The Bellingen Brewers picked up their first win of the young season on Saturday, romping over the Sawtell Dodgers in B Grade 15-7.
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Bellingen posted back-to-back six run innings in their first two trips to the plate to lead 12-2 and were never headed. Joel Northcott had four hits, including a double and triple, and three runs scored; and Dave Wolfson, Callum Rayner, Paul Holding, Matt Bryant and Cam Rutherford each scored twice.
Hits were much harder to come by for Bellingen in A Grade, as they fell to the Dodgers 5-1.
The Brewers grabbed an early 1-0 lead as Cooper Bake-Smith alertly scored all the way from second base on a groundout. But Sawtell came right back to level the scores in their turn at bat.
Bellingen made a bid to retake the lead in the top of the second inning. Nik Doves doubled with two out, but Scott Hansen was robbed of a run-scoring hit on a sharp play by the Dodgers first baseman.
Sawtell took the lead, 2-1, with a run in the bottom of the second inning, then tacked on three more runs in the third inning. Leading 5-1, it looked like the Dodgers would break the game open in the bottom of the fourth inning, with their first two batters reaching base, but Rob Kozik came on to pitch in relief and wriggled out of the jam without further damage.
Given that reprieve, the Brewers finally got a threat going against Sawtell in the top of the fifth inning. Northcott reached base on an error with one out, then Jon Lowe singled. But Hunter Bake-Smith's soft line drive was turned into an inning-ending double play. Bellingen had one more shot at Sawtell, but a two-out error in the bottom of the inning allowed the Dodgers to run out the clock.
The Brewers will be off Easter weekend, then return to action the following Saturday against last season's A Grade Grand Final winners, the Coffs Harbour Allstars.