Thursday night's midweek action included four exciting games for VSBL Division 2 as the race towards finals gets even closer. Williamstown holds first place but Werribee and Moorabbin are trying to catch up, with Malvern looking to bounce back after a couple of tough losses. The series continue this weekend as teams look to make the most of their chances with seven rounds to go.
Division 2 Firsts
Preston Pirates 6 v Doncaster Dragons 19
Preston won 5-0 on the weekend but that commanding form was nowhere to be found on Thursday night as the Pirates struggled, conceding double-digit runs for the first time in over a month.
Five pitchers took to the mound for Preston to try and stop Doncaster's offensive outburst, but it wasn't to be as the Dragons just kept on rolling. The game started to turn early on with a three-run double from Brendan McDonald, and from there on out Doncaster dominated, racking up 10 hits for the night. Adam Marshall, Callum Lethborg, Brian Chen and John Britton all had two hits apiece, something Doncaster head coach Nic Unland was pleased with, as well as solid team pitching by Simon Fitzmaurice and Angus Stals.
"We had a great relief outing from Stals, who gave up zero earned and showed real maturity in his first senior outing after returning from the U18 junior national championships," Unland said. "Brian Chen was impressive defensively and was sharp all game and had a nice back door 6-5 in the first to help shut out Preston."
Turning their attention to Sunday's big game, when the Dragons have a chance to improve to 8-12 and further distance themselves from the bottom of the ladder, Unland says they need to stay focused. "The team will need to bring last night's confidence and controlled aggression at the plate on Sunday when they face off against Preston's ace - Benjamin Donnell."
Although the scoreline is one Preston would rather forget, there were some highlights including Jaycob Pascuzzi hitting his first home run of the season. Jean Alvarado, Ben Donnell, Luke Williams and Oscar Hargreaves all had base hits, while Cam Deeble singled and doubled and Matt Fordham had an RBI with two singles.
11-8 Preston is just shy of the top four ahead of the round 21 game at Doncaster.
Malvern Braves 4 v Mulgrave Rebels 7
The Rebels have won back-to-back games over a top four side thanks to strong team efforts all-around.
The first inning was quiet before the Braves got on the board with two in the second. Mulgrave was right there to back it up with four in the bottom frame. Malvern tied it back up in the third but the Rebels weren't deterred. Mulgrave made it 7-4 in the fourth and kept it that way for the rest of the game.
Tyler Dale took the loss for Malvern after giving up eight hits and seven runs - five of them unearned. Dale and Scott Ashton both singled, while Henry Hayman and Lachlan Fuda had RBI base hits and Tye Wilson knocked in a run too.
Jayson Arthur recorded the win for Mulgrave, striking out four in 2.2 innings with no hits or runs allowed. Malvern got two runs off of Liam Richardson and Zeke Howie but that didn't squash Mulgrave's winning formula. Nick Burridge knocked in two runs with a big hit, while Howie and Michael Morgan both had RBI doubles. Caleb Poole had a double and a single for an RBI and Nick Thompson doubled to give Mulgrave a boost.
The Rebels are in seventh place with a 7-11 record while Malvern is 11-7 in fourth place ahead of Sunday's game.
Port Melbourne Mariners 9 v St Kilda 0
The Saints didn't have much to offer offensively in this game as the Mariners cruised to a big shutout victory. After a solid 6-2 win on the weekend, Port Melbourne came into this game in search of an 11-8 record and the Mariners got it on the back of two four-run innings to open the game.
The Mariners added one more in the third to bring their runs scored tally to 100 on the season, compared to 62 given up.
Jock Allen, Sam Morris and Billy Parsons all had two hits apiece for Port Melbourne, with Morris knocking in three runs. Allen and Chavez were among the other players with RBIs on the night. Parsons covered two great innings on the mound as the Mariners proved challenging for St Kilda pitcher's Tom Snowden and Daniel Hogg.
Port Melbourne hosts on Sunday as the club celebrates Pink Sports Day in support of Breast Cancer Network Australia.
Jock Allen, Sam Morris and Billy Parsons all had two hits apiece for Port Melbourne, with Morris knocking in three runs. Allen and Chavez were among the other players with RBIs on the night. Parsons covered two great innings on the mound as the Mariners proved challenging for St Kilda pitcher's Tom Snowden and Daniel Hogg.
Werribee Giants 3 v Moorabbin Panthers 9
After a string of losses it was nice for the Panthers to get another win on the board, their first since round 14 back on 14 December.
Moorabbin improved to 12-6 to stay in third place, thanks to an impressive team performance. Coach Ben Laux says Zack Kamerman's relief effort was a strong point, as well as the work of some younger players. "There's the continued rise of our junior players playing firsts baseball, namely Nic Bertucci, Travis Finney and Adam Harris last night," Laux said. "Harris made a great play from third running across the field, and Finney, Kamerman, Bertucci and Mitch Barr all hit the ball hard."
The game was tied at one heading into the second when Moorabbin tacked on two more. Werribee briefly tied things up again before Moorabbin pulled away for good with six more runs. "We’ve being doing a lot of things right this season," Laux added. "We’ve had 10 juniors rotate through our firsts with some great results, and the addition of Nick Veale back into our rotation sures up our pitching."
The Panthers know they need to make the most of their scoring opportunities, especially against a top two team like Werribee with just a few rounds to go. "We continue to barrel the ball and pound the strike zone so we give ourselves a solid chance every week," Laux said. "We go about every week the same. For us this season was about developing our young squad. Currently our firsts squad are all under the age of 28 and down to 15 years old. So if we continue to work hard off the field and stay aggressive on the field then the rest takes care of itself."
Moorabbin capitalised on scoring chances against a tired Werribee side, with John Curnow pitching three innings, giving up five earned runs with five hits and three walks. Trent Pantalleresco gave up four runs, three of them earned, in two innings with eight hits and two walks.
The game was tied at one heading into the second when Moorabbin tacked on two more. Werribee briefly tied things up again before Moorabbin pulled away for good with six more runs. "We’ve being doing a lot of things right this season," Laux added. "We’ve had 10 juniors rotate through our firsts with some great results, and the addition of Nick Veale back into our rotation sures up our pitching."
The Panthers know they need to make the most of their scoring opportunities, especially against a top two team like Werribee with just a few rounds to go. "We continue to barrel the ball and pound the strike zone so we give ourselves a solid chance every week," Laux said. "We go about every week the same. For us this season was about developing our young squad. Currently our firsts squad are all under the age of 28 and down to 15 years old. So if we continue to work hard off the field and stay aggressive on the field then the rest takes care of itself."
Werribee's Ryan Balzer singled and Wade Balzer and Evan McPherson doubled as Justin Gil homered for his 18th RBI of the season. The Giants are 14-5 and the Panthers are right behind them at 12-6 as the series continues this weekend.
Bonbeach Bluejays v Williamstown Wolves - POSTPONED to Wednesday, 5 February.