The VSBL 2018/19 Division 3 season is heating up as two top teams emerged, followed by some close competitors that could pull off some surprises in the second part of the season. The St. Kilda 1sts are holding on to their undefeated record, while the Ormond Glenhuntly – Blue 2nds are doing the same. There’s plenty of baseball left to be played this season, with two games remaining ahead of the winter break. Good luck to all players, coaches, teams and clubs in rounds 11 and 12! Keep up with all the division 3 action with our results and recaps below.
Round 10 Recaps – Dec. 2nd
Pakenham Pumas vs. Ormond Glenhuntly – Gold 1sts
8 1
The Pumas have won three of their last four, and they’ve bounced back after a tough loss 13-0 in round 9. Pakenham now has a 5-5 record to put them in fourth place, a spot they’ll be looking to hold on to as they set their sights on their last two games before the break vs. OGH – Blue and North Western.
A great day at the plate sealed the deal for Pakenham, as the Pumas pounced on their scoring opportunities. OGH – Gold didn’t have much of a chance as they managed just a lone run, a trend that has haunted them throughout the season. In 6 of their 10 losses, the Hunters have been shutout or held to just one run. Their final two games before the break will see them host the top two teams, St. Kilda and OGH – Blue. It will be a challenge but the Hunters will be hungry for a win, so anything is possible.
Pakenham Pumas vs. Ormond Glenhuntly – Gold 2nds
12 11
This runfest was a hard-fought battle between these two sides, with Pakenham determined to get a win on the board. They finally succeeded after narrowly edging the Hunters despite their best efforts to take a home a win of their own. Now 5-5, OGH – Gold continues to hold down their third-place spot while Pakenham and North Western are now tied for fifth place.
St. Kilda Saints vs. North Western Titans 1sts
14 1
The Saints are on a roll! They’re now 10-0 after a convincing win over North Western. The hard-hitting, hardworking St. Kilda lineup couldn’t be contained by North Western’s pitcher Ben Trudel, who struggled on the mound against this formidable offense. Mariano Favia had a great day with a single and a double for 2 RBI’s and 2 runs scored, while Mariano Heyden’s first game in the 1sts this season saw him smash an RBI double and get two walks. Nigel Burrows had two singles for 3 RBI’s, while Alan Ortiz kept his hitting streak alive with a double, a single and an RBI.
Other offensive contributions included an RBI single from Roland Curiel, as well as two doubles, a single and an RBI for Daniel Hogg. Satoro Adachi hit a single an took two walks to score twice, while Franco Caramia hit two singles and had a walk on top of his scoreless relief pitching performance in support of Tom Snowden. The starter threw five solid innings with just three hits, three walks and one earned run while striking out six. With this momentum, the Saints are in tip-top shape ahead of rounds 11 and 12, while the Titans have lost seven straight and will be eager to turn things around this weekend.
St. Kilda Saints vs. North Western Titans 2nds
20 2
The Saints continued their strong showings with their seventh win of the season, having won six of their last seven games. There was no slowing down St. Kilda’s lineup that loves to hit the ball hard, having scored 37 runs in their past two games. North Western is continuing to struggle, with one win, seven losses and one draw on the season heading into round 11 at Chelsea.
Ormond Glenhuntly – Blue vs. Chelsea Dolphins 1sts
3 12
The Hunters were surprised by a ready-to-go Chelsea side that was clicking on all cylinders. After a big 10-4 win in round 9, the Dolphins came back to secure their second win in a row thanks to a great offensive outing. 12 runs is the most the Dolphins have managed since round 6 when they racked up 28 runs. OGH – Blue had a quieter day at the plate, with a pair of singles for Ben Gaplin, an RBI single from Geoff MacDonald and hits from Jarrad Barrow and Andrew Clark rounding out the offensive efforts.
Despite a season-high seven walks, MacDonald held the Dolphins at bay. A few fantastic innings at the plate for Chelsea made it possible for the team to improve to 6-4, closing the gap between the 7-3 OGH – Blue side. These second place and third place teams will go on to face Pakenham and North Western, respectively.
Ormond Glenhuntly – Blue vs. Chelsea Dolphins 2nds
13 1
There’s no messing with the Hunters! The 10-0 OGH – Blue 2nds are tough to beat, with an offense that just won’t quit and pitching to match. The Dolphins were disappointed to lose two in a row, with their base runners kept to a minimum thanks to the Hunters’ spot-on pitching. Chelsea is now 4-6 with two games left before the break, which will include a home game vs. North Western and a tough away game at St. Kilda.
Round 9 Recaps – Nov. 25th
Ormond Glenhuntly – Gold vs. Chelsea Dolphins 1sts
4 10
The Dolphins have made it two in a row with their convincing win over the Hunters, bringing their record up to 5-4 on the season. This was made possible by a team that worked well together and capitalised on scoring chances. Shane Jeffrey was the standout hitter of the day, going 5-for-5 with four singles and a double for 2 RBI’s. Matthew Burton followed with three hits of his own, including two singles and a double.
The Dolphins dominance was made possible by the pitching efforts of Jasmin Tsai, who threw a nine-inning no-hitter with just two walks and four unearned runs while striking out nine batters. Tsai will be a great resource for Chelsea moving forward, as they look to keep up this fine form in their final three rounds ahead of the break. The Hunters are still searching for their first victory, but they’ve shown some promising signs of being able to score runs if they could just steady their pitching.
Ormond Glenhuntly – Gold vs. Chelsea Dolphins 2nds
8 6
Although the OGH – Gold 1sts can’t seem to catch a break, the 2nds team is faring better this season, with a 5-4 record putting them in a comfortable third place position. The Hunters have now won two in a row and will look to continue with their winning ways as they tackle the last three weeks of the season’s first half. On the Chelsea side, the Dolphins are rounding out the top four with a 4-5 record after losing two of their last three. Rounds 10, 11 and 12 will see Chelsea take on OGH – Blue, North Western and St. Kilda.
St. Kilda Saints vs. Pakenham Pumas 1sts
13 0
The Saints have proven to be unstoppable thus far this season, with an exceptional 9-0 record thanks to a tight-knit team that just won’t slow down. After a close comeback win in round 8, the Saints set out to get back to their regular form that sees them jump out early and carry the lead late into the game. Although Pakenham came into this game having won the last two games, their hopes for a three-game streak were squashed by St. Kilda’s shutout pitching made possible by a complete game from Tom Snowden. In his seven innings of work, he gave up six hits and one walk with no runs scored as well as nine strikeouts.
With everything under control on the mound, the Saints were able to go hard at the plate, with several batters recording multiple hits. The starting pitcher had a single and a double for 2 RBI’s, as did Paul Paskar. Robert Lewis had his second four-hit game of the season, recording three singles and a triple to knock in 4 RBI’s. Alan Ortiz kept his season-long hitting streak alive with one single, two walks and an RB along with two runs scored.
Daniel Hogg smashed a double and had two walks, while Mariano Favia was a team player with a single, sacrifice fly and two walks to bring in two runs. Franco Caramia joined in the fun with an RBI single and two walks, while Eduardo Escalona contributed a single and a walk.
The Pumas had scored 15 runs over the last two games, but their offense was much quieter against the Saints. Pakenham now sits at 4-5 to maintain their fourth-place position, but they will look to get some more wins on the board in the last three rounds of 2018 as they face OGH – Gold, OGH – Blue and North Western. The Saints will have a shot at a 12-0 record if they can win their last three against North Western, OGH – Gold and Chelsea.
St. Kilda Saints vs. Pakenham Pumas 2nds
17 3
The Saints had no trouble polishing off the Pumas thanks to a hard-hitting lineup that’s outscored their opponents 116-27 thus far. In fact, the only trouble St. Kilda has really had came in their games vs. OGH – Blue and OGH – Gold. Now sitting comfortably in second place with a 6-3 record, St. Kilda will remain eager to take home some big wins in the upcoming weeks, while the Pumas will share the sentiment as they strive for their first victory of the season.
North Western Titans vs. Ormond Glenhuntly – Blue 1sts
0 32
This game belonged to the Hunters, with the Titans scrambling for each and every out. OGH – Blue was in stellar form once again as they racked up a season-high in runs scored. The Hunters have outscored opposing teams by 112 – 34, and their only two losses have come at the hands of the unbeaten Saints.
OGH – Blue was hitting the ball hard all day long, with Jarrad Barrow and Andrew Clark leading the way with four hits apiece. Two singles, two doubles, two walks and a HBP helped Barrow secure a .857 OBP as he brought home an impressive five runs, while Clark had 2 RBI’s and five runs scored on three singles and a double. Other key contributors included Tim Carracher & Michael Sullivan with three hits each. With fantastic starting pitching and an unstoppable offense, OGH – Blue improved to 7-2 to remain in second place, while North Western dropped their sixth straight to make their record 2-7 ahead of their final three games vs. St. Kilda, Chelsea and Pakenham.
North Western Titans vs. Ormond Glenhuntly – Blue 2nds
0 15
The Hunters prevailed in the 2nds game as well, with the Titans failing to get on the board against the top team. OGH – Blue is now 9-0 after exceptional showings all season long, with the team’s pitching depth and hitting capacity on full display. The Hunters have won by at least 15 runs in four out of their last five. The Titans now drop to one win, six losses and one draw on the season, a record they’ll be hoping to improve as they look to make their way into the middle of the ladder rather than the bottom two.
Round 8 Recaps – Nov. 18th
St. Kilda Saints vs. Ormond Glenhuntly – Blue 1sts
4 3
For the first meeting between these two top teams since last season’s Grand Final, the Saints narrowly edged the Hunters to remain undefeated. Their stellar 8-0 record was made possible by a come-from-behind victory after falling to a 3-0 deficit. OGH – Blue got on the board with a big RBI single from Archie Lygris, as well as an RBI from Jarrad Barrow and starting pitcher Kyungsoo Jeon. He pitched nine innings, giving up 11 hits for four runs – three of them earned – along with one walk and one HBP. He managed to strike out 10 batters along the way, protecting the Hunters’ lead for the majority of the game. Other offensive moments for OGH – Blue included singles from Ben Gaplin and Jason Maxwell, as well as Geoff MacDonald’s 2-for-3 day with a double, single and a walk with one run scored.
It wasn’t until the 7th inning that the Saints were able to answer – a usual occurrence considering this team has outscored their opponents 118-20 in the first seven rounds. Heading into the 9th, St. Kilda was down by one run with two outs. Robby Lewis sent a ball up the middle, challenging the second baseman who couldn’t quite get the throw on time to first. After a wild pitch, Mariano Agustin Favia singled to score Lewis, tying the game and keeping their chances for a win alive. A single from Alan Ortiz put Favia in scoring position, setting the stage for a thrilling victory. Thomas Snowden jumped on the first pitch, sending the ball to the centre right gap for an electrifying walk-off double to keep the team’s undefeated streak going.
Starter Franco Caramia got the win after pitching the entire game, giving up six hits, three walks and three runs – two of them earned – while striking out five. Now 8-0, with the Hunters not far behind at 6-2, St. Kilda will aim to keep up the pace as they head into the last month of baseball before the break.
St. Kilda Saints vs. Ormond Glenhuntly – Blue 2nds
4 5
Despite some close calls, the Hunters pulled away in the end, protecting their unbeaten record for another week. The Saints are following in second place with a 5-3 record, which they will look to improve on in the coming weeks as they face Pakenham, North Western and Ormond Glenhuntly – Gold. Meanwhile the Hunters will just keep on doing what they’re doing as they prove just how tough they are to beat, with their top pitching and hitting putting them in prime position for another Finals run.
Chelsea Dolphins vs. Pakenham Pumas 1sts
1 2
The Dolphins fell for the second week in a row as the Pumas narrowly got the win. A one-run advantage was all Pakenham needed to improve their record to 4-4, thanks to the efforts of starting pitcher Trent Job, who pitched the entire game with ease, giving up just three hits and one unearned run while striking out seven. On the offensive side, Chris Cumming, Simon Ferris and Martin Kennedy all had a single and a walk, while Shaun Fahy smashed a single and a double. Scott Dale recorded an RBI to get the team on the board. Chelsea’s lone run was brought in by Matthew Burton, who had a single and a walk on the day. Mitch Bowen had a single, but otherwise the Dolphins were pretty quiet.
Now that their record is 4-4, Chelsea will look ahead to their upcoming games against Ormond Glenhuntly, North Western Titans and St. Kilda. Next up for the 4-4 Pumas is St. Kilda, followed by Ormond Glenhuntly’s two teams.
Chelsea Dolphins vs. Pakenham Pumas 2nds
13 2
It was not a pretty day at the plate for the Pumas, who dropped their sixth game of the season against a hard-hitting Dolphins side. Chelsea cruised to a big win after a tough 15-1 loss to St. Kilda the week before. With a 4-4 record heading into round 9, the Dolphins will be eager to maintain their momentum as they head into the final few weeks this side of Christmas, while the Pumas will look to finally get in the win column and move out of their spot on the bottom of the ladder.
Ormond Glenhuntly Gold vs. North Western Titans 1sts
5 10
The Hunters have yet to find their footing this season as they dropped their eighth game, despite some offensive action after several shutouts in the past few weeks. The first time these two sides met back in round 3, it was a crazy runfest. The Hunters put 16 up on the board, only to be outpaced by the Titans with their 22 runs. Since then, the most runs OGH – Gold has managed in any game is just one, while North Western has struggled too, losing their last four games. These bottom two teams will look to turn things around before the first half of the season is over.
Ormond Glenhuntly Gold vs. North Western Titans 2nds
17 4
The Hunters fared much better in the 2nds, as they blasted their way to their fourth victory of the season. With their big bats in tow, the Hunters managed to bounce back after their disappointing 16-0 loss at the hands of OGH – Blue. The Titans have fallen to a dismal 1-5-1, which they’ll be determined to improve heading into the final four weeks ahead of the break.
