The Rancho Murieta Bandits (5-3) had suffered a three game losing streak, and needed a big win to turn the season around. They did just that versus an unlikely opponent, the Mother Lode Miners (4-5), a club the Bandits had not beaten in their three year history.

The pitching rotation of Craig “Shooter” Sheehy and Jonathan “Junk Yard Dog” Aberle hurled excellent frames. The Miner offense came in spurts, relying heavily on the 2 home-run, 6 RBI day of “Masher” Bonini of the Miners. But timely defense from the Bandit scouts (outfielders) and tenders (infielders), proved to be the stabilizing force needed to keep the Miners at bay. A 10-tally day came thanks to solid woodwork from behind (catcher), Scott “Leather” Oltmanns (3-4, 2RBI), “Junk Yard” Aberle (3-4, 2RBI), and  John “Deuce Hog” Dodson (1-3, 2B, 2 RBI).

With the victory, the Bandits found themselves in a 2nd place tie with the Sierra Highlanders. Four games remain in the regular season, and Bandit hopes of a league title are within reach. The next regular season game for the Bandits is on August 9th, at AmadorHigh School. The Bandits take on the Sierra Highlanders, in a match-up that may determine which team can challenge the Amador County Crushers for the League Title.

Come out and enjoy the vintage game on the road. You can always stay up to date on the Bandit web-site here on .com, or at www.gcvbb.com [1].