Division Two VSBL action is completed for the year as teams go into the break, either high on momentum or ruing missed opportunities. Williamstown lead the way in the Firsts and Seconds, while Malvern have kept up an unbeaten run in the first half of the season in the Thirds.
Division Two Firsts
Moorabbin Panthers 14 v Malvern Braves 15
Malvern had a mammoth task ahead of them as they needed seven in the final inning for victory and to their absolute credit, they achieved the walkoff win!
The Braves led for the whole afternoon, after collecting three runs in the first and another 11 runs spread throughout the fourth to seventh innings, the fifth producing five runs.
However, even when the Braves scored one in the first and two in the third, the crux of their runs came throughout the finla three innings which lead to their 11th win of the season.
Rick Parton got the win for Malvern where he pitched one inning and only gave up one hit.
With the bats, Gavin Woolger went five from five as he collected three runs and an RBI while Henry Hayman went four from five with two doubles, three runs and two RBIs. Scott Ashton also made the most of his at bats, going four from six which included a run and four RBIs. Mitchell Kennedy had three runs from two hits with an RBI, Justin Burke the same, while Chris Godfrey collected two hits including a double and Geoff Holland with one hit, one run and two RBIs.
Each team now sit with an 11-5 record, Malvern in third while the Panthers are fourth, ahead of another fixture against each other when the competition comes back next month.
Mulgrave Rebels 1 v Werribee Giants 5
Werribee were already out to a five-run lead before Mulgrave crossed home for their only run of the game with the Giants displaying some great defense.
Wesley de Jong got the win for Werribee as he gave up four hits and zero earned run amongst three strikeouts in seven innings. Joshua Lee was also good on the mound, pitching two innings for one hit and two strikeouts.
Justin Gil had two hits including a double and found his way home twice too. Andrew Christou had one run from one hit with two RBIs, Ryan Balzer had one hit for two runs and Wade Balzer got two hits.
Jayson Arthur picked up the loss for the Rebels as he threw six innings, giving up seven hits and three earned runs along with five strikeouts.
Nick Burridge had two hits Caleb Poole got a double in his only hit of the game while Grant Miller was the runscorer for Mulgrave, Michael Morgan with the RBI single.
These teams play each other in the first round of the new year as Werribee have a 12-4 record sitting second while Mulgrave hold a 5-10 record in seventh.
St Kilda Saints 3 v Williamstown Wolves 13
A strong seven-run second inning from Williamstown started proceedings as the Saints tried desperately to catch up.
The Saints managed runs in the third and sixth innings but another crucial display of hitting saw the Wolves snare five runs in the final two innings to take the game.
Dennis Neal picked up the win for Williamstown, pitching five innings for two hits, zero earned runs and 10 strikeouts.
Jayde Thorne continued his excellent season with the Wolves, picking up two hits to extend his hitting record to 14 games this season as he hit a home run, bringing home four runs throughout the game too. Scott Meager hit a double that brought home three runs. Robert Higginson went three from three at the plate with two doubles, resulting in three runs and an RBI. Kevin Desmedt had two hits for two runs including a double while Hiroshi Narasaki had two runs courtesy of the three base on balls he took.
But perhaps the pick of the bunch was Bill Millar who hit two home runs from four at bats, as his stat line read three runs, two hits and two RBIs.
Williamstown end the year in first place with a 13-3 record while St Kilda are ninth at 5-11 as they'll continue the series in the new year.
Preston Pirates 15 v Bonbeach St Chads 12
A game that went deep into extra innings, 13 to be exact!
The two sides were neck-and-neck for the entirety of the game, Preston notching up four runs in the ninth and then shutting out Bonbeach to take it to extras.
Preston got one in in the 11th but the Bluejays responded to make the scores even again until the Pirates knuckled down in the 13th to record four, a handy lead.
Bonbeach couldn't replicate that score, just one run crossing as the Pirates took the game after being behind earlier.
Bonbeach lead by six runs after three and four runs after five as the Pirates kept persisting, the leadup to the ninth being crucial especially after giving up two runs in the bottom of the eighth to hold a four-run lead again.
This game will provide just enough determination from Bonbeach to go again when these teams meet in the new year but for now as the year comes to a close, it's Preston in sixth with a 8-7 record while Bonbeach were close to claiming their first win but head into the new year with a 0-16 record.
Doncaster Dragons 11 v Port Melbourne Mariners 9
Doncaster got the win in this matchup with Port Melbourne as Simon Fitzmaurice got the win for the Dragons.
On the mound, Fitzmaurice went for three innings, giving up four hits and two runs. He was supported by Fraser Boyd and Ben Palensky, who got the save.
Palensky also was good with the bat, racking up two hits, one which was a home run as he made his way to two runs and four RBIs, his other hit being a double. Marcel D'Avoine went three from five at the plate, as he scored twice and was credited with two RBIs. Nic Unland made it two runs from two hits that included a double as Callum Lethborg also had a double and John Britton had two hits, one run and one RBI. Brian Chen had two runs as did Adam Marshall.
Ahead of their fixture in the first round of the new year, these teams will have a break as the ladder reads the Mariners being in fifth place with a 9-7 record while Doncaster sit eighth at 5-11.
Division Two Seconds
Mulgrave Rebels 5 v Werribee Giants 13
Mulgrave got the game moving with a run in the first but didn't score again until the fifth where they brought in four.
By that stage, Werribee had already got out to a 10-run lead due to five in the second and four in the fourth, before adding another two in the fifth to make it a eight-run win.
The Giants have won their fifth game of the year to sit at 5-6-2 in sixth and the Rebels are ninth with a 4-9 record as each team have the break, and come back to play each other again in the next round, this time at Mulgrave.
St Kilda Saints 5 v Williamstown Wolves 6
The walkoff victory to the Wolves capped off a nice game by them at home, especially after St Kilda were up 5-0 heading into the bottom of the fourth, on the back of a four-run opening dig.
Williamstown scored five in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game and it took until the bottom of the seventh for the Wolves to score once more and take the win.
The win to the Wolves locks them in top place ahead of the break at 11-2 while the Saints are etched in the top four still with a 7-6 record, left to ponder how they'll come back against the Wolves in the first round of the new year.
Preston Pirates 19 v Bonbeach St Chads 1
The game still could've been anyone's, even if the scoreline read 6-1 after four complete innings.
However, Bonbeach would've hoped it was them that the game could've favoured as Preston piled on 13 runs in a dominant fifth inning.
That, along with a two-run second dig and a four-run fourth dig was more than enough to see the Pirates victorious.
Preston finish the year in eighth spot, ending with a 4-8-1 record while Bonbeach have a 1-13 record, hoping to bounce back as the two teams face off next year.
Moorabbin Panthers 7 v Malvern Braves 5
Moorabbin won it in the final couple of innings, down by a run heading into the fifth where they then scored two to take the lead, furthering the margin by one in the final sixth inning.
Malvern looked good for the most part, but everytime their lead grew, the Panthers pounced and quickly drew things up.
The win puts Moorabbin second as the year comes to a close, at a 10-3 record while Malvern sit one place behind with a 9-3-1 record as the Braves will look to come back against the Panthers next time around.
Doncaster Dragons 9 v Port Melbourne Mariners 4
Doncaster have extended their win streak to five on the back of this victory over Port Melbourne, while the Mariners have suffered their first loss in three games.
Doncaster improve to a 7-6 record, just outside of the top four while Port Melbourne are 5-8 as the two teams will meet again soon after the break.
Division Three Thirds
Port Melbourne Mariners 7 v Doncaster Dragons 16
Doncaster won this onw quite comfortably over Port Melbourne to record their eighth win of the season and cement themselves in the top four at the year's end.
The 8-4-1 Dragons and 3-10 Mariners will do battle once again when Round 14 commences next month.
Malvern Braves 8 v Moorabbin Panthers 7
Malvern took this game from Moorabbin as the Panthers held a 7-5 lead after five complete innings.
Two runs to each side in the first was followed by one run to the Braves in the second and another two in the third. Moorabbin made light work of the Braves at the bottom, cancelling out that lead to even the scores and then take the lead after scoring two in the fifth.
The Panthers were on a three-game win streak while the Braves head into the break undefeated with a 13-0 record. Malvern will take on the second-placed 10-3 Moorabbin again when the season continues next month.
Williamstown Wolves 13 v St Kilda Saints 1
Williamstown won well away from home against St Kilda in this matchup to take their season record to 9-4, sitting third.
The Saints aren't too far behind in fifth with a 7-6 record but will want to enter the top four with a win against the Wolves in the first game back of the second half of the season.
Mulgrave Rebels 15 v Werribee Giants 0
Mulgrave brought in most of their runs in the final two innings - six in the fifth and five in the sixth after collecting four within the first four innings.
The Rebels performed the shutout on the Giants, Werribee certainly wanting some runs when these two meet again next month. The Rebels are now 3-8-2 to the Giants 4-9 record.
Bonbeach St Chads 0 v Preston Pirates 0
Division Two Fourths
Geelong Baycats 6 v Doncaster Dragons 14
Doncaster got the better of Geelong as the Dragons notched up their fifth win of the season.
Daniel Dobbe started on the hill for the Baycats but unearned runs were hurting the team all day, letting in as much as six in the third inning.
Geelong managed a couple of runs early on to keep the game level going into the second, although that’s about where it stayed for the rest of the day for the Baycats as Doncaster ran riot.
Doncaster now hold a 5-6 record for fifth place while Geelong are sixth with a 5-7-1 record as the Dragons will travel to Geelong in the new year for the first fixture.
Williamstown Wolves 8 v St Kilda Saints 9
St Kilda won a nailbiter against Williamstown, seeing the Wolves knocked down for the first time this season.
The Wolves will hope that this is just a small bump in the road as they are still first with a 12-1 record, whereas the 8-3 Saints will look to win once more against the top team when they meet first up in the next round.
Malvern Braves 14 v Moorabbin Panthers 6
Malvern looked good from the beginning when they collected three runs in the first dig, however Moorabbin steadied things and took two runs themselves.
The third inning was a similar story with the Braves tallying five runs to the Panthers four until the away side got on a roll and added four in the fourth and two in the fifth to take the game.
Malvern sit in second place with a 9-2 record while Moorabbin are still in the top four with a 6-4-1 record as each team will take a break and come back next year when they play each other in Round 14.
Mulgrave Rebels 18 v Werribee Giants 1
Mulgrave had a 5-0 lead heading into the bottom of the third when Werribee scored their lone run of the game.
But after that point, the Giants inflicted more pain on the Rebels, accruing 13 runs in the fourth inning, leading to a huge margin Mulgrave couldn't recover.
It was just the Rebels' second win of the season (and their first since Round 4) as they now sit at 2-11 for the season while Werribee are a spot above in eighth with a 3-10 record as each team will face each other again in the new year.
Preston Pirates v BYE
Preston started their break early and will have another bye as Round 14 rolls around but so far this season, they've had five wins and seven losses to sit seventh.