(Dorchester: Aug. 16, 1998) The Mud Dogs defeated the Ilderton PeeWees 12 - 4 today to win the CBL Championship. The win capped a four game Mud Dog run to the Championship which saw the team barrage opponents with 60 runs, while holding opposition hitters to an average of less than 6 hits a game. Chris Hughes and Geoff Craig again combined for a masterful seven innings, allowing only 8 hits and holding a game Ilderton team to only four runs, two of which were unearned. Geoff Craig supplied three hits, one of them a home run, and Derek Heersink, Dan Gray and Chris Hughes had two hits each in a balanced Mud Dog attack which also featured hits by Ryan Cole, Ian McPhail and Kyle Richard. Half of the Dogs' 12 hits were of the extra bases variety, including a home run and three triples. Coupled with 9 bases on balls, the 12 hit attack proved more than enough to overcome an early 2- 0 Ilderton lead. A 6 run third inning which gave the Dogs a 7 - 2 lead, put the Dogs ahead to stay.
After the final out in the top of the seventh inning, all of the Mud Dog players converged in a high-fiving, sprawling heap of black uniforms on the pitchers mound. The celebrations continued in the dugout where the Mud Dog players helped their coaches get relief from the 28 degree heat by soaking them with coolers of ice water. In an infield presentation following the celebrations, both teams received handsome plaques from the CBL executive. The Mud Dogs' plaques display the engraved word "Champs" prominently and will no doubt find a treasured spot on 14 bedroom walls. Team and individual player photos taken by John Heersink following the presentations are featured on this site.
The Mud Dog coaches, Gerry Gray, Curt Cole and Mike Craig, were all touched by the kind words of players and parents, and in turn would like to express their appreciation for a rewarding summer of baseball with a great bunch of boys. The past four months have been a very special time for everyone involved, and one which we'll always remember with affection. Special thanks from everyone on the team to Mr. Scorebook, Granger Cassidy, Official Pop Guy, Ryan Cole, John Heersink, who not only took the pictures, but cropped them, captioned them and scanned them, and Mandey Gray, who put the team web site together so that we'd have a place to write about the Mud Dogs. To everyone who helped make this year a success - players, coaches, parents and volunteers - thank you!
(Dorchester: Aug. 14, 1998) Strong pitching and solid hitting paced the Mud Dogs to their third straight playoff win as they rolled over North London # 3 Friday night, 23 - 8. Chris Hughes and Geoff Craig combined to hold the North London team to 3 hits, while the Dogs put together a 15 hit attack. The Mutts had a total of 28 base runners before the game was called in the fifth inning, 23 of whom eventually scored. Both teams' pitchers appeared frustrated at times by the umpire's small strike zone, and the disproportionately high number of bases on balls which resulted. After a rocky fourth inning, when he was replaced by Chris Hughes, pitcher Geoff Craig showed a lot of character by coming back in the fifth to retire three of the four batters he faced to nail down the Dogs' win.
Geoff Craig wasn't the only Mud Dog to show character. Ian McPhail didn't let a first inning leg injury slow him down, continuing to play with characteristic abandon and turning in another gritty performance in spite of his discomfort. First baseman Dan Gray did the same, coming back to play the remainder of the game at first base and catcher after being knocked unconscious in a collision behind first base with a charging Mud Dog right fielder. North London was not without its share of injuries; the team's left fielder was taken to hospital with a suspected broken nose after misjudging a high Geoff Craig fly ball to left field and taking it flush in the face.
The Dogs' bats continued to boom, with Dan Gray going 3 for 3, including a triple, Chris Hughes, Ian McPhail, Geoff Craig and Kyle Richard accounting for two hits each and Ryan Cole, Derek Heersink, Mike Stuckless and Chris Dieterle adding singles.
With the win, the Mud Dogs assured themselves
of a berth in the Championship Game, to be played at 1:00 p.m. on
Sunday, August 16. The Dogs will have Saturday off while Ilderton
plays North London # 2 at 12:00 p.m. The winner of that contest
will then play North London # 3 in the second half of their double-header
to determine the Mud Dogs' opponent on Sunday.
(Dorchester: Aug. 12, 1998) Timely hitting, good defence and solid pitching gave the Mud Dogs a convincing 15 - 3 win over North London # 2 on Tuesday night. The pitching duo of Chris Hughes and Geoff Craig gave up only 4 hits and 5 walks during the contest, which was stopped under the League's mercy rule after six innings. Ryan Cole, Derek Heersink, Dan Gray, Chris Hughes, Ian McPhail, Geoff Craig, Mike Stuckless, Andrew Lowry, Matt Cassidy and Mike Drew all contributed to the Dogs'19 hit attack. Interestingly, North London pitchers only gave up two bases on balls during the entire game. Coupled with the walks however, they yielded 4 extra base hits and 15 singles to aggressive Dogs hitters.
The Mud Dogs play next on Friday evening in Dorchester, when they face North London # 3 at 6:00 p.m. A win will put them directly into the Championship Game on Sunday, August 16th in Dorchester. Ilderton, struggling to overcome the disadvantage of an opening game playoff loss to North London # 3, is making a run for the Championship Game as well, with wins in its last two games. By virtue of the team's opening game loss though, Ilderton will have to play two additional games on Saturday - and win them both - to get there.
If they win on Friday night, the Mud Dogs will practice at NorWest Park at 9:00 a.m., then have the rest of Saturday off.
MUD DOGS NIP NORTH LONDON # 4
(Thamesford: Aug. 7, 1998) Mud Dog pitchers Chris Hughes and Geoff Craig combined for 15 strikeouts, while giving up only 7 hits and 4 walks over 7 innings Friday night en route to a 10 - 6 Mud Dog win over North London # 4 under the lights in Thamesford. The top, middle and bottom of the order all contributed to a balanced Mud Dog offence which saw most of the team's 14 batters reach base at least once during the game. Geoff Craig helped his own cause with a towering triple to right centre field to lead off the fifth inning, and, along with second baseman Chris Dieterle, scored three batters later when Kyle Richard powered a double into left field to make the score 8 - 5. The Dogs added two more runs in the top of the seventh to counter North London's single sixth inning tally and bring the score to 10 - 6. The bottom of the seventh saw the top of North London's order come to the plate. First baseman Dan Gray retired North London's leadoff hitter with a sensational circus catch, and pitcher Chris Hughes, after giving up a single to the second batter, struck out the next two hitters to end the game.
The Mud Dogs combined a balanced attack with solid defence and were full value for their victory against a strong North London club. Heads-up base-running by Derek Heersink, Kyle Richard, Chris Dieterle, Dan Gray, Ryan Cole and Chris Hughes accounted directly for at least two of the Dogs' runs, while timely hitting by Derek Heersink, Dan Gray, Chris Hughes, Ian McPhail, Geoff Craig, Kyle Richard and Matt Cassidy supplied the power the team needed to supplement the fine pitching performances turned in by Craig and Hughes. Infielders Ryan Cole and Chris Dieterle picked up timely bases on balls to round out the Oakridge attack.
The Dogs' next playoff game is Wednesday night in Dorchester against
another North London opponent. Start time is 6:00 p.m.
ILDERTON DROPS PLAYOFF OPENER TO NORTH LONDON 3
(Thamesford: Aug. 7, 1998) In a surprising upset, league pennant
winner Ilderton, a team which lost only 3 games over the regular season
(2 of them to the Dogs) was beaten Friday evening by North London # 3,
a team which finished in the league basement with only 3 victories.
LOGAN THE WONDER DOG SPOTTED AT THAMESFORD GAME
(Come to think of it, he's spotted all the time.)
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And remember, this team was christened the Mud Dogs a long time before
that other team in The Water Boy decided it liked the name too.
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