With 11 rounds of VSBL Division 4 complete and just eight more to go, teams are doing their best to stay in the competition and get much-needed wins on the board. Melbourne and Waverley Black lead the way in Division 4 East, while Footscray White and Footscray Red have Division 4 North West under control. Monash University has some breathing room in Division 4 South with Cheltenham trying to catch up.
Division 4 East
Blackburn Orioles 9 v Malvern Braves 10
The Braves came out on top in a close encounter against the Orioles to register their first win in five rounds.
Blackburn gave up the lead late in a heartbreaking loss, marking the team's tenth loss of the season. With the win, the Braves move up one spot to fifth in the ladder, now with a 4-6 record.
Malvern will host sixth-place Melbourne University for round 12 while Blackburn takes on Waverley Black.
The Braves came out on top in a close encounter against the Orioles to register their first win in five rounds.
Blackburn gave up the lead late in a heartbreaking loss, marking the team's tenth loss of the season. With the win, the Braves move up one spot to fifth in the ladder, now with a 4-6 record.
Malvern will host sixth-place Melbourne University for round 12 while Blackburn takes on Waverley Black.
Fitzroy Lions Gold 4 v Waverley Wildcats Black 20
The Wildcats registered their tenth win of the season by defeating the Lions at home.
Ethan Chiarotto, Vaughn Evans and Glenn Mascoll helped lead Waverley to victory, as the team was trailing by one run after the bottom of the first before stepping things up a notch. The Wildcats scored seven runs in both the second and the third innings while conceding just one run in the last four innings to record a massive win.
The defeat brought an end to Fitzroy's three-game winning streak while Waverley Black improves to 10-1 on the season.
Fitzroy Gold plays Waverley Red in round 12 while Waverley Black hosts Blackburn.
The Wildcats registered their tenth win of the season by defeating the Lions at home.
Ethan Chiarotto, Vaughn Evans and Glenn Mascoll helped lead Waverley to victory, as the team was trailing by one run after the bottom of the first before stepping things up a notch. The Wildcats scored seven runs in both the second and the third innings while conceding just one run in the last four innings to record a massive win.
The defeat brought an end to Fitzroy's three-game winning streak while Waverley Black improves to 10-1 on the season.
Fitzroy Gold plays Waverley Red in round 12 while Waverley Black hosts Blackburn.
St Kilda Saints 14 v Waverley Wildcats Red 6
St Kilda bounced back after a 13-6 loss at Waverley Black the week before. The Saints had a strong start to this game, scoring five runs in the first inning.
St Kilda was backed by a strong pitching performance as the side gave up just one run across the first three innings. The Saints scored another six runs in the top of the third to get a massive lead in the game, and they held on despite a bit of offensive activity from Waverley Red as the Wildcats scored five late runs.
The Saints stay put in fourth place, now with a 5-5 record, while Waverley Red is in seventh place with a 2-8-1 record.
St Kilda hosts undefeated Melbourne for round 12 while Waverley Red heads to Fitzroy Gold.
St Kilda bounced back after a 13-6 loss at Waverley Black the week before. The Saints had a strong start to this game, scoring five runs in the first inning.
St Kilda was backed by a strong pitching performance as the side gave up just one run across the first three innings. The Saints scored another six runs in the top of the third to get a massive lead in the game, and they held on despite a bit of offensive activity from Waverley Red as the Wildcats scored five late runs.
The Saints stay put in fourth place, now with a 5-5 record, while Waverley Red is in seventh place with a 2-8-1 record.
St Kilda hosts undefeated Melbourne for round 12 while Waverley Red heads to Fitzroy Gold.
Melbourne Demons 12 v Monash University Farmers 1
The Demons are now 10-0 following another win this weekend, this time over the Farmers as they drop to a 3-6-2 record on the season.
The game was tied at one after the bottom of the first, but from there on out the Demons completely dominated the game. Melbourne scored in every inning while shutting Monash out for the rest of the game.
Melbourne's strongest innings were the second, when the team scored six, and the fifth when the Demons added a final three runs.
Melbourne will travel to St Kilda and Monash University heads to Malvern in the next round.
The Demons are now 10-0 following another win this weekend, this time over the Farmers as they drop to a 3-6-2 record on the season.
The game was tied at one after the bottom of the first, but from there on out the Demons completely dominated the game. Melbourne scored in every inning while shutting Monash out for the rest of the game.
Melbourne's strongest innings were the second, when the team scored six, and the fifth when the Demons added a final three runs.
Melbourne will travel to St Kilda and Monash University heads to Malvern in the next round.
Division 4 North West
Footscray Bulldogs Red 4 v Footscray Bulldogs White 4
There was nothing to separate the two Footscray based clubs after six innings of play as the game ended in a draw.
Footscray White took an early lead in the game scoring two runs in the first inning before a quiet stretch. Both sides scored once in the fourth before Footscray Red came back strongly in the fifth inning and scored three runs to lead the game 4-3.
The White Bulldogs side tied things up in the bottom of the sixth to secure the draw.
Footscray White stays on top of the ladder with a 9-0-1 record while Footscray Red isn't far behind with an 8-1-1 record.
Footscray White hosts Mitchel Majors Black next while Footscray Red will play another derby with the Footscray Blue side.
There was nothing to separate the two Footscray based clubs after six innings of play as the game ended in a draw.
Footscray White took an early lead in the game scoring two runs in the first inning before a quiet stretch. Both sides scored once in the fourth before Footscray Red came back strongly in the fifth inning and scored three runs to lead the game 4-3.
The White Bulldogs side tied things up in the bottom of the sixth to secure the draw.
Footscray White stays on top of the ladder with a 9-0-1 record while Footscray Red isn't far behind with an 8-1-1 record.
Footscray White hosts Mitchel Majors Black next while Footscray Red will play another derby with the Footscray Blue side.
Essendon Jets 9 v Mitchell Majors Black 9
The second drawn game for the week was between Essendon Jets and Mitchell Majors Black. This high-scoring game featured a competitive first inning as Mitchell Majors Black took a 4-3 lead.
Essendon went ahead 7-5 by the end of the second, but the game was far from over. Mitchell Majors Black scored four in the fourth to counter Essendon's two additional runs, tying the game.
Neither side could get anything done in the fifth inning as the score remained the same. Mitchell Majors Black sits at 1-8-1 on the season just above the bottom of the ladder, while Essendon has a 3-6-1 record after the weekend’s draw.
The Jets take rest next week with a bye, while Mitchell Majors Black heads out to Footscray to play the top ranked Bulldogs White.
The second drawn game for the week was between Essendon Jets and Mitchell Majors Black. This high-scoring game featured a competitive first inning as Mitchell Majors Black took a 4-3 lead.
Essendon went ahead 7-5 by the end of the second, but the game was far from over. Mitchell Majors Black scored four in the fourth to counter Essendon's two additional runs, tying the game.
Neither side could get anything done in the fifth inning as the score remained the same. Mitchell Majors Black sits at 1-8-1 on the season just above the bottom of the ladder, while Essendon has a 3-6-1 record after the weekend’s draw.
The Jets take rest next week with a bye, while Mitchell Majors Black heads out to Footscray to play the top ranked Bulldogs White.
North Coburg Rebels Gold 11 v Fitzroy Lions Maroon 9
This was a tight battle between these two sides, but ultimately the Rebels prevailed with a late push at the end. The game was tied 2-2 after the first inning before the Rebels got a one-run lead in the second. Four runs came home for North Coburg in the fourth compared to three for Fitzroy.
Both sides put four runs up on the board in the fourth inning, but Fitzroy couldn't quite make up the deficit. Now Fitzroy Maroon and North Coburg Gold are tied at 7-3 records. The Lions play Essendon Bombers and the Rebels play North Coburg Maroon in round 12.
Fitzroy Lions Blue 8 v Essendon Bombers 0
Fitzroy Blue came back strongly this week after a loss in the last round against the other Essendon team in a close encounter. The Lions scored late, putting one run on in the third, two in the fourth and four in the fifth. One more run came in to score in the top of the sixth while the Lions kept the Bombers at bay.
This game marked a special moment for Fitzroy as it was the first time father-and-son duo David and Michael Jones took the field together. Michael made three good plays at second base and scored a run, while his dad, a Fitzroy life member, threw three shutout innings, drove in two runs and stole a base.
This win makes Fitzroy Blue 4-6 on the season while Essendon is 2-8.
Fitzroy Blue faces Mitchell Majors Yellow, while the Bombers take on Fitzroy Maroon for the coming weekend
Photo: Brett Bennell - Fitzroy Baseball Club Facebook
Fitzroy Blue came back strongly this week after a loss in the last round against the other Essendon team in a close encounter. The Lions scored late, putting one run on in the third, two in the fourth and four in the fifth. One more run came in to score in the top of the sixth while the Lions kept the Bombers at bay.
This game marked a special moment for Fitzroy as it was the first time father-and-son duo David and Michael Jones took the field together. Michael made three good plays at second base and scored a run, while his dad, a Fitzroy life member, threw three shutout innings, drove in two runs and stole a base.
This win makes Fitzroy Blue 4-6 on the season while Essendon is 2-8.
Fitzroy Blue faces Mitchell Majors Yellow, while the Bombers take on Fitzroy Maroon for the coming weekend
Photo: Brett Bennell - Fitzroy Baseball Club Facebook
Footscray Bulldogs Blue 6 v Mitchell Majors Yellow 8
The reigning premiers outlasted Footscray Blue, scoring six late runs to overpower the Bulldogs.
Mitchell Majors Yellow was led by contributions from Nick Attard, Joel Burton and Aaron Sherriff. This strong team performance gives the 7-3 Yellow team a boost going into round 12 v Fitzroy Blue, while Footscray Blue is 4-6 heading into a matchup with Footscray Bulldogs Red.
North Coburg Rebels Maroon - BYE
Division 4 South
Cheltenham Rustlers 10 v Berwick City Cougars 6
The Rustlers had a very strong start to the game, scoring six runs in the opening frame alone.
The Cougars did get a bit of offense going, but it wasn't enough to catch up to Cheltenham, especially once the team put three runs on in the final inning.
The Rustlers remain unbeaten in the competition and are second on the ladder with a 6-0-1 record, while the reigning premiers at Berwick are just behind in third place with a 7-3 record.
The Cougars face the Farmers on the road in round 12, while the Rustlers host the Saints in the next round.
The Rustlers had a very strong start to the game, scoring six runs in the opening frame alone.
The Cougars did get a bit of offense going, but it wasn't enough to catch up to Cheltenham, especially once the team put three runs on in the final inning.
The Rustlers remain unbeaten in the competition and are second on the ladder with a 6-0-1 record, while the reigning premiers at Berwick are just behind in third place with a 7-3 record.
The Cougars face the Farmers on the road in round 12, while the Rustlers host the Saints in the next round.
St Kilda Saints 23 v Ormond Glenhuntly Hunters 9
The Hunters could not get the Saints under control in this matchup as St Kilda scored seven in the first and six in the second.
Five additional runs came home in the third and fourth as St Kilda cruised to victory. Nick Bathman, Ian Buckle, Omar Gomez and Avi Lewis got in on the offensive production for St Kilda as the entire lineup made valuable contributions.
Now St Kilda is 4-3 while Ormond Glenhuntly is 2-8 ahead of a Cheltenham game and a bye respectively.
Melbourne Demons 6 v Monash University Farmers 11
The Farmers continue their excellent form and still remain unbeaten at the top of the ladder with a 9-0-1 record. They had a huge second inning, scoring seven runs to take a big lead in the game.
The Demons played catch up after that and just managed to score six runs in the game. Now Melbourne is sitting in the mdidle of the ladder with a 3-4 record ahead of a home game v Pakenham, while Monash plays Berwick.
Moorabbin Panthers (FORFEIT) v Pakenham Pumas
The Farmers continue their excellent form and still remain unbeaten at the top of the ladder with a 9-0-1 record. They had a huge second inning, scoring seven runs to take a big lead in the game.
The Demons played catch up after that and just managed to score six runs in the game. Now Melbourne is sitting in the mdidle of the ladder with a 3-4 record ahead of a home game v Pakenham, while Monash plays Berwick.
Moorabbin Panthers (FORFEIT) v Pakenham Pumas