Monday, 5 March 2007
The Doncaster Dragons finished the home-and-away season in style with a crushing 11-1 win over Port Melbourne.
Unfortunately, the result didn't affect the final standings, as Upwey Ferntree Gully also won, denying Doncaster the chance to reclaim top spot.
But although the result didn't help in terms of ladder position, it restored some confidence and showed that the Dragons have climbed out of the slump that had seen them lose four of their previous seven games.
Starting pitcher Lachlan Craven led the way with five strong innings. Although not back to his brilliant best, Craven pitched his way out of trouble, twice inducing ground balls with runners on third to limit the damage.
He was helped by his hitters, with Chris Nicholas and Paul Weichard each hitting home runs to set up an early lead and give Craven some runs to work with.
Richie Benes also showed flashes of brilliance, using his blinding speed to leg out a triple in the first inning, and later going from first to third on a hit to left field.
Craven pitched five innings for one run before handing over to Rhys Aldenhoven, who shut down Port Melbourne for two innings and allowed Doncaster to end the game early on ther mercy rule.
By finishing second, the Dragons are now in control of their own destiny. The equation is straightforward: they must win one of the next two games to be assured of promotion to Division One next season.
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