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Dragons Off to 2-0 Start: Take Two Nail Biters

By Keith Dlott, 09/12/21, 3:15PM CDT

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Walking up to the fields for two late games on this balmy Sunday morning.  The smell of fresh cut astroturf and a handful of players catching a smoke between innings.  Ahhhhh, the Shalom League’s fall season was underway.

After playing for more than 20 years, captain Keith Dlott has hung up his turf shoes and sub .400 bat and has entered the world of captaining for the first time.  The Dragons took the field against a hearty Dyer’s Cannon Ballers lineup and spotted the Ballers a few first inning runs.  Not to worry, the top of the Dragons lineup would surely tie it up.

F6, K, F9...that’s how batters 1-3 started the season.  Is it too late to make a trade?

The Dragons tightened things up in the field, and in the 4th inning the bats came alive.  The Dragons plated four in the 4th and five in the 5th to take the opener 13-9.

Daryl Drake led the way with a 3-run HR and a RBI double. Kevin Knox had a triple and 3 runs scored.  John Unell had 2 singles and 2 RBI along with a pitching masterpiece

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The Dragons were on the road for game 2 facing Carver & Golden’s 66ers with the wind blowing out.  Ari Loiben led the game off with a walk, then Daryl Drake hit a ball somewhere just north of McKinney.  Kevin Knox also homered in the first inning to give the Dragons a 3-0 lead.

The 66ers bounced back and took early command of this game, while the Dragons defense crash landed and appeared out of fire.

The Dragons were held to a total of 3 runs in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th innings, but they came alive in the 5th, nearly batting around.  A Loiben BB followed by another Drake 2-run jack.  Tim Kaminski and Kevin Knox also scored.  Unell had another RBI and Ray Darragh capped a 4-5 day with an RBI single.  Final score, Dragons 12, 66ers 10.

POW:  Daryl Drake, 5-6, 3 HR, 2 2B, 11 RBI, stellar (for the most part) play at SS