Round six of the 2019/20 VSBL Division 3 was a rainy one, although all games were played with some surprising results. Springvale remains unbeaten in both the firsts and reserves, while Pakenham and Ormond Glenhuntly teams are also enjoying strong campaigns.
Division 3 Firsts
Ormond Glenhuntly Gold 1 v Chelsea Dolphins 16
The Dolphins were a force to be reckoned with on Sunday as they bounced back from a hard 21-5 loss to Pakenham the week before.
This marked the Dolphins highest run total so far this season, and despite the fact that they've scored 47 runs and given up 74, the Dolphins are holding steady in fourth place with two wins and four losses.
Chelsea scored 16 runs on 16 hits with Shane Jeffrey leading the way with the bat. He had five hits - four singles and a double - for 4 RBIs. Daniel Wong went 3-for-3 with three singles and three walks for a perfect on-base percentage.
Trevor Johansen knocked in two runs while Matthew Minchin picked up three hits including a double on the day. Evan Nesbit had a double too while Trent Wilford had three base hits. Cameron Hubbard had two hits and three walks to give his team a boost as well.
Shane Jeffrey covered the first four innings on the mound, keeping Ormond Glenhuntly scoreless with just one hit allowed, two walks and three strikeouts. Adam Burton threw three innings with two walks, one earned run and six strikeouts.
Chelsea scored in all but one inning while Ormond Glenhuntly's lone run came in the fifth. Ormond Glenhuntly Gold is 1-5 going into round seven v Springvale, while Chelsea has some momentum now heading into a game with Ormond Glenhuntly Blue.
North Western Titans 1 v Springvale Lions 15
Springvale shows no signs of slowing down after yet another huge victory, this time over North Western Titans. The Lions have scored 81 runs while allowing just five in the first six games, and now that they've played everyone once, they have a good idea of what they need to do moving forward to dominate the competition.
Cory Hart collected 3 RBIs with a single and a walk, while Scott Baillie accounted for two of the Lions' 13 hits with a pair of singles. Lucas Price had three base hits of his own as Tim Hanson brought two runners home with a blazing triple.
Other key offensive contributors for Springvale included Mark Richards, who got on base with two singles and a double and came around to score three times, as well as Chris Davis with two doubles and 3 RBIs and Adam Thatcher with a single.
Myles Barnden threw four innings, giving up five hits and striking out eight with one earned run allowed in the third. In his first pitching performance of season for the top nine, Tim Hanson threw three scoreless innings with just one hit allowed and three strikeouts.
Springvale plays Ormond Glenhuntly Gold in round seven, a team they beat by 10 runs in round two, while 1-5 North Western searches for another win at Pakenham.
Pakenham Pumas 8 v Ormond Glenhuntly Blue 3
Despite collecting 10 hits on the day, the Hunters were outpaced by the Pumas in a big round six matchup.
The game was tight through four innings with no scoring on either side. It wasn't until the fifth that Pakenham got on the board with four runs. A further four runs across the last three innings put the Pumas in prime position for their fourth win of the season. With Pakenham in second place, Ormond Glenhuntly sits just behind in third place with three wins, two losses and a draw.
Although the Hunters have now lost back-to-back games, there were some highlights offensively on Sunday as Ashley Fisher hit three singles and Tim Carracher had two base hits. 2018/19 VSBL Division 3 Home Run Award winner Geoff MacDonald singled and walked, while Sean Walsh also got on base with a single and a double. Lachlan Eddington joined in the fun with a single.
Pakenham got the better of Lachlan Carracher on the mound, as he gave up five hits and five runs - four of them earned- across 6.2 innings along with five walks and five strikeouts. He did hit a double in one of his at-bats too.
Connor de Fina pitched for Ormond Blue as well, giving up two earned runs and one unearned in his first pitching appearance for the team this year. MacDonald covered one inning with no hits or runs, just two walks.
Ormond Glenhuntly Blue visits Chelsea this weekend and Pakenham looks to continue chasing Springvale with a home game v North Western Titans.
Division 3 Reserves
Ormond Glenhuntly Gold 12 v Chelsea Dolphins 2
Mark Baneth earned player of the day honours for Chelsea despite the team's lacklustre loss, a far cry from the Dolphins' 15-4 rout of Pakenham the week before.
Ormond Glenhuntly Gold jumped on the board early with two runs in the first before a quiet stretch of the game for both sides. It wasn't until the fifth that the Hunters scored again, tacking on three runs before the Dolphins gathered their two lone runs of the game. A seven-run sixth inning at the end of the game gave the Hunters a thrilling finish as they improved to 5-1 to stay in second place.
Chelsea is 2-4 and looking to avoid two losses in a row against Ormond Glenhuntly Blue this weekend while the Hunters Gold side faces a big test against Springvale.
North Western Titans 0 v Springvale Lions 18
The Titans produced little offense as the Lions cruised to a massive victory. Springvale's reserves scored 72 runs across the first six games while giving up only 19, and such strong offensive production proved crucial once again in this game.
Springvale wasted no time, shutting down North Western quickly in the first before tacking on 11 runs in the team's first at-bats. Seven more runs scattered across the next three innings cemented Springvale's status as the strongest force in the competition thus far.
North Western remains on the hunt for the team's first win, with five losses and one draw going into round seven at Pakenham. Springvale goes to Ormond Glenhuntly Gold in what is sure to be an intense matchup between the two teams hanging out in first and second place.
Pakenham Pumas 6 v Ormond Glenhuntly Blue 6
With both sides hungry for a win, this game proved to be a strong battle by Pakenham and Ormond Glenhuntly Blue. Ultimately neither team could break free from a 6-6 tie, resulting in a draw.
Pakenham took a 2-0 lead in the first and carried that through to the bottom of the third when Ormond Glenhuntly Blue tied it up. Four runs in the fourth put the Pumas at six, while the Hunters added two in the fourth and another two in the sixth to avoid the loss and get the draw.
Pakenham has four losses and two draws while Ormond Glenhuntly Blue has three wins, two losses and a draw. Pakenham plays North Western next and Ormond Glenhuntly Blue heads to Chelsea.
Ormond Glenhuntly Gold 12 v Chelsea Dolphins 2
Mark Baneth earned player of the day honours for Chelsea despite the team's lacklustre loss, a far cry from the Dolphins' 15-4 rout of Pakenham the week before.
Ormond Glenhuntly Gold jumped on the board early with two runs in the first before a quiet stretch of the game for both sides. It wasn't until the fifth that the Hunters scored again, tacking on three runs before the Dolphins gathered their two lone runs of the game. A seven-run sixth inning at the end of the game gave the Hunters a thrilling finish as they improved to 5-1 to stay in second place.
Chelsea is 2-4 and looking to avoid two losses in a row against Ormond Glenhuntly Blue this weekend while the Hunters Gold side faces a big test against Springvale.
North Western Titans 0 v Springvale Lions 18
The Titans produced little offense as the Lions cruised to a massive victory. Springvale's reserves scored 72 runs across the first six games while giving up only 19, and such strong offensive production proved crucial once again in this game.
Springvale wasted no time, shutting down North Western quickly in the first before tacking on 11 runs in the team's first at-bats. Seven more runs scattered across the next three innings cemented Springvale's status as the strongest force in the competition thus far.
North Western remains on the hunt for the team's first win, with five losses and one draw going into round seven at Pakenham. Springvale goes to Ormond Glenhuntly Gold in what is sure to be an intense matchup between the two teams hanging out in first and second place.
Pakenham Pumas 6 v Ormond Glenhuntly Blue 6
With both sides hungry for a win, this game proved to be a strong battle by Pakenham and Ormond Glenhuntly Blue. Ultimately neither team could break free from a 6-6 tie, resulting in a draw.
Pakenham took a 2-0 lead in the first and carried that through to the bottom of the third when Ormond Glenhuntly Blue tied it up. Four runs in the fourth put the Pumas at six, while the Hunters added two in the fourth and another two in the sixth to avoid the loss and get the draw.
Pakenham has four losses and two draws while Ormond Glenhuntly Blue has three wins, two losses and a draw. Pakenham plays North Western next and Ormond Glenhuntly Blue heads to Chelsea.