Defence was the key to success as the Doncaster Dragons kept up their recent run of good form with a 3-1 victory at Cheltenham on Sunday.

It was Doncaster’s fourth win in a row since the calendar flipped to 2023, with all four wins being credited to pitcher John Britton. 

For the second time in his past three outings, Britton pitched nine innings to earn the victory. But this performance was unusual in that his complete game contained zero strikeouts, leaving his defenders to make all 27 outs.

The Doncaster defence proved to be more than capable of doing just that. The infielders turned three double plays, and all three outfielders snared some well-hit fly balls that were made more difficult by a strong wind.

The Doncaster offence did not have the best of days, with the top three hitters in the lineup going a combined 0 for 11. The bottom four fared much better, combining to go 5 for 11, with all three RBIs.

A three-run second inning proved the difference  between the teams. With one out  and bases empty, Jean Alvarado laid down a perfect bunt and went to second on what turned out to be the only fielding error of the game. Spencer Veal followed with a single, then Brian Chen drove in a run with a hit on the first pitch he had seen since returning after a long layoff to give the Dragons a 1-0 lead. 

After a sacrifice bunt by Liam Robertson, Angus Cooke lashed a base hit into right field, driving in two runs and giving his team a 3-0 lead.  

Although the Dragons did not add to their score after that, it did not matter as Britton and the defence combined to allow just one run on nine hits and one walk.

The win lifted the Dragons over Cheltenham and into second place on the ladder with a 13-5 win-loss record. They have a chance to consolidate their position when they host the North Western Titans at Deep Creek next Sunday.

- John McDonald