After three weeks of early games, the Dragons got to sleep in.  The first game pitted the Dragons against division rival Garber’s Monarchs on a beautiful, sun-filled Sunday morning.

With Ari Loiben at the Des Moines chicken fest, Daryl Drake was asked to hold down LC with sub Brad Stanford anchoring the infield at SS.  The Monarchs took to the plate first and immediately gave Drake a test.  A high fly ball to short LC got caught in the sun and found some turf giving the Monarchs an extra out.  They’d go on to plate two first inning runs, but that was the only error of the day for the Dragons.

Stanford led off the home half of the first with a single.  Sheldon Fulton followed with another base hit.  Next up was Drake, looking to give the Dragons the lead against Monarchs pitching ace John Burke.  Drake won the battle, taking Burke to deep left center with a bases clearing 3-run homer!  3-2 after one.

With defense the theme of the day, Zak Edgerton played a stellar third base.  Edgerton made two of the three outs in the 2nd, holding the Monarchs scoreless.

The bottom of the 2nd went the Dragons way.  A single by Ray Darragh.  Adwild Perez reaches on an error.  Single by Jerry Rogers.  Kendal Anthony reaches on an error.  Base hit by Stanford.  Drake unintentionally, intentionally walked.  Tim Kaminski with a 2-run single.  Dragons bat 10, score 6 and go up 8-2.

The Dragons added to the lead with yet another Drake home run and John Unell pitches a sensational game en route to a 10-5 win.

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Game two saw two division leaders going head to head as the Dragons and Banta’s Blue Rocks met on field 3.  Yes, Banta and Burke on the same day!

This game started as a defensive battle.  The Dragons held the Blue Rocks scoreless through two, and only mustered up a Ray Darragh sac fly for a 1-0 lead.  

The 3rd inning turned out to be the decisive one.  After scoring one, Blue Rocks slugger Ryan Richardson smashed a 3-run bomb.  Down 4-1, the Dragons responded by batting 11th in the bottom of the 3rd.

After a Fulton base hit, Drake homered once again.  Tim Kaminski followed with a solo shot.  Gary Frank and Adwild Perez added RBI singles, and the Dragons took the lead for good 7-4 after 3.

After a quiet 4th, the Dragons scored 2 runs in both the 5th and 6th innings and would go on to complete the sweep, 11-6.

“I can’t say enough about today’s defense.  Zak made every play at 3rd, as did Stanford filling in at short and Kevin Knox at second.  Kendal Anthony and Adwild Perez were amazing in the corners.  John Unell had another great week on the mound.  Division play is intense and our division is packed,” said Dragons captain Keith Dlott.  “Four more divisional games is going to lead to a great finish to the regular season.”

IPOW:

Daryl Drake: 4 / 5, 3HR, 8 RBI, 2 BB, great leadership in LC and fantastic fantasy football roasting of Gary Frank

Defense and Pitching:  11 runs allowed, great communication, one error in two games