HELENA — Medals, not of bronze or gold but of dirt, clung to the chests of nearly all Laurel Dodger players Friday afternoon.
Rewards for soaking under a number of passing showers during Day 2 of Keith Sell Tournament pool play at Kindrick Legion Field and braving sticky clay on the basepaths in 11-0 and 6-4 victories over Canadian clubs.
“I kinda used it to fuel me that it’s not gonna be an excuse,” Laurel pitcher Landen Bauer, who tossed a complete game shutout against Lethbridge, said.
“I think we powered through it and wore the dirt on our jerseys like a trophy, like a medal. We really wanted to get dirty and get into the game.”
Within a victory of a double digit win streak, the Dodgers would secure a tournament championship berth with an early-morning triumph on Saturday. Already the longest win streak for a number of Laurel regulars, it erased an 0-6 start and has last season’s Class A runners-up a season-high three games above .500 (16-13).
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“The kids [are] buying into the system,” Dodger coach Doug Studiner said. “We have some new ballplayers who have never gone through our system and been coached the way we coach in the things we expect…
“They see that what we’re teaching at practice comes true in games.”
Seeking a spark in a 2-0 second-inning against Calgary, Laurel received a 10-pitch at-bat from lead-off hitter Eric Haus. The righty fouled off four consecutive
