Dodgers Win Route 84 League Championship

The Newtown Dodgers recently captured the 2012 Route 84 League 10B Championship in thrilling fashion by fighting off elimination three times, including winning an epic, 10-inning classic game against an excellent Fairfield team.

After finishing the regular season 11-1, the Dodgers defeated the Newtown Cubs 11-5 and Monroe 13-1 in the first two rounds of the playoffs. The Dodgers were then beaten by Fairfield 17-3, which sent them to the loser’s bracket.

The Dodgers won their first elimination game, 10-8 over Monroe, which set up a rematch with Fairfield. Again facing elimination, the Dodgers defeated Fairfield 5-3 in 10 innings before a raucous crowd at Fairfield’s Melville Field. After jumping out to a 3-0 advantage on clutch hits by Joseph Pagett and Kyle Nicholson, the Dodgers squandered the lead as Fairfield tied the game in the fifth inning. Three brilliant scoreless innings of relief by Charlie Asetta and clutch defensive plays by Jack Ketchum kept the game tied at 3-3 as both teams had several chances to break the deadlock. With darkness falling, Owen Meeker laced a clutch, bases-loaded single to left to bring in the go-ahead run and Ryan McNerney followed with a single to add a key insurance run. Adam Gray closed out Fairfield in the bottom of the tenth to give the Dodgers the win.

Newtown came back to Fairfield the next day again facing elimination. Four first-inning runs on key hits by Nicholson and Asetta set the tone for the day. Newtown never relinquished the lead, as clutch hits by Patrick Hurley, Jake Kneski, Ketchum, Asetta, Nicholson, and Gray pushed Newtown’s lead to 8-6. The solid pitching of Hurley and Nicholson prevented Fairfield from putting together big innings, and Pagett closed out the sixth to give Newtown the title. The Dodgers finished the season 16-2.