Sunshine continues to power ahead of the competition in VSBL Division 1 firsts action where four teams are locked at 6-5 behind them. Upwey FTG leads all teams in the seconds, and Blackburn and Waverley are tied at the top for the thirds. Melbourne remain unbeaten in the fourths as more great baseball continues to be played this season.
Division 1 Firsts
Blackburn Orioles 1 v Sunshine Eagles 4
Sunshine got the job done in the end, but Blackburn were pleased to only give up four runs (two earned) against the league's frontrunners, Sam Bucello and Jacob Evans leading on the mound.
Sunshine had two early runs with extra runs coming in the third and the seventh. Blackburn's only run of the game was in the top of the fifth, as the Orioles collected five hits overall while Sunshine had nine.
Offensively, Blackburn's Liam Hopkins and Jimmy Bent continued their hitting streaks on a day when the wind made it tough to hit deep. The Orioles were able to get runners in scoring positions however nothing progressed, which led to the defeat.
Bryce Aldridge had two hits and two RBIs for Sunshine.
The Eagles are three games clear on top of the ladder while the Orioles have a 5-6 record this season. Next up, it's Blackburn's turn to host as the reigning premiers hold confidence they can topple the Eagles.
Bryce Aldridge of Sunshine Eagles. Photo: Baseball Victoria
Geelong Baycats 8 v Melbourne Demons 4
This was a great game offensively for Geelong as many players had quality at-bats, led by Kelii Zablan going 3-for-5 three including a home run, two doubles, three runs and two RBIs. Jordan Bauman went 4-for-5 in his first game for the ones. Conor Hughes had a 3-for-5 outing, just a day before the young pitcher got on the mound for Geelong-Korea in the Australian Baseball League
Geelong was sharp on the mound, with Rudy Jaramillo and Zablan combining for 15 strikeouts across the nine innings. The Baycats put three runs on the board in the second and led 5-3 at the end of the fifth. Another three runs in the top of the ninth sealed the deal, although the Baycats collected six hits on the day, one less than the Demons.
Melbourne fell short despite a decent day at the plate with seven hits - two apiece to Jarryd Rogers and Slade Squire. In 4.1 innings of pitching work, Andrew Case gave up just four hits and two earned runs with six strikeouts and 10 first-pitch strikes.
Berwick City Cougars 1 v Essendon Bombers 10
The Bombers are keeping up with the pack at the top and broke their four-game losing streak, downing Berwick 10-1 as they sit third at 6-5.
Essendon held the Cougars to just five singles on the day, two of those to Nick O'Shea. Jared Cruz, Cody Rodwell and Darby Sexton kept things moving in the right direction for Essendon. Now that the Bombers got this big win on the board, they will be looking forward to playing Berwick on the road this weekend.
The Cougars are 4-5-1 with their last win coming in round six v Blackburn.
Upwey FTG Tigers 4 v Fitzroy Lions 8
The Lions got the lead early, going 2-0 up after the first inning ended, the Tigers cutting the lead in half in the fourth before Fitzroy gained another two at the bottom.
A better top dig from Upwey FTG in the fifth saw the lineup produce two runs, again cutting the margin back to one, Fitzroy just getting one themselves at the bottom, seeing the score at 3-5.
It got to the eighth inning and the Tigers saw another one theirs cross the plate, staying in the game until they let it slip a little, giving up three runs at the bottom. Upwey FTG couldn't score against Fitzroy in the ninth.
Fitzroy collected 14 hits on the day, with Tom Dicker leading the way with three singles.
For the Tigers, Travis Murphy hit his first home run of the year while collecting two hits, Wade McConnon and Jordan Elliot with two hits also.
Sean Meldrum got the start, going strong through five innings and Jarrod Turner was good in relief however some costly errors in defence hurt the Tigers the most.
Waverley Wildcats 1 v Sandringham Royals 2
Sandringham has extended their winning streak to four games as the Royals sit second, a few games behind Sunshine.
Waverley's Andrew Russell pitched six innings, giving up five hits and one unearned run with six strikeouts. Mohi Kahui made it on base three times for the Wildcats with two doubles and one RBI. Jacob Sheldon-Collins collected two hits while Russell was the lone run scorer.
Branden Stenhouse had two of Sandringham's six singles, with the others going to Tim Lane, Harrison Wills, Jack Wills and Sam Skinner.
The one-run win over Waverley sees both teams at 6-5 for the season so far which will certainly set them up for crucial clashes for the remainder of the series.
Jacob Sheldon-Collins of Waverley Wildcats. Photo: Baseball Victoria
Cheltenham Rustlers 7 v Newport Rams 0
Newport was completely outplayed in this first-up game against Cheltenham, the Rustlers getting a two-run lead after their first dig until another five runners scored throughout the fourth to seventh innings.
David Asp took the loss for Newport, giving up nine hits and four earned runs in five innings to a strong Cheltenham side. Newport's Jarod Berman, Connor Schibeci, Cameron Lyons, Keenan Spence all picked up one hit each, Schibeci hitting a double.
The shutout win to Cheltenham was their second win in a row as they've moved up three places since round nine.
Division 1 Seconds
Geelong Baycats 8 v Melbourne Demons 7
Geelong staged a monumental comeback to win by one run after being down by seven in the third inning.
Emerson Rickard started on the mound for the Baycats to give his side another quality start. Blake Witham relieved and kept the Melbourne bats quiet. In the field, Will Fitzgerald took some excellent flyballs at centre, with a major play from left fielder Matt Sage throwing a runner out at the plate from his position in the outfield.
Geelong was focused on maintaining quality at bats and it showed in the thrilling victory. Harper Rickard continued his terrific year with another two hits, including a double as Witham also got to second.
Geelong has won three in a row now and are sitting well at 4-3-1, whereas Melbourne are 5-3 after their third loss in a row.
Blackburn Orioles 22 v Sunshine Eagles 2
Seven straight batters got on base to start the dig for the Orioles via a number of ways was a foreshadowing of what was to follow. Every player on the Blackburn roster recorded a hit to finish with a team total 19, led by three each to Nick Rossell, Jorey Hubble, Tom Kerr-Chapman and Pat White.
White was solid on the mound, getting through a full six innings, with great defensive work from third baseman Tim Holland also.
Berwick City Cougars 5 v Essendon Bombers 6
This was a scoreless game up until the sixth inning, Berwick breaking the deadlock at the top when they scored two runs. It was followed by an extra three runs in the seventh as they kept the Bombers to zero.
However, things turned in the final dig of the game, the bottom of the eighth. Essendon needed to score six runs, and they did so.
The walk-off win to Essendon sees them move to 4-4-1, each of their wins coming within the last four rounds as they press their case against the top teams while the Cougars have a 3-5 record, losing their last three.
Upwey FTG Tigers 7 v Fitzroy Lions 2
The scoreline read 4-2 in Upwey FTG's favour heading into the eighth, but three runs from the Tigers at the top pushed the result further out.
Keeley Ronalds-Greatbatch was outstanding on the mound, going six innings for one run. Randy Senn, Michael Oxworth and Kaioh Sato had good days with the bat.
Upwey FTG remains on top with just the one loss this season, while the Lions will be pleased with their ability to match it with the Tigers for most of the game as they look to improve on a 2-6-1 record.
Cheltenham Rustlers 16 v Newport Rams 7
Getting 15 runs in a game is hard enough, but Cheltenham scored that many runs in the first inning alone! It was going to take a great deal of batting for the Rams to come back from that start but as a positive for them, the Rustlers only managed one more in the third.
Newport scored in every inning, slowly working their way up to a seven-run total after three in the fourth before the game came to a close.
Cheltenham move into the top four on the back of this win while Newport is still without a victory.
Waverley Wildcats 10 v Sandringham Royals 2
Waverley continue to showcase fine form this season, now in second at 7-2, slightly behind Upwey FTG.
Sandringham hasn't had a win since round four but travel to Waverley this weekend with confidence.
Division 1 Thirds
Berwick City Cougars 4 v Essendon Bombers 10
The Bombers got the fast start they needed in the first inning, collecting four runs before Berwick came back with one in the second.
The Bombers continued with the bats in the fourth and fifth innings where six was added to their score. Berwick put three runners across in the seventh.
The Cougars' late start sees them remain in 12th place at 1-7 but Essendon is 5-2-2 after winning four of the last five games.
Sandringham Royals 4 v Waverley Wildcats 12
Waverley is behind first-place Blackburn, but only on runs for after getting ahold of the Royals in round nine. The win was important to the Wildcats as they remain within reach of the top, especially after the past month of one loss and two draws.
Sandringham has been up-and-down lately and sits at 3-6 as the Royal.s will want to get one back on the Wildcats, this time at their home field.
Geelong Baycats 8 v Melbourne Demons 7
A tight game all day ended with a win to Geelong, Daniel Stott the hitter that pushed Jake Elderfield over the plate to score the winning run.
Daniel Anson was on the mound for the start of play and racked up eight strikeouts over four innings, producing a large number of balls that entered the zone. Likewise with Duane Davenport in relief, constant pitching through the zone is what allowed the Baycats to shut down the impact from Melbourne with the bats.
Geelong scored three runs across the first four innings to the Demons' one but Melbourne kicked into gear after that with penetrating hits that passed the infield. It eventually saw six Demons make it safely home, taking the lead before Geelong recorded three outs.
The Baycats dug in deep as they know how to do, scoring five runs in the fifth to get themselves one run in front once more and win the game.
Lachlan Stotty, Brody Stokoe and Davenport had two hits each, including Stokoe who had a double and two RBIs.
The Baycats are pushing their case for contention of top spot, behind slightly in third place with the Demons in the mix, in the middle with a record showing 5-3-1.
Cheltenham Rustlers 13 v Newport Rams 2
Cheltenham made a good start in the first inning, getting two runs with Newport scoring one at the bottom. The Rustlers then scored three in the second, beginning to gain a lead with their building momentum.
Cheltenham kept the Rams to that single run until the last inning of the game when Newport scored one more, but Cheltenham had already added another eight runs to the total including five in the fifth.
It was a much-needed win for Cheltenham as the team is now 3-4-2 but Newport will need the win more this weekend if the Rams want to improve on a 2-6 record.
Fitzroy Lions 5 v Upwey FTG Tigers 4
Both Fitzroy and Upwey FTG were desperate to win, fighting back at every opportunity.
Chris Cassidy was good on the mound for the Tigers, only giving up one run, the Tigers unable to hold the Lions in the middle innings.
There was a chance for Upwey FTG to tie the game in the last but the Tigers weren't able to get the job done.
Upwey FTG still holds a spot in the top four while Fitzroy is 3-6 after the round.
Sunshine Eagles 2 v Blackburn Orioles 2
There are positive showings and improvement for the Eagles, as they came out with a two-all draw against Blackburn.
The Orioles had Russell Hodgson on the mound for seven innings, giving his team every chance of winning.
The bats were on show early in the game for the Orioles with a Terry Rowe single, a Justin Woolard triple and a Mitch Flett sac fly giving the home team a handy lead. Mitch Upton and Ben Hayes continued a good season with a couple of hits each.
Sunshine has been starved of a win since round three as this season's record stands at 1-6-1 while Blackburn is still on top despite the draw.
Division 1 Fourths
Sunshine Eagles 4 v Blackburn Orioles 6
The Eagles left their run too late, as Blackburn were out to a 0-4 lead after three, however Sunshine cut that in half when they scored two the very next dig.
Sunshine closed within one run at the top of the sixth before the Orioles piled on another two. Needing four to win, Sunshine just got the one to end the game.
John Della was good in the batter's box with a few hits, coupled with a great defensive showing at third base. Geoff Agnew was the hitter who put the result beyond doubt for the Orioles, his two-run single securing the win.
The loss now puts the Eagles at an even 4-4 record for the season. The Orioles are third on the ladder at 6-3 after a four-game winning streak.
Berwick City Cougars 3 v Essendon Bombers 4
There were plenty of digs in which neither team scored, with each of the team's runs coming in one inning alone.
Berwick scored three runs in the first inning, Essendon getting four across the plate in the sixth and final inning of the game to claim the win.
The Bobers sit second with their one loss coming all the way back in Round 4, while the Cougars are 3-4-1 after this week, on a three-game losing streak.
Geelong Baycats 4 v Melbourne Demons 10
Melbourne end the round again with a perfect record at 9-0 after beating Geelong.
The Baycats knew the challenge they were faced with, one inning being the turning point in an otherwise close encounter.
Geelong stayed aggressive with the bats and were consistent up and down the lineup, with some confidence going into next week to improve on a 2-5-1 record.
Fitzroy Lions 6 v Upwey FTG Tigers 7
Upwey FTG has two wins in a row now after seeing reward for effort and claiming a one-run win over Fitzroy.
Harry Snoxell and Adam Campli pitched well to hold Fitzroy at bay.
The Tigers have moved up two places in the past fortnight with a 3-5 record whereas the Lions are sliding at 2-6-1.
Sandringham Royals 2 v Waverley Wildcats 13
Waverley has etched their way into the top four in this division with a big win over Sandringham.
The 5-4 Wildcats are looking strong, whereas the 3-5 Royals will want to bounce back this upcoming week.
Cheltenham Rustlers 17 v Newport Rams 5
One inning to the Rustlers brought this game undone for the Rams, the Rustlers producing 10 runs in the third, adding to their six over the first two innings.
Newport held a lead after the first, 2-5 but from there, the Rams were unable to get runners to score again.
Cheltenham was on a three-game losing streak before breaking it against Newport, now sitting sixth at 4-5. Newport on the other hand is winless at 0-7-1, facing the Rustlers again this weekend.