The 2019/20 VSBL Division 2 season is progressing along as Moorabbin continues the season clear of any losses atop the ladder. Williamstown, Malvern, Werribee and Port Melbourne are not far behind as we're a third of the way through this fantastic summer season.
Division 2 Firsts
Doncaster Dragons 4 v Malvern Braves 6
The Braves continued to dominate over the Dragons winning all three games in the series, including the same scoreline in the second and third games. Justin Burke, Tyler Dale and Henry Hayman continued their strong contributions for the Braves.
Malvern remains tied for second with Williamstown as both teams have 7-2 records. In the first nine games, the Braves have 72 runs while only allowing 37. The Dragons definitely want to improve their runs for and runs against figures, with 25 scored and 79 given up thus far this season.
Doncaster is still winless in the season along with Bonbeach, the team they face in this next round while Malvern heads to Port Melbourne.
Port Melbourne Mariners 5 v Werribee Giants 6
The Giants return to their winning ways after losing in the previous round against the Mariners. Werribee took a 2-1 series win in this closely contested game that went on to extra innings to draw a result.
Werribee had a great start to the game, working out to a 3-0 after the bottom of the sixth. Port Melbourne wasn't done though as the Mariners came back strongly in the last three innings to tie the score at 4-4. Trent Pantalleresco had a great game as he came out of a slow streak at the plate to go 3-for-5 with a double and two singles for two RBIs. This brings his totals to 10 hits and six RBIs for a .313 batting average.
Justin Gil had a walk, a single and an RBI in the game while Evan McPherson knocked in a run with a double and a single.
Pantalleresco also had a strong pitching game, keeping things scoreless through six with three hits and three strikeouts. Josh Lee came in for relief, getting the win although he did allow five runs - four of them earned - with five hits to a Port Melbourne side that refused to go down without a fight.
The Mariners got one in the extra inning but Werribee answered with two to achieve win number six on the season.
Werribee and Port Melbourne are both 6-3 with upcoming rounds against St Kilda and Malvern respectively.
Preston Pirates 3 v Williamstown Wolves 9
The Wolves continued to dominate the Pirates to complete the sweep and improve their record to 7-2. Preston has won only one game out of the last six for a 3-6 record.
Williamstown started out the game strongly, scoring six runs in the first two innings. Preston's three runs came in the fourth.
Preston did well to keep the Wolves to nine runs as Williamstown left 12 runners on base throughout the game. Jayde Thorne had his best game of the season with four hits and four RBIs out of five at bats including a home run in the first inning. Thorne now has a total of 18 hits, 12 RBIs and two home runs for the season. Justin Gourlay also impressed with one double and one triple hit bringing in three runs for a total of 17 hits and 10 RBIs for the season. Jason McDonald was the third player bringing in two runs.
Dennis Neal faced 21 batters in five innings, conceding three hits and one earned run with seven strikeouts.
For Preston, Zuick Williams and Jean Alvarado each collected two hits, the latter bringing in two runs with his triple in the fourth scoring Mitch Legge and Jaycob Pascuzzi.
Williamstown hosts Moorabbin for the next round while Preston visits Mulgrave.
Moorabbin Panthers 8 v Bonbeach St Chads 3
Photo: Bonbeach Bluejays Baseball Club - Facebook
This series between the top and bottom teams allowed the Panthers to continue on their unbeaten run while the Bluejays remain on the hunt for their first win of the series. Moorabbin outscored Bonbeach 23-9 throughout the series.
Sunday's game was very competitive in the start as the score was tied 2-2 after the first two innings. From there Moorabbin pulled away, keeping the scoring consistent while holding Bonbeach to just one more run, which came in the bottom of the ninth.
Ben Laux collected four hits in the game, with three singles and a double for two RBIs for Moorabbin. Teammates Stewart Mathieson, Adam Harris, Nick Bertucci, Zach Kamerman and Xander Gunn all had two hits apiece in the game. Nick Veale had a single too.
Mathieson handled four innings on the mound, allowing six hits and two runs - one unearned - with eight strikeouts. Kamerman threw five innings, giving up just three hits and one unearned run while striking out seven.
The Bluejays will look to turn things around and get the first points on board in the next round against fellow winless side Doncaster, while the Panthers will face some tough competition in Williamstown.
St Kilda Saints 5 v Mulgrave Rebels 3
Photo: Mulgrave Rebels Baseball Club - Facebook
The Saints won their second game of the season this weekend to end a six-game losing streak. St Kilda is now 2-7 on the season while Mulgrave is 5-4 as a five-game winning streak comes to an end.
It was a very close encounter with the Saints leading 2-1 after seven, although the Rebels pieced together a comeback to take a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the eighth. The Saints scored three runs in the ninth to take back the lead and secure a much-needed victory.
St Kilda collected 11 hits on the day, include a double and two singles for Eduardo Escalona. Antonio Torres had a triple and a single while Roland Curiel contributed two singles. Base hits for Mariano Favia, Paul Paskar, Franco Caramia and Daiksuke Hebara kept St Kilda's offense rolling in the right direction.
Hebara threw 7.1 innings, allowing 10 hits and three earned runs while Caramia had a scoreless inning in relief.
Mulgrave had 10 hits on the day, with four going to Riley O'Shea with a double and three singles. Nick Thompson and Zeke Howie both had two singles while Caleb Poole and Anthony White chimed in with base hits. In Howie's six innings of work, he gave up seven hits and two earned runs.
St Kilda visits Werribee and Mulgrave hosts Preston in the next round.
Division 2 Reserves
Doncaster Dragons 3 v Malvern Braves 13
The Braves won yet again against the Dragons to improve their record to 7-0-1 and stay undefeated this season. Doncaster is in sixth place alongisde Port Melbourne with a 2-6 record.
The Braves dominated the game and outplayed the visitors to land a massive 10-run win.
Round nine will see Doncaster visit Bonbeach while the Malvern heads to Port Melbourne.
Port Melbourne Mariners 2 v Werribee Giants 6
Werribee won both games against Port Melbourne as the Giants hang on to their fourth place position on the ladder with a 4-2-2 record. Meanwhile the Mariners have dropped their fifh straight for a 2-6 record on the season.
Port Melbourne scored once in the third and once in the sixth while Werribee's six runs all came in the fifth.
The Mariners will look to put an end to their losing streak at home against the Braves in the next round while the Giants host the Saints.
Preston Pirates 6 v Williamstown Wolves 11
The Pirates have dropped four in a row while the Wolves have won seven straight.
Williamstown enjoyed strong batting performances up and down the lineup, with six runs coming in the second. The Wolves scored in every inning, leaving five runners on throughout the course of the game while the Pirates stranded eight.
Sean Best was the pick of the bunch for Williamstown, getting two hits including a triple, bringing in a run in the process and contributing to the scoreline twice himself. Luke Chircop chimed in with two runs on two hits also with two RBIs.
Daniel Chircop pitched 2.1 innings for the Wolves as he gave up four hits, one run with two strikeouts.
For Preston, Ismael Theis got two safe hits, both doubles, making the most of his fifth-inning hit by coming home. Gabriel Valderama got two hits from four at bats. Valdelama pitched three innings for the Pirates, giving up seven hits and six earned runs.
The Wolves will host the Panthers for the coming weekend and will look to improve their 7-1 record while the Pirates visit Mulgrave with a 1-6-1 record.
Moorabbin Panthers 15 v Bonbeach St Chads 2
The Panthers had yet another huge win, claiming the series against Bonbeach.
Moorabbin scored five runs in the first and three in the second. Seven more runs followed across the third and the fourth as the Panthers stayed undefeated.
Bonbeach is at the bottom of the ladder with a 1-7 record as the Bluejays look for win number two against Doncaster. Moorabbin visits third place Williamstown in the next round while Bonbeach hosts seventh placed Doncaster.
St Kilda Saints 20 v Mulgrave Rebels 0
After losing a close encounter in the last round, the Saints came back swinging in this matchup.
St Kilda took a 6-0 lead by the third before a massive 10-run fourth inning. Four more runs in the seventh added to the Saints' excitement.
St Kilda is now tied with Mulgrave as both teams have 3-5 records ahead of series against Werribee and Preston respectively.
Division 2 Thirds
Werribee Giants 10 v Port Melbourne Mariners 14
Port Melbourne made up for a poor showing the week prior with a convincing win over Werribee on Sunday at home.
The win was the Mariners' third of the season and their first since round three. Werribee started the season slowly with an 0-4 record before a recent three-game win streak, which was halted in this matchup.
Next up, the Giants are at home v the Saints and the Mariners hit the road to take on Malvern.
Bonbeach St Chads 0 v Moorabbin Panthers 10
A good defensive game, as well as handy contributions with the bat, saw Moorabbin pull off a shutout win over Bonbeach.
Getting on the board early in the first when three runs came in was where it started for the Panthers, with subsequent two-run innings following in the third and fourth. At the bottom of the sixth, Moorabbin found a way to score three more, putting the margin into double figures.
The Panthers are back on track after losing their only game of the season back in round five and will hope to keep it that way after taking on Williamstown this weekend. Bonbeach face a tough opponent in Doncaster but will have high hopes.
Mulgrave Rebels 1 v St Kilda Saints 16
A nine-run effort in the second inning for St Kilda saw them take a big lead, and the Saints never faltered except for when they gave up one run to the Rebels in the last dig of the game.
At 11-0 heading into the fifth, the Saints added another five to the score in that inning as they're now on a three-game win streak and have leapfrogged some big opposition to sit fourth ahead of a series against Werribee. The Rebels travel to Preston ready to expand on their one win so far.
Malvern Braves 8 v Doncaster Dragons 3
Malvern and Doncaster played with the Braves taking the series sweep.
The Braves are yet to lose a game this season, going 8-0, a result they'd like to progress as a series with Port Melbourne gets underway this weekend.
Doncaster has just fallen out of the top four due to the past month's results of three losses and a draw as the Dragons look to make amends on the season when they come up against Bonbeach.
Williamstown Wolves 12 v Preston Pirates 2
A two-run first inning wasn't ringing alarm bells for Preston, however when the Wolves followed that up with five runs in the third, the Pirates needed to kick themselves into gear. And for a little while, they did, getting two in the bottom of the third.
Williamstown would score another four in the next two innings before rounding out the seventh with another, performing a great defensive display for the remainder of the game, keeping Preston to just the two runs.
Williamstown has now won five in a row after starting the season 1-2 and don't see any reason to slow down when facing Moorabbin. The Pirates have a four-game losing streak as they come up against fellow strugglers Mulgrave.
Division 2 Fourths
Mulgrave Rebels 3 v St Kilda Saints 18
At St Kilda, the Saints scored in every inning, starting their game with a four-run first inning and ending it with a combined nine runs during the fifth and sixth.
The Rebels got on the board with two in the second and one in the fifth but were never a match for the rampaging Saints.
The Saints are third on the ladder at 5-3 and on a four-game winning streak as they prepare for an upcoming clash with Werribee. The Rebels meanwhile face Preston and haven't seen a win since round four, their only for the season.
Malvern Braves 8 v Doncaster Dragons 3
The Braves improve their record to 5-1 on the back of this win over Doncaster, that one loss coming all the way back in round one. It sets up a crucial series between Geelong starting this weekend.
Doncaster hasn't tasted success since round five and are sixth at 2-6 heading into a bye.
Williamstown Wolves 7 v Preston Pirates 17
Preston found success over Williamstown, despite giving up three runs at the start of the game. The Pirates responded strongly in the bottom half of the inning, collecting double the amount of runs which they then expanded in the second.
That second inning brought in eight runs for Preston, and in another high-scoring innings from both teams in the third, Williamstown outscored the Pirates four runs to three but the damage was done as the Pirates drew the series.
Geelong Baycats 12 v Werribee Giants 1
For the Giants, squaring things up after seeing Geelong get a run at the top of the first was good, but unfortunately that was the only score Werribee could manage for the game.
Geelong scored in each inning, a collective 11 runs in the next four innings including four in the third as the Baycats defence did well to restrict Werribee to that solitary run.
Scott Wise pitched well for Geelong as Nick Allen, Darren Turner, Philip Sage, Marc Weakley, Michael Allan and Jordan Sinnamon had quality at-bats, including Sinnamon's huge double.
Geelong had a four-game losing streak before breaking through and don't want to fall that way again when facing Malvern. Werribee have had a topsy-turvy season, but will want to find some consistency with wins, starting with St Kilda this weekend.
Moorabbin Panthers v BYE
Doncaster Dragons 4 v Malvern Braves 6
The Braves continued to dominate over the Dragons winning all three games in the series, including the same scoreline in the second and third games. Justin Burke, Tyler Dale and Henry Hayman continued their strong contributions for the Braves.
Malvern remains tied for second with Williamstown as both teams have 7-2 records. In the first nine games, the Braves have 72 runs while only allowing 37. The Dragons definitely want to improve their runs for and runs against figures, with 25 scored and 79 given up thus far this season.
Doncaster is still winless in the season along with Bonbeach, the team they face in this next round while Malvern heads to Port Melbourne.
Port Melbourne Mariners 5 v Werribee Giants 6
The Giants return to their winning ways after losing in the previous round against the Mariners. Werribee took a 2-1 series win in this closely contested game that went on to extra innings to draw a result.
Werribee had a great start to the game, working out to a 3-0 after the bottom of the sixth. Port Melbourne wasn't done though as the Mariners came back strongly in the last three innings to tie the score at 4-4. Trent Pantalleresco had a great game as he came out of a slow streak at the plate to go 3-for-5 with a double and two singles for two RBIs. This brings his totals to 10 hits and six RBIs for a .313 batting average.
Justin Gil had a walk, a single and an RBI in the game while Evan McPherson knocked in a run with a double and a single.
Pantalleresco also had a strong pitching game, keeping things scoreless through six with three hits and three strikeouts. Josh Lee came in for relief, getting the win although he did allow five runs - four of them earned - with five hits to a Port Melbourne side that refused to go down without a fight.
The Mariners got one in the extra inning but Werribee answered with two to achieve win number six on the season.
Werribee and Port Melbourne are both 6-3 with upcoming rounds against St Kilda and Malvern respectively.
Preston Pirates 3 v Williamstown Wolves 9
The Wolves continued to dominate the Pirates to complete the sweep and improve their record to 7-2. Preston has won only one game out of the last six for a 3-6 record.
Williamstown started out the game strongly, scoring six runs in the first two innings. Preston's three runs came in the fourth.
Preston did well to keep the Wolves to nine runs as Williamstown left 12 runners on base throughout the game. Jayde Thorne had his best game of the season with four hits and four RBIs out of five at bats including a home run in the first inning. Thorne now has a total of 18 hits, 12 RBIs and two home runs for the season. Justin Gourlay also impressed with one double and one triple hit bringing in three runs for a total of 17 hits and 10 RBIs for the season. Jason McDonald was the third player bringing in two runs.
Dennis Neal faced 21 batters in five innings, conceding three hits and one earned run with seven strikeouts.
For Preston, Zuick Williams and Jean Alvarado each collected two hits, the latter bringing in two runs with his triple in the fourth scoring Mitch Legge and Jaycob Pascuzzi.
Williamstown hosts Moorabbin for the next round while Preston visits Mulgrave.
Moorabbin Panthers 8 v Bonbeach St Chads 3
Photo: Bonbeach Bluejays Baseball Club - Facebook
This series between the top and bottom teams allowed the Panthers to continue on their unbeaten run while the Bluejays remain on the hunt for their first win of the series. Moorabbin outscored Bonbeach 23-9 throughout the series.
Sunday's game was very competitive in the start as the score was tied 2-2 after the first two innings. From there Moorabbin pulled away, keeping the scoring consistent while holding Bonbeach to just one more run, which came in the bottom of the ninth.
Ben Laux collected four hits in the game, with three singles and a double for two RBIs for Moorabbin. Teammates Stewart Mathieson, Adam Harris, Nick Bertucci, Zach Kamerman and Xander Gunn all had two hits apiece in the game. Nick Veale had a single too.
Mathieson handled four innings on the mound, allowing six hits and two runs - one unearned - with eight strikeouts. Kamerman threw five innings, giving up just three hits and one unearned run while striking out seven.
The Bluejays will look to turn things around and get the first points on board in the next round against fellow winless side Doncaster, while the Panthers will face some tough competition in Williamstown.
St Kilda Saints 5 v Mulgrave Rebels 3
Photo: Mulgrave Rebels Baseball Club - Facebook
The Saints won their second game of the season this weekend to end a six-game losing streak. St Kilda is now 2-7 on the season while Mulgrave is 5-4 as a five-game winning streak comes to an end.
It was a very close encounter with the Saints leading 2-1 after seven, although the Rebels pieced together a comeback to take a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the eighth. The Saints scored three runs in the ninth to take back the lead and secure a much-needed victory.
St Kilda collected 11 hits on the day, include a double and two singles for Eduardo Escalona. Antonio Torres had a triple and a single while Roland Curiel contributed two singles. Base hits for Mariano Favia, Paul Paskar, Franco Caramia and Daiksuke Hebara kept St Kilda's offense rolling in the right direction.
Hebara threw 7.1 innings, allowing 10 hits and three earned runs while Caramia had a scoreless inning in relief.
Mulgrave had 10 hits on the day, with four going to Riley O'Shea with a double and three singles. Nick Thompson and Zeke Howie both had two singles while Caleb Poole and Anthony White chimed in with base hits. In Howie's six innings of work, he gave up seven hits and two earned runs.
St Kilda visits Werribee and Mulgrave hosts Preston in the next round.
Division 2 Reserves
Doncaster Dragons 3 v Malvern Braves 13
The Braves won yet again against the Dragons to improve their record to 7-0-1 and stay undefeated this season. Doncaster is in sixth place alongisde Port Melbourne with a 2-6 record.
The Braves dominated the game and outplayed the visitors to land a massive 10-run win.
Round nine will see Doncaster visit Bonbeach while the Malvern heads to Port Melbourne.
Port Melbourne Mariners 2 v Werribee Giants 6
Werribee won both games against Port Melbourne as the Giants hang on to their fourth place position on the ladder with a 4-2-2 record. Meanwhile the Mariners have dropped their fifh straight for a 2-6 record on the season.
Port Melbourne scored once in the third and once in the sixth while Werribee's six runs all came in the fifth.
The Mariners will look to put an end to their losing streak at home against the Braves in the next round while the Giants host the Saints.
Preston Pirates 6 v Williamstown Wolves 11
The Pirates have dropped four in a row while the Wolves have won seven straight.
Williamstown enjoyed strong batting performances up and down the lineup, with six runs coming in the second. The Wolves scored in every inning, leaving five runners on throughout the course of the game while the Pirates stranded eight.
Sean Best was the pick of the bunch for Williamstown, getting two hits including a triple, bringing in a run in the process and contributing to the scoreline twice himself. Luke Chircop chimed in with two runs on two hits also with two RBIs.
Daniel Chircop pitched 2.1 innings for the Wolves as he gave up four hits, one run with two strikeouts.
For Preston, Ismael Theis got two safe hits, both doubles, making the most of his fifth-inning hit by coming home. Gabriel Valderama got two hits from four at bats. Valdelama pitched three innings for the Pirates, giving up seven hits and six earned runs.
The Wolves will host the Panthers for the coming weekend and will look to improve their 7-1 record while the Pirates visit Mulgrave with a 1-6-1 record.
Moorabbin Panthers 15 v Bonbeach St Chads 2
The Panthers had yet another huge win, claiming the series against Bonbeach.
Moorabbin scored five runs in the first and three in the second. Seven more runs followed across the third and the fourth as the Panthers stayed undefeated.
Bonbeach is at the bottom of the ladder with a 1-7 record as the Bluejays look for win number two against Doncaster. Moorabbin visits third place Williamstown in the next round while Bonbeach hosts seventh placed Doncaster.
St Kilda Saints 20 v Mulgrave Rebels 0
After losing a close encounter in the last round, the Saints came back swinging in this matchup.
St Kilda took a 6-0 lead by the third before a massive 10-run fourth inning. Four more runs in the seventh added to the Saints' excitement.
St Kilda is now tied with Mulgrave as both teams have 3-5 records ahead of series against Werribee and Preston respectively.
Division 2 Thirds
Werribee Giants 10 v Port Melbourne Mariners 14
Port Melbourne made up for a poor showing the week prior with a convincing win over Werribee on Sunday at home.
The win was the Mariners' third of the season and their first since round three. Werribee started the season slowly with an 0-4 record before a recent three-game win streak, which was halted in this matchup.
Next up, the Giants are at home v the Saints and the Mariners hit the road to take on Malvern.
Bonbeach St Chads 0 v Moorabbin Panthers 10
A good defensive game, as well as handy contributions with the bat, saw Moorabbin pull off a shutout win over Bonbeach.
Getting on the board early in the first when three runs came in was where it started for the Panthers, with subsequent two-run innings following in the third and fourth. At the bottom of the sixth, Moorabbin found a way to score three more, putting the margin into double figures.
The Panthers are back on track after losing their only game of the season back in round five and will hope to keep it that way after taking on Williamstown this weekend. Bonbeach face a tough opponent in Doncaster but will have high hopes.
Mulgrave Rebels 1 v St Kilda Saints 16
A nine-run effort in the second inning for St Kilda saw them take a big lead, and the Saints never faltered except for when they gave up one run to the Rebels in the last dig of the game.
At 11-0 heading into the fifth, the Saints added another five to the score in that inning as they're now on a three-game win streak and have leapfrogged some big opposition to sit fourth ahead of a series against Werribee. The Rebels travel to Preston ready to expand on their one win so far.
Malvern Braves 8 v Doncaster Dragons 3
Malvern and Doncaster played with the Braves taking the series sweep.
The Braves are yet to lose a game this season, going 8-0, a result they'd like to progress as a series with Port Melbourne gets underway this weekend.
Doncaster has just fallen out of the top four due to the past month's results of three losses and a draw as the Dragons look to make amends on the season when they come up against Bonbeach.
Williamstown Wolves 12 v Preston Pirates 2
A two-run first inning wasn't ringing alarm bells for Preston, however when the Wolves followed that up with five runs in the third, the Pirates needed to kick themselves into gear. And for a little while, they did, getting two in the bottom of the third.
Williamstown would score another four in the next two innings before rounding out the seventh with another, performing a great defensive display for the remainder of the game, keeping Preston to just the two runs.
Williamstown has now won five in a row after starting the season 1-2 and don't see any reason to slow down when facing Moorabbin. The Pirates have a four-game losing streak as they come up against fellow strugglers Mulgrave.
Division 2 Fourths
Mulgrave Rebels 3 v St Kilda Saints 18
At St Kilda, the Saints scored in every inning, starting their game with a four-run first inning and ending it with a combined nine runs during the fifth and sixth.
The Rebels got on the board with two in the second and one in the fifth but were never a match for the rampaging Saints.
The Saints are third on the ladder at 5-3 and on a four-game winning streak as they prepare for an upcoming clash with Werribee. The Rebels meanwhile face Preston and haven't seen a win since round four, their only for the season.
Malvern Braves 8 v Doncaster Dragons 3
The Braves improve their record to 5-1 on the back of this win over Doncaster, that one loss coming all the way back in round one. It sets up a crucial series between Geelong starting this weekend.
Doncaster hasn't tasted success since round five and are sixth at 2-6 heading into a bye.
Williamstown Wolves 7 v Preston Pirates 17
Preston found success over Williamstown, despite giving up three runs at the start of the game. The Pirates responded strongly in the bottom half of the inning, collecting double the amount of runs which they then expanded in the second.
That second inning brought in eight runs for Preston, and in another high-scoring innings from both teams in the third, Williamstown outscored the Pirates four runs to three but the damage was done as the Pirates drew the series.
Geelong Baycats 12 v Werribee Giants 1
For the Giants, squaring things up after seeing Geelong get a run at the top of the first was good, but unfortunately that was the only score Werribee could manage for the game.
Geelong scored in each inning, a collective 11 runs in the next four innings including four in the third as the Baycats defence did well to restrict Werribee to that solitary run.
Scott Wise pitched well for Geelong as Nick Allen, Darren Turner, Philip Sage, Marc Weakley, Michael Allan and Jordan Sinnamon had quality at-bats, including Sinnamon's huge double.
Geelong had a four-game losing streak before breaking through and don't want to fall that way again when facing Malvern. Werribee have had a topsy-turvy season, but will want to find some consistency with wins, starting with St Kilda this weekend.
Moorabbin Panthers v BYE