Several teams continued their strong 2019/20 VSBL seasons in Division 4 as play resumed after a few weeks break. Melbourne and Waverley Wildcats Black continue to set the pace in Division 4 East, while Footscray's Red and White teams prove dominant in the North West. Cheltenham and Monash Uni each chalked up victories in the South as they compete for the top two spots.
Division 4 East
Malvern Braves 2 v Waverley Wildcats Black 18
Back-to-back seven-run digs at the start of the game for Waverley Black set the tone for the home side as Malvern never really got going, scoring one run in each of the first and third innings.
The Wildcats capped off the game with another four runs over the last two innings to take a comprehensive win, a big comeback from the loss in the final round of 2019. Offensive contributions from Vaughn Evans, Dean Ferris and Mark Flintoff helped the Wildcats secure a huge advantage.
Waverley Black sits second on the ladder with a 12-2 record ahead of a blockbuster against Waverley Red this weekend while Malvern has lost three in a row as the Braves are 4-19 for the season ahead of a game against Fitzroy Gold.
St Kilda Saints 13 v Blackburn Orioles 4
The Orioles have had their losing streak extended to 10 on the back of this loss to the Saints who were on a two-game losing streak themselves.
The win puts St Kilda into the top four, switching places with Monash Uni as the Saints look at a 6-7 record before facing the Farmers this weekend. Blackburn will want to snap this streak soon and will begin with a trip to Melbourne.
Melbourne Demons 15 v Fitzroy Lions Gold 7
The Demons have gone 13-0 for the season as they continue to assert their dominance on the rest of the competition.
It was an evenly poised match as the third wound down, with the Lions in front 7-6 before Melbourne got away in the fourth.
The Demons would go on to score six in that inning and another three in the fifth while shutting Fitzroy out of any more chances for them to score runs.
Fitzroy sits in third place with a 7-5-1 record, and the Lions have won five of the past six games. Next up for them is a against Malvern this weekend, while Melbourne will look to make it 14 in a row v Blackburn.
Waverley Wildcats Red v Monash University Farmers - WASH OUT
Division 4 North West
Fitzroy Lions Blue 7 v Footscray Bulldogs Blue 12
The Bulldogs started their early couple of digs well with five and four in the first and second respectively as the score stood at 9-2 at the end of two.
Fitzroy outscored the Bulldogs in the next three innings five runs to three however, the Lions weren't able to get near enough to match the Bulldogs in the later stages of the match.
The win to Footscray Blue puts them in a good position for a chance at finals, sitting sixth with a 6-7 record before taking on the Bombers this weekend. Fitzroy Blue play Fitzroy Maroon to improve on their 4-8-1 record.
Mitchell Majors Yellow 15 v Essendon Jets 4
Seven runs in the fourth inning to Mitchell Majors Yellow was enough of a buffer to completely shut down the Jets.
Mitchell Majors Yellow started off with four runs in the first and again in the third, as Essendon joined in with four runs across the second and third innings themselves.
It was Mitchell Majors Yellow's 10th win of the season and seventh in a row, sees them placed third on the ladder as they face Footscray White next week. Essendon was on a three-game unbeaten run, and now has a 4-7-1 record before taking on Footscray Red in the next round.
Mitchell Majors Black 11 v North Coburg Rebels Gold 10
North Coburg Gold had a chance to steal victory at the bottom of the fifth, but credit to Mitchell Majors Black, they disallowed the Rebels from scoring in that dig - the only dig not to register a score.
Trailing by one run after the fourth inning, Mitchell Majors Black scored twice in the fifth to take a one-run lead, which would end up being the final result.
Earlier in the game, Mitchell Majors Black lead 3-2 after one, then in the second the Rebels brought five home in response to the Majors three, leading by one. The next two innings couldn't be split as each team came home three times.
It was just Mitchell Majors Black's second win of the season (their first was back in round two) so they've started the new year off well as they prepare to travel to Coburg to take on Rebels Maroon.
North Coburg Gold will have the bye to reflect on the loss, but the Rebels are still doing well in fifth place with a 8-4-1 record.
Essendon Bombers 8 v Footscray Bulldogs White 15
The Bombers got the start they wanted with a full seven runners scoring in the first inning of the game and took a 8-5 lead into the bottom of the third, even after Footscray White's four in the second.
The third inning is where it all started to fall into place to the Bulldogs though, snatching the lead with a dominant display that involved six runs before scoring another four in the fifth, all the while preventing the Bombers from ever looking like getting back into the game.
Footscray White remains a small margin away from taking top spot and could do it this weekend against Mitchell Majors Yellow but currently sits second with a 10-1-1 record. The Bombers play Footscray Blue next week, looking to their third win of the season.
Footscray Bulldogs Red 25 v North Coburg Rebels Maroon 5
This was a very dominant display from Footscray Red as they powered over North Coburg Maroon on the back of some impressive offence.
The Bulldogs scored the maximum seven runs three times in four innings, and in the third, they still scored four while the Rebels prodded along with five runs over four innings, their highlight being three in the fourth. Dennis Papadatos had his first inside-the-park home run for North Coburg.
Up next for Footscray Red, who are unbeaten in 11 games now, is Essendon Jets while North Coburg Maroon hasn't had a win since round four and will want that to change against Mitchell Majors Black.
Fitzroy Lions Maroon v BYE
Division 4 South
St Kilda Saints 9 v Monash University Farmers 14
Each team had big scores after the first, the result going the way of the Saints, five runs to four.
The Farmers tied the game in the second with one coming home before a compete attack was launched in the third where they picked up seven.
St Kilda tried to come back as they scored one in the fourth and three in the fifth but the margin was still too much, even more so when Monash Uni scored twice more in the fourth.
Farmers' team manager Mikiya Ichise says the best part of the performance was his team's patience in the batter's box. "We didn't chase pitches outside the strike zone, which frustrated their pitchers and enabled us to get lots of walks," Ichise said. "On the defensive end, while we did make a few errors the pitchers continued to throw good pitches throughout the game."
Ichise was impressed with the efforts of Tim Kibell at shortstop. "He dealt with all ground balls sent his way with aplomb," Ichise added. "Our main area for improvement is better game awareness - adjusting our plays and approaches based on the game situation. Where the opposition pitcher is struggling we need to make sure we are patient and not be too aggressive in the batter's box."
The Farmers are still very much looking for first place but are settling in second right now with a 10-2-1 record but have the bye in the next round. St Kilda however will play Pakenham and a win there could see them enter the top four.
Berwick City Cougars 15 v Ormond Glenhuntly 9
Berwick improved to a 9-3 record on the back of this win with Ormond Glenhuntly's record reversed to the Cougars at 3-9.
The Cougars face Melbourne next up with their eyes on three in a row while Ormond Glenhuntly take on Cheltenham.
Cheltenham Rustlers 14 v Pakenham Pumas 1
The game was even at one all after the first but things started getting out of hand for the Pumas as they gave up many runs without scoring anymore themselves.
Cheltenham would go on to score six in the second and seven in the third as the Rustlers picked up their eighth win of the season which sees them still taking out top spot on the ladder.
The Rustlers face Ormond Glenhuntly next up while Pakenham travels to St Kilda.