There were plenty of great matchups on show in Round 10 of the 2019/20 Division 1 season, with each game being decided by no more than eight runs and three games decided by one run. Sandringham was the only team to complete the sweep in this series of games as they make their climb in this exciting VSBL competition.
Division 1 Firsts
Geelong Baycats 2 v Sunshine Eagles 3
The Baycats were overrun by Sunshine in a come-from-behind ninth inning victory for the Eagles as they prove their one-run loss to the Baycats in Round 8 was a minor hiccup, still sitting atop the Division One ladder with a 9-1 record.
Geelong tallied seven hits for the game, led by three to Lewis Weldon and two credited to Rudy Jaramillo. Their two runs for the game came in second inning, Weldon and Jarryd Wood the players to cross the plate, both coming in from Jaramillo's hit.
Each team's defence was exceptional for the next four innings, and it was in the seventh that Sunshine brought the scores back to even at two-apiece, which was the score as the ninth inning came to a close, prompting the game to go into extra innings.
The Eagles didn't allow the Baycats to score at the top, leaving the calculation a simple one for the Eagles: score. And that they did, with a walkoff hit securing the win and a huge celebration for Sunshine.
Eight of the nine players on Sunshine's lineup registered a hit, Bryce Aldridge getting two safe hits and Adam Irons a double. Aldridge, Russell Letts and Jeremy Young scored the runs for Sunshine.
Jaramillo was on the mound for Geelong from the start and in six innings, gave up zero runs on two hits and struck out five batters. James Wood came in as relief but it was Sam Gibbons who would be the unfortunate one to give up the winning run.
Scott Barr and Adam Irons were the Sunshine players tasked with taking the mound, the latter picking up the win as he went three innings for zero runs from one hit, along with two strikeouts.
The Eagles start a series with Blackburn this weekend, while Geelong will look to turn their losses into wins when they face Melbourne.
(Photo credit: Lee Dare/Sunshine Eagles Facebook)
Blackburn Orioles 4 v Cheltenham Rustlers 8
Blackburn tallied nine hits against Cheltenham, but only found four runs come across the plate. A couple of hits each to Ryan Berg, Jacob Evans and Jimmy Bent paved the way for Berg, Bent, Liam Hopkins and Nick Rossell to score runs for the Orioles.
On the mound for the Orioles were Blake Hodgson with three hits and one run across three innings but it was Rohan Johnstone who took the loss as he gave up five runs on six hits over two innings.
Cheltenham has now recorded four wins for the season, each of those wins coming within the past six rounds as they mount a charge from the lower levels of the ladder.
Before this series, Blackburn was tied for third and now the Orioles are tied for fourth. The Rustlers are finding plenty of form heading into the later parts of the first half of the season and will likely continue that against Newport. For Blackburn, it doesn't get any easier with a series against ladder-leaders Sunshine.
Fitzroy Lions 0 v Newport Rams 1
In a thrilling game that went deep into the 14th inning, it was Newport's David Land who hit the game-winning RBI to send Jason Jarvis home for the walkoff win.
The Rams tallied eight hits on the day, highlighted by Land who recorded two, a double and a triple as he propelled his team to victory. Cameron Lyons also hit two, including a double, while Jarod Berman's hit was a two-baser.
It was a great display of pitching from Jarvis also, being in the middle for 11 innings and not giving up any runs from four hits and four base on balls, his 17 strikeouts playing a massive part in controlling the game defensively. Jarvis pitched 168 pitches, 113 of them being strikes, showing his efficiency with a 1.19 ERA to date. Berman came to the mound for the first time this season and pitched two innings towards the end, also not giving up any hits or runs to earn the win.
Berwick City Cougars 1 v Upwey Ferntree Gully Tigers 6
Upwey Ferntree Gully performed well in the field, led by pitcher Jarrod Turner who threw eight scoreless innings while the team got behind him also and made the necessary plays.
The Tigers lineup scored two runs in the first inning, RBI singles credited to Travis Murphy and Jordan Elliot. The Tigers tacked on another one in the sixth and another in the seventh, Harvey Chinn executing a brilliant safety squeeze.
The home side scored two more runs in the ninth to round out their game, the team hitting well across each inning, a Staci Rogers sacrifice bunt and a few Berwick errors in the field contributing to the score.
The Cougars tallied six hits for the game, two each to Nick O'Shea and Jordan Bradley. Alex Clark was the player who ran home on a Cain Hillier RBI.
Upwey Ferntree Gully has rocketed to third place on the ladder on the back of recent wins and hopes that continues during the upcoming series against Fitzroy. Berwick's next opponent is Essendon who are just above them on the ladder, setting that series up for a close one too.
Sandringham Royals 4 v Essendon Bombers 3
It was a tight affair well into the ninth, with Essendon leading the hits nine to eight, but Sandringham able to get the runners scoring.
A one-all contest at the end of the first inning, transpired into the 3-1 lead to the Royals as the bottom of four approached where the Bombers brought it back to a run.
The seventh read like the first with one run apiece, and from there the score would remain the same.
Brandon Stenhouse led the game for hits with three for the Royals, while Zac Skinner got two. Darby Sexton got two hits for the Bombers.
Gareth Formisano pitched 7.1 innings and had seven strikeouts, while Declan Crocker and Cody Anderson performed well on the mound for Sandringham, recording 12 strikeouts between them.
Sandringham has gone up the ladder on the back of this series sweep, sitting fourth with a 5-5 record before facing second-place Waverley in the next set of games. For Essendon, a four-game losing streak sees them fall from second to seventh, taking on Berwick in their next series.
Waverley Wildcats 8 v Melbourne Demons 0
Despite Waverley's up-and-down recent portion of the season, the Wildcats are still sitting second on the ladder after 10 rounds and this win over Melbourne.
The shutout victory to the Wildcats was assisted by Andrew Russell being on the mound for seven innings, giving up two hits and two base on balls but not allowing any runners to score as he recorded eight strikeouts. It was his second game of not giving up any runs and fourth without any earned runs. Darcy Longstaff finished things off in the remaining two innings, not giving up any bases and striking out three.
On the batting end for the Wildcats, Jacob Sheldon-Collins picked up two hits, as did Billy Findlay, Mohi Kahui and Reece Longstaff. Five players made it to second on their respective hits, with Sheldon-Collins and R Longstaff making it home twice. Ben Aslett got two RBIs.
Melbourne has won once in the last six games plays Geelong starting this weekend. Waverley face the red-hot Sandringham.
Division 1 Seconds
Geelong Baycats 10 v Sunshine Eagles 2
Geelong got out to an admirable lead in the early stages of this game at Sunshine, taking a nine-run lead within the first two innings on the back of seven runners coming home in the second dig.
Adding another in the fifth, the margin was 10, but the Eagles were staying strong in the box, managing two runs in their sixth inning.
In the end, Sunshine tallied just three hits on the day, the Baycats credits going to Lachlan Hockey, Connor Hughes and Blake Witham all combining to restrict the batters doing too much damage. The defensive fieldwork by Geelong in both the infield and outside disallowed the Eagles from gaining too much of a start offensively.
The same may not be said for the Eagles, who in the first two defensive innings let things slip as all of the Baycats first nine runs came when the Geelong side were two down. The quality of the at bats by all players was minimised as the game progressed, however Harper Rickard excelled with two doubles, Kobe Greenhalgh had two hits including a double and three RBIs with Will Brennan getting in on the action with two hits also.
Sandringham Royals 4 v Essendon Bombers 10
Sandringham got the early jump on Essendon in this matchup, seeing the first two runs of the game come across the plate in the first innings, however the Royals let that lead slip in the third when they witnessed eight Essendon runners cross the plate.
It was even splitting in the fifth at two runs apiece, the Royals unable to bounce back from the third innings fade.
Sandringham face second-place Waverley next up whereas Essendon is at home to Berwick.
Sandringham got the early jump on Essendon in this matchup, seeing the first two runs of the game come across the plate in the first innings, however the Royals let that lead slip in the third when they witnessed eight Essendon runners cross the plate.
It was even splitting in the fifth at two runs apiece, the Royals unable to bounce back from the third innings fade.
Sandringham face second-place Waverley next up whereas Essendon is at home to Berwick.
Berwick City Cougars 0 v Upwey Ferntree Gully Tigers 15
The Tigers really set the tone of this one from the outset, nine runs crossing the plate in a rampant first inning, which they were able to extend to an 12 run lead as the second inning came to a close.
The tight defense worked wonders for the Tigers, performing a shutout on the Cougars, not able to score in any innings, especially after Upwey Ferntree Gully scored another three in the fifth.
Keeley Ronalds-Greatbatch made his first start for the twos this year, going three scoreless innings. Mitch John was good in relief again as he went scoreless in three innings also.
Batting-wise for the Tigers, every player recorded a hit with the standouts being Jordan Gavin with three hits and four RBIs and Michael Oxworth with two hits.
The Tigers really set the tone of this one from the outset, nine runs crossing the plate in a rampant first inning, which they were able to extend to an 12 run lead as the second inning came to a close.
The tight defense worked wonders for the Tigers, performing a shutout on the Cougars, not able to score in any innings, especially after Upwey Ferntree Gully scored another three in the fifth.
Keeley Ronalds-Greatbatch made his first start for the twos this year, going three scoreless innings. Mitch John was good in relief again as he went scoreless in three innings also.
Batting-wise for the Tigers, every player recorded a hit with the standouts being Jordan Gavin with three hits and four RBIs and Michael Oxworth with two hits.
Blackburn Orioles 2 v Cheltenham Rustlers 1
Sam Bucello got the start for Blackburn in what turned out to be a genuine pitcher's duel, Bucello solid over five innings to record plenty of strikeouts and only one unearned run.
On the offensive end, the sixth innings saw the Orioles record their one and only hit for the game, a single to Riley Hodgson and after a string of subsequent walks, it led to the go-ahead run crossing home.
Blackburn maintain a good record at 6-2 heading into a series against Sunshine, while Cheltenham face Newport and will start to make a rapid climb up the ladder.
Waverley Wildcats 12 v Melbourne Demons 9
The first-placed Demons became dethroned when the Wildcats spoiled things at Surrey Park, placing Melbourne third at the conclusion of the round, while Waverley is second at 6-2.
Waverley travel to Sandringham this weekend and Melbourne is home to Geelong.
Waverley Wildcats 12 v Melbourne Demons 9
The first-placed Demons became dethroned when the Wildcats spoiled things at Surrey Park, placing Melbourne third at the conclusion of the round, while Waverley is second at 6-2.
Waverley travel to Sandringham this weekend and Melbourne is home to Geelong.
Fitzroy Lions 6 v Newport Rams 2
An even display of hitting from both sides was edged out by the Lions gaining a couple more runs in the fourth and sixth innings, whereas Newport wasn't able to maintain a strong enough addition to their runs gained in the first and fifth innings.
It's Fitzroy's second win of the season (and second in two games) as they'll try to distance themselves further from the bottom section of the ladder when facing Upwey Ferntree Gully this weekend. The Rams are searching for their first win and will hope to find that at home to the Rustlers.
Thirds
Newport Rams 3 v Fitzroy Lions 4
These two teams have played exceptionally well in the past two weeks, Newport and Fitzroy ending up splitting the series after one-run victories in each game.
Newport looked steady as the Rams gained a two-run lead heading into the bottom of the third, but that was the moment when Fitzroy looked like ramping things up. And that they did with a three-run third innings, expanding that score to four when another run crossed the plate in the fourth.
In the fifth, the Rams managed one to cut to margin in half and though restricting the Lions to none at the bottom, the Rams couldn't get the job done in the sixth.
Fitzroy has now won two games for the season within the last three rounds and look to continue that against Upwey Ferntree Gully, while the Rams want to expand on their two wins when taking on Cheltenham.
Berwick City Cougars 2 v Upwey Ferntree Gully Tigers 9
The Tigers got things moving in a great display of batting throughout the first two innings, collecting their nine runs across that time.
The Cougars were leading after the first dig when they scored one, and added another in the third but from there, the game was played with defensive intent from both sides.
Chris Cassidy got some pitching work in for the Tigers by being on the mound for three innings, giving up one unearned run. Harry Snoxell was good in relief.
Even though Upwey Ferntree Gully tallied three hits for the game, patient at bats forced many walks which contributed to the runs, and ultimately, the win.
By adding a win to their campaign, the Tigers are now sitting second at 5-1-1 before facing Fitzroy this week.
Blackburn Orioles 6 v Cheltenham Rustlers 3
An all-round team effort contributed to the Orioles win over Cheltenham, splitting the series one-all.
Blackburn maintains a first place spot on the ladder at 6-1-1 before facing Sunshine from this weekend and the Rustlers will want to get back to their winning ways against Newport.
Sandringham Royals 10 v Essendon Bombers 3
The Royals got off to a handy start when they went 4-0 from the top of the first and kept a good pace throughout the game, even after Essendon scored three throughout the second and third innings, which brought the deficit to two runs.
The Royals knuckled down and a further five runs in the final two innings propelled them into a winning position for their third win of the season and their second in three weeks as they prepare for upcoming clashes with Waverley, whereas Essendon face Berwick.
A highlight for the Bombers was Joel Prpic who hit a two-run home run in the third inning.
Geelong Baycats 9 v Sunshine Eagles 2
The Baycats wanted to get off to a good start and that they did with their lead growing to five on the back of a good offensive showing in the first two innings.
Sunshine's runs came in the middle portion of the game but the Baycats powered away in the sixth and seventh to run out seven-run victors.
Travis Duxton started on the hill and threw a complete seven innings game, giving up two hits, one earned run and five strikeouts.
Most of the Baycats batters got hits, and if not, quality at bats were abundant across the whole lineup. Lachlan Stotty went four from four with three doubles and a single, including three RBIs. William Fitzgerald had two hits with an RBI, while Jake Warren had one hit and two RBIs.
Geelong are in the top four at 5-2-1 as the team looks forward to a clash against Melbourne. The Eagles haven't won a game since round three and will hope to end that streak against Blackburn.
Melbourne Demons 3 v Waverley Wildcats 3
The two teams were tough through seven innings as a winner couldn't be found.
The Demons gave up a 3-0 lead they gained through the first three innings, as Waverley found a way to get on the board themselves in the third and tying things up in the fifth. From there, both sides were searching for ways to win, neither defensive unit giving up easily.
Each of these teams now have five wins for the season, Melbourne playing Geelong this round and Waverley facing Sandringham.
Fourths
Blackburn Orioles 9 v Cheltenham Rustlers 4
Blackburn powered away to an eight-run lead after their first two innings on the back of a seven-run effort in the second.
Cheltenham gained the next three runs in the second and third innings, before the teams got one run apiece in the fourth, where the score stayed until the end of the game.
The Orioles improve their record to 5-3 while it's the opposite for the Rustlers at 3-5. Cheltenham travel to Newport this weekend and Blackburn are in a top-four clash with Sunshine.
Sandringham Royals 1 v Essendon Bombers 13
The scoreline read 6-1 to the Bombers after two complete innings however the third innings is when Essendon really took control having six runs cross the plate.
One run was added to an already almighty lead as the Royals have lost the last two and face Waverley this weekend. Essendon will be 7-1 when the Bombers take on Berwick this weekend.
Newport Rams 2 v Fizroy Lions 7
Fitzroy got a hold of Newport for their second win in as many games.
As Newport scored a run at the top of the first, Fitzroy combated that with five in the bottom, a further two runs being added in the third.
Heading into the fifth with the Rams down by six, a big tasked was asked of them and they couldn't quite get there, managing to cut the margin by just one.
A contributing factor to Fitzroy's win was Chuck Ratnayake hit a home run to further propel the Lions to victory.
Berwick City Cougars 0 v Upwey Ferntree Gully Tigers 7
A shutout victory to the Tigers for their second win of the season, Adam Campli was the man on the mound, getting the job done.
Beside a two-run third innings to Upwey Ferntree Gully, the game was pretty even until the Tigers did get away from the Cougars, netting five runs late in the fifth inning, closing out hope of a Berwick fightback in the sixth.
Geelong Baycats 11 v Sunshine Eagles 9
Geelong has been great the past two weeks against Sunshine, collecting both of their season wins as they distance themselves from the bottom of the ladder before facing Melbourne.
Sunshine has dropped to 4-3 but remains in the top four as they take on Blackburn from this weekend.
Melbourne Demons 10 v Waverley Wildcats 6
The Wildcats were always pressing for the result to swing in their favour but a determined Demons outfit where runs scored in each of the six innings made sure to get the job done.
The scoreline read 6-1 heading into the bottom of the third after Melbourne gained three runs at the top of three but it was quickly cancelled out by the Wildcats who fought back with three of their own.
One-run innings from Melbourne were beneficial down the track in the fourth and sixth inning as the Wildcats again cancelled out the Demons influence in the fifth where the teams scored two runs each.
The win to Melbourne sees them end the round with a perfect 8-0 start as they look to Geelong next, while Waverley begin a series at Sandringham and will want to enter the top four again as they've just falled out with a 4-4 record.