![\"\"](\"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/24\/2025\/09\/CallunBoltonD1Pitche_11945.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
“It’s a long season and when you finish on top, you’ve got that target on your back a bit, so initially it was relief,” he said.<\/p>\n
“But it’s fair to say it’s been good times for the club recently.<\/p>\n
“It’s been a great time to be involved.<\/p>\n
“Sometimes the stars just align. Like some footy clubs, you can go and buy players, but that doesn’t necessarily work.<\/p>\n
“But to get some players just pop up, without knowing who else is playing, it’s all just clicked and continued to roll from there.”<\/p>\n
The Dodgers were pushed all the way in game two, with Falcons holding a one-run lead for much of the contest before the shackles were broken.<\/p>\n
Whatley drove in four runs on two hits to lead the charge.<\/p>\n
He tripled in the fourth inning, scoring three runs, and singled in the fifth inning, scoring one.<\/p>\n
The bottom of the line-up was strong for Dodgers.<\/p>\n
Amsing (two hits), Brett Ritchie and Whatley (two hits) combined for five of the team’s eight hits in their victory.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n They scored three runs and drove in five.<\/p>\n The Dodgers’ win was highlighted by another strong pitching performance by league MVP, 18-year-old Callum Bolton, who earned the win.<\/p>\n The southpaw surrendered four hits and two runs (one earned) over four and two-thirds innings, striking out four and walking four.<\/p>\n Aaron Petri appeared in relief for Dodgers.<\/p>\n Nine players have featured in the three-peat \u2013 Amsing, Baulch, Skipper, Whatley, Bolton, Petri, Julian Howe, Jack Warner and Ritchie, who was playing coach in 2023 and 2024.<\/p>\n A period of success for the Dodgers has followed a leaner period for the club.<\/p>\n The 2019 flag was the club first in nearly 20 years, filling the club with a sense of it ‘making up for a bit of lost time’, according to Amsing.<\/p>\n “But you know these things go in cycles, so you have to enjoy them while they are there,” he said.<\/p>\n “Another club’s time will come, so we’ll just keep fighting.”<\/p>\n Pivotal to the club’s success was undoubtedly the decision to relaunch the club’s junior program a few years ago.<\/p>\n This year’s division one and two teams contained five players, who started in the club’s under-14s, among them Bolton, who has won the past two league MVP awards and was rookie of the year in 2024.<\/p>\n Amsing is looking forward to the next batch of juniors filtering through the ranks.<\/p>\n “We’ve probably got a good base of six or seven, who hopefully \u2013 if they stick around in the next three to five years \u2013 will be coming through,” he said.<\/p>\n “Hopefully that sets us up for future success.<\/p>\n “But there’s no doubt that emphasis on juniors has helped get us to where we are now.<\/p>\n “Falcons are the same; they have some good kids coming through, so it bodes well for the future of the sport in Bendigo.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" STRATHFIELDSAYE Dodgers have etched their name into Bendigo Baseball Association history, securing a division one championship three-peat. A well-drilled Dodgers outplayed Falcons for a 7-2 win in game two of the best of three playoff series at Albert Roy Reserve to clinch the title on September 14. They won the first game 13-4 a fortnight […]<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/24\/2025\/09\/D2GFCelebrations_24714.jpg\")