3rd when Mike Girard's grounder up the middle was mishandled by the Dodger's second baseman. Jerry Rosen plated him with a single and the Cubs went to the 4th with a 1-run lead.
Cubs' starter Jim Bonaparte retired the Dodger's in order in the 4th, and the Cubs were right back at it in the bottom of the 4th. Matt Miles doubled to lead off the inning, and one out later, Sherwin So hit a sacrifice fly to left and the Cubs pushed the lead to 6-4.
With one out in the top of the 5th, the Dodgers got consecutive singles from John Weber, Steve Marshall, and Mike Surin. With the bases loaded and one out, Careccia hit into a fielder's choice to bring the score to 6-5. With runners on the corners, one out, and the meat of the Dodgers' order coming up, it looked like the Dodgers would even the score again. Bonaparte made his best pitch of the night inducing Dennis Lane to hit a hard grounder to short. Matt Miles fielded it cleanly, threw to So covering second, who fired to Reutter at first for an inning ending double play! Whew! After the Cubs were held scoreless in the bottom half, it was on to the 6th, with the Cubs clinging to a slim one run margin (6-5).
Mike Girard came on in relief of Bonaparte in the 6th. He got the Dodgers out in order on just 4 pitches. Then the Cubs bats came alive in the bottom of the 6th. Rosen double to get things going. After a comebacker to the pitcher, a walk and an error, Martone's fielder's choice plated an important insurance run. The next 4 batters (Bonaparte, So, Mark Meyers, and Coulombe) all singled plating 6 more runs, and in a blink of an eye, the Cubs owned a 13-5 lead, with just 3 outs to get.
in the top of the 7th, the Dodgers started a rally when Danny McGuire reached on an error, and Jon Atwell singled. That rally wasn't long lived, as Girard got Mark Callahan to ground the ball to second where Sherwin So fielded it, tagged Atwell on his way to second, and threw to first in time for a double play. The next batter popped out to first, and the game was over, with the Cubs owners of a hard fought 13-5 victory.
The win moves the Cubs to 10-0, on the season, with a game versus the Americans next Tuesday night at the B-Diamond in Schenectady, at 6:00 pm. Jon Atwell pitched exceptionally well, keeping the Dodgers in the game until the 6th. Joe Careccia led the way for the Dodgers offense with 3 hits. Dennis Lane and Mike Surin added 2 hits each. The Cubs offense was led by Jerry Rosen, Matt Miles, Jim Bonaparte, and John Coulombe, who all had 2 hits. Sherwin So added one hit, drove in 2 and scored 2.
