In their first game of pool play, the Dawgs were drowned in the wake of the NorCal Waves. After the Dawgs battled back from an early four-run deficit, the Waves broke the game open in the fourth inning to notch the win.
The Dawgs rebounded with a 10-0 victory in the nightcap of pool play against Hardcore Baseball from Tracy. Justin David, Tyler Vistalli, Scott Harris and Mike Allen combined to one-hit the Tracy team. David and Harris both scored twice and Cory Lingenfelter added two singles, a run and an RBI in the win.
Vistalli tamed the Belmont Starmaker Stallions in the opening round of the playoffs, tossing a complete-game no-hitter, striking out seven and walking only two, as the Dawgs rolled to another 10-0 win. Jordan Gough called another great game behind the dish and Anthony Norris buoyed the offense with two hits, two runs scored and two RBIs, including a sacrifice squeeze bunt.
The championship game pitted the Dawgs against the Waves once again.
Allen pitched well for the Dawgs, limiting the potent Wave offense to just four runs. But his own offense laid a goose egg and the Waves claimed the title with a 4-0 win. Justin Chase, who batted .750 during the weekend, and Austin Halter each singled twice in the championship-round loss.
In accepting the USSSA trophy, Wave manager Ken Nakagawa said at the closing ceremonies, "Congratulations also go to the Dawgs. You're a first-class organization with a great group of kids and coaches."
During their six-tournament fall schedule, the Dawgs batted .321 as a team, posted a 3.36 earned run average, and earned a championship crown, two runners-up titles, and two top-three finishes. The five-time USSSA champion Dawgs are already busy preparing for the new season, which begins in January, and are continuously looking for talented players from the surrounding Delta communities to fill their squads.
- Contributed by John David
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