VSBL Division 4 action has wrapped up for the year and it's tight all round as teams head into the midseason break. Melbourne has had a perfect 12-0 start in the East while Footscray White is still on top of North West, even as the Bulldogs just gave up their first loss of the season.
Division Four East
St Kilda Saints 9 v Fitzroy Lions Gold 10
Fitzroy were victorious thanks to a walkoff victory in the sixth inning, impressing with a late-game surge of runs in the final two innings.
St Kilda came through with the first run of the game in the first inning as Fitzroy squared things up later in the third.
The fifth inning produced four runs to each side and the Saints added the same amount in the fifth, that being the margin.
However, the Lions had their plans laid out too and delivered the knockout blow as they won their seventh game of the season to take them to a 7-4-1 record. St Kilda are now holding a 5-7 record and have slipped from dropping the past two games.
When the season resumes next month, St Kilda plays Blackburn while Fitzroy Gold takes on Melbourne.
Blackburn Orioles 8 v Monash University Farmers 13
Monash Uni scored seven runs in a dominant display up-front that continued into the second. Blackburn scored their first runs in the second but again, the Farmers fought hard for their four at the bottom, taking a nine-run lead after that point.
The Orioles finally got on a bit of a roll in the third when they brought in five with the Farmers still pressing with two runs at the bottom until Blackburn ran in one more to end their offense, while keeping Monash Uni without a run in the fourth.
Monash Uni have entered the top four with a 5-6-2 record at the end of the year on the back of this win, being their second in a row. The Farmers host Waverley Red after the break. Blackburn have finished the year in eighth spot with a 1-12 record ahead of a meeting with St Kilda.
Malvern Braves 4 v Waverley Wildcats Red 10
Waverley had the ascendency in this contest all the way through, from the time they scored three runs in the first, adding another seven across the next four innings including another three-run effort in the fourth.
Malvern scored in the second, fifth and sixth as they tried to get back into the game but couldn't get enough in the final inning.
It's Waverley Red's third win of the year that takes them to a 3-9-1 record ahead of facing Monash Uni in the new year while Malvern are 4-8 after this round before facing Waverley Black.
Waverley Wildcats Black 7 v Melbourne Demons 14
A top-two clash resulted in a seven-run win to Melbourne. The win was helped by five runs to the Demons in the second and four in the third. Melbourne got their account underway with two in the first and a further three in the fourth too.
For the Wildcats, they evened things up in the second by scoring two and again in the third with five too however couldn't match the Demons from then on.
Melbourne's win sees them finish the year with a perfect 12-0 record that they'll look to continue in the new year when they face Fitzroy Gold, while Waverley Black face Malvern in Round 14 looking to continue their good season, currently sitting second with a 11-2 record.
Division Four North West
Mitchell Majors Yellow 15 v Mitchell Majors Black 4
Mitchell Majors Yellow's game was largely assisted by two big-scoring innings; six runs in the third and seven runs in the fifth.
Mitchell Majors Black were the first team to score, having two runners come home in the first inning but it wasn't until the fourth inning that they scored two runs again.
Yellow sit third with this win, their record being 9-3 after 12 games as they'll play Essendon Jets next up while Black are 10th with a 1-9-1 record as they'll like to get more runs in the new year, starting with a game against North Coburg Gold.
Footscray Bulldogs White 2 v Essendon Jets 3
Essendon Jets held on for victory against Footscray White as the Bulldogs just couldn't get the job done and in turn, suffered their first defeat of the season.
Footscray White scored one run in the first with the Jets scoring two at the bottom. The Jets took a bigger lead after scoring one in the fourth, while limiting the Bulldogs in their offensive outings.
Footscray White added one more run to their score in the sixth but couldn't muster up another in the seventh as the game drew to a close.
Essendon Jets have won their fourth game of the year to sit at 4-6-1 in seventh ahead of hosting Mitchell Majors Yellow in the next round. Footscray White host Essendon Bombers after the break as they look to not drop anymore games with their 9-1-1 record.
Fitzroy Lions Maroon 3 v Footscray Bulldogs Red 14
Three out of the Bulldogs' five offensive innings saw them produce four runs in each as they ran rings around Fitzroy Maroon.
The Lions scored two in the second and another in the fourth but constant scoreboard pressure from Footscray Red for Fitzroy Maroon to catch up proved too difficult.
Footscray Red have a 10-1-1 record heading into the break and will come back to face North Coburg Maroon. Fitzroy Maroon are fifth with a 8-4 record ahead of the break but will have to wait a little longer for their next win as they have the bye.
Footscray Bulldogs Blue 15 v North Coburg Rebels Maroon 1
Six runs in the first inning to Footscray Blue provided a great stepping stone towards how this game would play out, and it continued throughout the whole game, the Bulldogs also having a seven-run third inning.
The Bulldogs held a 15-0 lead heading into the bottom of the fourth when North Coburg Maroon took one run back.
Rebels Maroon end the year in 11th place with a 1-11 record ahead of a meeting between the top-placed Footscray Red. Footscray Blue are sixth with a 5-7 record and will take on Fitzroy Blue next month.
North Coburg Rebels Gold 9 v Fitzroy Lions Blue 9
This matchup ended in a draw as Fitzroy Blue couldn't land any runs at the bottom of the sixth.
The Lions evened things up in the bottom of the second when they scored two to counter the Rebels one-run first and second digs. The Lions eventually lead 9-2 after a big seven run effort in the third.
The following few innings were dominated by North Coburg Gold, getting six runs through the fourth and fifth innings before the one run in the top of the sixth.
North Coburg Gold sits fourth with a 8-3-1 record while Fitzroy Blue are eighth with a 4-7-1 record. After the break, North Coburg Gold host Mitchell Majors Black while Fitzroy Blue take on Footscray Blue.
Essendon Bombers v BYE
Essendon Bombers had the bye to end the year but they'll be back in Round 14 to face Footscray Bulldogs White away.
The Bombers are ninth currently with a 2-9 record, hoping to climb the ladder as the second half of the season gets underway next month.
Division Four South
Monash University Farmers 0 v Cheltenham Rustlers 0
Pakenham Pumas 0 v Ormond Glenhuntly 0
Berwick City Cougars v BYE
Berwick had the bye this weekend to cut their year short but the Cougars have managed to stay in the top three at the year's end. They hold a 7-3 record and when the competition starts up again, they'll travel to Ormond Glenhuntly's home ground.