The VSBL Division 3 season has just a few weeks before finals as the six clubs look to finish strong. Springvale leads the way in the top nine and Footscray tops the ladder in the Reserves.
Division 3 Firsts
Bonbeach Bluejays 12 v Chelsea Dolphins 0
Five runs in each of the first two innings put Bonbeach in prime position, with two more scoring in the fifth and the seventh.
Chelsea pitchers gave up eight hits, eight walks, and four HBP while Liam Bald struck out five and gave up just one hit and three walks in four innings. Adam Major struck out five too with two hits in two innings while Mathew Prior walked two and struck out two in an inning.
Jacob Bald walked and singled twice with an RBI, Matt Bucci plated three with a walk and two HBP, and Dylan Eldridge recorded three RBIs. Harry Hines-Cavanagh had a single, walk, and HBP as Oliver Hookey-Rizzo collected three base hits with two RBIs. Edward Steere had an RBI single and David Steere had a base hit too.
Bonbeach heads into the next round at home v Pakenham with three wins and five losses while Chelsea hosts Springvale.
North Western Titans 1 v Springvale Lions 11
The Lions scored a flurry of runs late, backing up Scott Baillie's solid start with six hits and 12 strikeouts.
The first three innings were scoreless as North Western caught a long hit by Lucas Anderson early on and outfielder Jarrod Johns continued to impress, saving the Titans some runs to start the game. They got two base runners in the top of the fourth with catcher Connor Wilson doubling to open the inning. He moved to third on a ground ball and scored on a single from Dan Holmes.
Springvale answered by scoring the lead-off batter in the bottom of the fourth although the go-ahead runs were stranded after back-to-back strikeouts.
The game was tied at 1-1 with strong pitching and defense on both sides through the fifth and sixth. Baillie struck out three in the top of the seventh as the Lions bats came alive in the bottom frame. Three hits in a row for Adam Thatcher, Lucas Anderson, and Rydge Hogan got the offense going with four runs, and it continued in the next inning with Hogan's triple, Baillie's double, and Neal Cavanagh's first hit of the day.
Springvale finished the game with six runs in the eighth. Overall Hogan went 4-for-4 with three hard-hit singles and a triple. Adam Thatcher and Matt Cameron had two hits each while Lucas Anderson, Scott Baillie, Neal Cavanagh, Mark Richards, and Ben Birchall had hits too.
The 8-0 Lions have scored 104 runs and given up just 24 while North Western sits third with five wins and three losses on 65 runs for and 52 against. Springvale visits Chelsea and North Western hosts Footscray next.
Pakenham Pumas 15 v Footscray Bulldogs 6
Both teams scored twice in the first inning, but the Pumas pulled away in the second with seven runs. The Bulldogs got three back but gave up two more in the top of the third before a quiet few games going into the fifth.
Pakenham brought two runs home in the fifth and another in the sixth and seventh, with the Bulldogs scoring just once more in the sixth.
This marked Pakenham's third win and first since round five. Footscray is two spots higher on the ladder in second place with five wins and three losses on 74 runs for and 58 against. The Pumas have scored 52 and allowed 77. Pakenham plays Bonbeach and Footscray plays North Western next.
Division 3 Seconds
Bonbeach Bluejays 3 v Chelsea Dolphins 2
The Bluejays led 2-1 after the first while the next two innings were quiet. It wasn't until the fourth that Chelsea tied things up, and the game stayed that way until the top of the seventh when Bonbeach got the winning run.
Third-place Bonbeach has a 4-3-1 record on 58 runs for and 26 against. Chelsea has a 1-5-2 record in fifth place, having scored 38 but given up 70. Bonbeach hosts Pakenham and Chelsea hosts Springvale next.
Pakenham Pumas 7 v Footscray Bulldogs 12
The Bulldogs jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first, but the Pumas powered back with six in the second. Footscray wasn't done, scoring five in the second and three in the third while giving up just one more to Pakenham in the final frame.
Footscray stays at the top of the ladder with seven wins and one draw, thanks to 93 runs for and 41 against. Pakenham is in fourth place with two wins and six losses, having scored 64 and given up 78. The Pumas visit Bonbeach and the Bulldogs play the Titans next.
North Western Titans 0 v Springvale Lions 28
Springvale recorded win number six on the season with a massive shutout victory over the Titans. They scored eight in the first, 11 in the second, and nine in the third to seal the deal and increase their total run tally to 99 with just 26 runs allowed.
Second-place Springvale has a 6-1-1 record and plays Chelsea next while North Western looks for a second win v Footscray.