2026 Dragons Claw Back to Claim Redwood Empire 65+ Championship
Redwood Empire Baseball League, 65+ Division
Dragons 12, Padres 5 (Game three in best-of-three Championship series)
After struggling to even make the playoffs, the Dragons limped into the semifinal round against the defending champion Jazz.
The Jazz had beaten the Dragons six consecutive times, but Dragons’ pitcher Marty Wilcox stifled the explosive Jazz offense, while the short-handed Dragons pecked away at Jazz ace Kevin Loughlin. It was tied at five going into the ninth.
Tom Kunst started the Dragons rally with a HBP, stole second, and scored on a base hit by Carter Njus. Jesus Renteria also singled, Steve Brye reached on an error, and Jesse Bower worked a bases-loaded walk.
The Dragons took a 3-run lead on a Roy Davis hit. The Jazz got the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the ninth, but Wilcox got the final out to seal the Dragons’ 8-5 win. Leadoff hitter Kunst scored four runs, manager Allan Green scored twice, and Renteria drove in three runs for the Dragons.
The next day brought a classic pitching duel between the Dragons’ Rich Epidendio and Jazz veteran David Charp. Excellent defense on both sides kept the score tied at three after nine. Epidendio set the Jazz down in order in the tenth.
Singles by Davis and Epidendio, and a walk to Renteria loaded the bases with one out. Green’s walk-off base hit propelled the Dragons to the championship series. Epidendio and Steve Rhinehart both had three hits in the game for the Dragons.
The Dragons faced the youthful Padres, who had dominated the regular season, in the championship series, on a blistering weekend with temperatures around 100 degrees. With sterling Dragons defense, Epidendio threw another gem, shutting out the Padres 7-0 and allowing just six hits and no walks. Brye and Renteria each had two hits for the Dragons.
Game two was a battle; Dragons pitcher Wilcox and Padres pitcher Mark Rudiger matched each other pitch for pitch, and the score was 5-5 after nine. Alfredo Zamarripa relieved Rudiger; Wilcox kept going for the Dragons.
The Padres broke through in the eleventh, scoring twice. The Dragons scored once in the bottom of the eleventh on hits by Ken Block, Njus, Kunst, and a walk to Epidendio, but Zamarripa induced a game-ending double play. Kunst led the Dragons with three hits and three RBIs. For the Padres, Rudiger scored three runs and had three hits; Bob Vigil also recorded three hits.
Although he had already pitched eleven innings, Wilcox took the mound again for the Dragons, facing Zamarripa. The Dragons broke through in the third, scoring five times to take a 7-3 lead. Wilcox impressed everyone, limiting the Padres hitters to five hits, while the Dragons piled on insurance runs en route to a 12-5 victory. Brye and Renteria each had three hits for the Dragons; Renteria also scored twice, as did Kunst. Iron man Roy Davis caught every inning of all five games for the Dragons.
The 2026 championship was particularly sweet for the Dragons, as they were thought extinct after losing eight of their first twelve league games and all eight games against the Jazz and Padres. The Dragons owe their resurgence to their consistently loyal fans, who never lost faith!