Wednesday 13th May - Tangier Field
After a 14-19 defeat last Sunday on our travels to Chichester at the hands of the Falcons, we were in familiar ground as the visiting team at Tangier Field to take on the Portsmouth Dodgers.
The heavens opened throughout the game with torrential downpours constantly interrupting play. The game suffered for it as 7 combined runs were scored in the first inning, and none in the second as the visibility fell. Adam Tempest lead off with a patient walk as home pitcher Raj Seedeehul came to grasp the conditions. Recently acquired SSL Hall-of-Famer Belinda Alker knocked him in with a single on debut. Stef Rudeforth plated two with a double, but managed to come home of a fielding error in slippery conditions.
The Dodgers scored three in response with meticulous small ball play pushing runners around the bases.
In the top of the third, the Vikings bats got going. A three-run homer from Belinda Alker following by two one-run doubles by former MVPs Kathryn Hewson and Jaane Rowehl. A seven run inning was followed by a scoreless Dodgers response to put the score at 11-3.
Alker and Rudeforth continued their great game at the plate, both scoring before Doug Sutherland drove in a third. An 11-run lead was pegged back with the Dodgers scoring 3 in response against some stout Vikings defense. Three singles started the top of the fifth inning, with the third from captain Scott Summers scoring the first of four runs. Pitcher Hayley Dyson-Litchfield plated two and also came home from a Tempest double.
The Dodgers kept pace though but couldn't claw any runs back, scoring three themselves to take the score to 18-9 heading into the final stretch.
Between the hail and sideways rain, Stef Rudeforth scored a solo homer in what would be the final notch on the Vikings side of the run chart. Some excellent infield work saw Summers get a tag at third after a Rudeforth barehand stop at Shortstop followed by a double play to end the sixth innig with the Vikings 8 runs up.
A nervy bottom of the seventh came and the Dodgers got runners on base and managed to drive in four to threaten a comeback before a fly ball was taken in left field by Adam Tempest to take the final out. It gives the Vikings their first win of the season and a first ever in Division One.
