The winning streak is over, but the Doncaster Dragons did not go down without a fight.

Against top-quality pitching, the Dragons fell 2-0 to the high-flying Preston Pirates in a dogged battle at LaTrobe University on Tuesday night.  Both teams had some outstanding pitching performances, but none better than Preston's Travis Bass, who stymied the Dragons with eight innings of shutout, allowing just four hits and three walks while striking out nine.

Doncaster also produced some solid performances on the mound, led by starter Andrew Reeves. In five innings, Reeves allowed just the one run on seven hits and two walks, with four strikeouts.  Callum Lethborg and Andrew Chesterton each pitched an inning of relief without giving up an earned run, each striking out two batters.

Offensively, the pickings were slim against Bass. Ben Utting and Brendan McDonald each had a double, and Marcel D'Avoine and Michael Mazzocato had Doncaster's only other hits.

The best thing to do after ending a three-game winning streak is to start another one. The Dragons hope to do just that when they travel to Newport on Sunday.

- John McDonald