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Love of the game spurs Wilson to career night

Veteran catcher records five hits, plates four for Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City's Bobby Wilson has appeared in 324 Major League games over parts of eight seasons. (Cody Roper/Oklahoma City Dodgers)
August 22, 2017

Bobby Wilson has seen and done much during his 15-year professional career. One thing he hadn't done was record five hits in a game, and even though he can check that off his to-do list, the 34-year-old isn't ready to leave the game behind just yet.Wilson set a career high

Bobby Wilson has seen and done much during his 15-year professional career. One thing he hadn't done was record five hits in a game, and even though he can check that off his to-do list, the 34-year-old isn't ready to leave the game behind just yet.
Wilson set a career high with five hits while driving in four runs as Triple-A Oklahoma City powered past Colorado Springs, 17-9, on Monday night at Security Service Field.

The Dodgers catcher doubled once, singled three times and went deep for the first time since June 23, a span of 87 at-bats. The four RBIs matched a season high he set against Albuquerque on May 23.
"It feels nice to contribute and help the team win," Wilson said. "We've got a bunch of guys on this team that don't quit. It's nice to have a night like this and hopefully finish strong down the stretch."
Gameday box score
Wilson helped spearhead Oklahoma City's comeback after Colorado Springs scored five times in the bottom of the first inning. He singled to center field in the third and scored on Kyle Farmer's two-run double, the first of three hits for the Dodgers No. 25 prospect. The backstop lofted an RBI single to left and scored in the fifth and launched his 11th roundtripper out to center in the sixth.
His two-run double to left in the seventh capped a second five-run inning for the Dodgers and tied his previous career high of four hits. Wilson's fifth knock was a leadoff single to left in the ninth. He came around to score his fourth run of the game later in the frame.
"I had a wrist issue that I dealt with, so I've been trying to find my swing the last month or so," the Florida native said. "But it certainly felt nice to barrel up the ball and drive it out. It had been awhile [since the last homer]. Hitting's contagious. We'd been beaten up pretty good these last three games. It was nice to turn the tables and start hitting and scoring ourselves."
A 48th-round pick in the 2002 Draft, Wilson hit .237 in 75 big league games with the Rangers, Tigers and Rays last season. Although he hasn't gotten a chance to return to the Majors in 2017, his passion for the game and desire to get back remain strong.

"I'm still enjoying this and having a great time. Just being around the guys gets me going," Wilson said. "Once I stop enjoying the game, I'll hang 'em up, but I feel like I have a few years left in me still. We'll see how the rest of this season plays out and then next year as well. Being 34, I still feel young and fresh, which is encouraging. I've stayed together pretty well this year." 
The St. Petersburg College product also credits the Dodgers organization and some of the young talent he finds himself competing with for keeping his love for the game alive.
"It's a jolt of energy to see [former Dodger and No. 2 Rangers prospectWillie Calhoun], [Dodgers No. 2 prospect Alex Verdugo] and [top prospect Walker Buehler] play," he said. "They inspire us older guys. You see the love and hunger they have out there and you have to match it.
"Especially being in this organization. From top to bottom, there are such great players here. It's been a real blessing to play with the Dodgers and be a part of this organization, which in my opinion, is a top-notch place to be." 
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O'Koyea Dickson homered and drove in five runs while Farmer collected four RBIs for Oklahoma City, which scored a season-high 17 runs.
Colorado Springs' Nate Orf fell a homer shy of the chance to cycle for the second time in three games, while Kirk Nieuwenhuis chipped in three hits and four RBIs.

Michael Avallone is a contributor to MiLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @MavalloneMiLB