Last night at Lembi the Dodgers took on the Sacramento Giants in an early season battle for 1st place and neither team was willing to give ground. The Giants struck first in the first inning on an rbi single from Steve Welch scoring 3rd baseman Rebensdorf, but where unable to push across any more runs that inning, with James Rivera making an inning ending play on a line drive at short. The Dodgers evened up the game in the bottom of the second inning with an rbi single off the bat of Marvin Coleman, scoring Sly Walker. The 3rd inning saw the Giants tack on 3 more runs to take a commanding 3 run lead that was cut in half by another Dodger run in their bottom half of the 3rd. Tom Reid scored on a double off the bat of KB Gandy. That would be all the scoring by either team until the bottom of the 6th inning, when the Dodgers plated 3 runs, on an rbi single from Sly Walker, then Joe Johnston tied the game up with another rbi single and then Rivera came up again and drove in the winning run with an rbi single. Tim Halverson came in and slammed the door shut on the Giants in their top of the seventh, with a fly out to right, a ground ball to third and a strikeout to end the game.

Halverson went the distance, scattering 10 hits and struck out 1 to get his first win of the year. Sly Walker bounced back from an 0-fer night against the Bombers with another 3-3 game and an rbi.

Manager Bob Roe has this to say about his teams performance; "This was as about a complete game as we have played in a long time. The outfield played out of their minds, the infield defense was spectacular, and Tim holding that Giants team to just 4 runs was amazing. We have a tough stretch coming up starting with the River Bandits, another team that always played us tough. So we will see how the next game turns out. If we play our type of ball, I believe we will come away with a win."

The Dodgers moved into sole possession of first place with the win and will take on the River Bandits this Tuesday at 6:15 P.M. at the Army Depot. 

The Dodgers took on the Bombers on Monday night at Army Depot #1, with Pat Taylor taking the hill for the Dodgers and Eric Guimont taking the rock for the Bombers. The first inning went smooth, but the second inning saw the Bombers jump on Taylor for two runs. The Dodgers bounced back with 2 runs in the 3rd and 2 more in the 4th to take the lead they never relinquished. The Dodgers added 6 more runs in the top of the 7th to put the game on ice, with the Bombers scoring 1 more in their bottom half of the 7th inning, but too little, too late.

Pat Taylor threw a complete game, while striking out 3 and scattering 9 hits and walking only 1 batter. His defense behind him was spectacular with Tom Reid (4-4, 1 2B, 1 SB, 3 runs, 1 rbi) playing flawless center field. Marvin Coleman (2-4, 1 run, 1 3B, 2 rbi) played an outstanding  left, with Sly Walker locking down right as well. Joe Johnston (1-2, 1 run) was tight at third base, and with James Rivera (3-4, 1 2B, 1 run, 1 rbi) locking the middle of the left side at short, it was next to impossible to get anything through those two. Paul Flanigan (2-3, 2 runs, 1 rbi) and Jon Lunardini (1-3, 1 rbi, 2 SB) locked the other side down, giving Taylor all the support he needed. 

The Dodgers manager, Bob Roe, had this to say about his teams performance; "Whenever you play a team like the Bombers, you have to bring your A game and these guys certainly did. Taylor and Gandy were phenomenal, in sync all night. The defense was the best we've been all year and Tom played out of his mind in center tonight. We are certainly happy with the win, but now we need to focus all our attention to another great team, the Giants on Friday in Folsom. That is a must win for us and they always play us tough. I still believe when we play our game, we are the toughest team in the division to beat. We'll see how it plays out this Friday in Folsom."

After finishing last year a disappointing 9-9 and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2016, the Dodgers looked to rebound in 2021. They set the tone for the year with a season opening win against the Marlins, 9-7. The Marlins, a team who made this years Winter/Spring league championship took one on the chin from a renewed Dodger team. With Pat Taylor starting on the hill, Taylor kept them at bay for 5 innings, giving up 7 runs and striking out 2. Tim Halverson came on in relief in the 6th and got a two-inning save, striking out 4 and giving up just the lone walk for their only base runner in the last two innings. 

The Dodger offense was on full display last night, collecting 9 runs on 16 hits. They jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the 1st inning on consecutive singles from Coleman, Haley, Lunardini and Walker, with another single added by Scott Brandt, before a double play ended the inning. Three more runs were added in the 3rd, with Coleman, Walker and Brandt all scoring, with rbi's by Haley and two by Joe Johnston. They pushed another run across the board on a Matt Goodman bunt single, two stolen bases and another rbi single from Haley. The 5th inning saw two more Dodger players cross the plate, with Brandt scoring again and James Rivera also getting an rbi and a run on a Goodman rbi single. The Dodgers added an insurance run in the top of the 7th, when Walker crossed the plate on a Rivera single, giving the Dodgers all they needed against the Marlins, who clawed their way back into the game with seven runs in the 3rd, 4th and 5th innings.

The 50+ national Division will be a tough place to play this year, with several of the top teams in Sacramento are in that particular division. Manager Bob Roe had this to say about the Dodgers chances, "Our pitching is second to none in this division. Most teams are lucky to have 1 or 2 guys who pitch and a couple more who just throw batting practice. We are blessed to have the top two pitchers in Sacramento, in Taylor and Halverson, to go along with Scott and Joe Johnston. Our offense will take care of itself and if we play the style of baseball that we are accustomed to playing, then you will be seeing us in the championship this year, a place where we seem to belong."

The Dodgers do not play again until Wednesday night, at 6:15 P.M., against the Nationals, at Army Depot 2.

The Dodgers, after not making the playoffs in 2020, will look to rebound in 2021, looking to chase a title and get back atop the SMSBL 50 plus division. Bringing back essentially the same team from 2020 with one exception. Pat Taylor, a long-time Dodger lefthander moved over to the Cardinals in 2020 and is now back in the Dodger family for the 2021 season. What the Dodgers lacked last year was pitching depth and the addition of Taylor is a welcome sight. Taylor started and won the last game of the year for the Dodgers in 2019, sweeping the River Bandits for the title. Moving from shortstop to behind the plate will be KB Gandy, a move that was necessitated by long-time Dodger catcher Tony Lane moving to 3rd and a corner outfield spot.  

The Dodgers are looking at 2021 as their year again, hoping to add a 7th title to their impressive resume.