VSBL Division 4 returned after the holiday break with big games for all the teams as they look towards finals with seven games to go in the regular season.
Division 4 East
Monash University Farmers 23 v Malvern Braves 8
The Farmers racked up the runs with scoring in every inning. The Braves kept up at first, with five runs on each side to start the game.
The Farmers pulled ahead with seven runs in both the second and third. Four more runs came in the fourth and a final in the fifth. Malvern's runs came in the first and the fifth.
Ashley Aylen, Paul Blakeney, Stu Jones, Judd Neilson and the rest of the hard-hitting Monash lineup go into round five v Upwey Ferntree Gully Gold with a 3-0-1 record while Malvern plays Melbourne Red next.
Melbourne Demons Red 4 v Doncaster Dragons 8
The Dragons recorded their first win of the season with a strong performance over Melbourne. Now in tenth place, the Dragons will look to improve on their 13 runs scored and 39 given up with a game v Blackburn up next.
Melbourne Red has a 1-2-1 ahead of a home game v Malvern. The Demons have scored 29 runs and given up 39 so far this season.
Upwey Ferntree Gully Tigers Black 4 v Upwey Ferntree Gully Tigers Gold 10
The two Tigers teams went toe-to-toe with the Gold side coming out on top. They scored in every inning, including four in the first and three in the fifth.
The Gold team is in sixth place with a 1-1 record and 12 runs scored v 16 given up, while Upwey Ferntree Gully Black is still looking for a win. Round five has Gold playing Monash and Black playing Melbourne Blue.
Waverley Wildcats Black 15 v Blackburn Orioles 1
The Wildcats continued their strong form from before the break with their fourth straight double-digit win. The game was relatively quiet to start with a run in the first followed by two in the third. Waverley tacked on three in the fourth and two in the fifth before a seven-run six inning, all while holding Blackburn to a single run in the fourth.
The undefeated ladder leaders have scored 72 runs and given up just six as they face off with Waverley White in round five. Ninth-place Blackburn has one win, two losses and one draw with the next game at Doncaster.
Melbourne Demons Blue 7 v Mornington Pirates 5
The Demons held off a Mornington comeback to secure their second win of the year and move from eighth-place to fourth in just one round.
The Demons opened with two runs in the first and added one to their run tally in the second and third, while Mornington scored two in the second. Following more offensive contributions in the fifth, Melbourne was up 7-3 heading into the final frame. While the Pirates got two more, the Demons kept them from tying the game.
Melbourne Blue has a 2-1 record in the fourth place and Mornington sits eighth at 1-2-1. Next up, Mornington hosts Waverley Red while Melbourne Blue hosts Upwey Ferntree Gully Black.
Waverley Wildcats White 6 v Waverley Wildcats Red 6
Neither Waverley side could pull in front as both teams took their first draw of the season.
Red led 1-0 after the first and eventually took a 5-0 lead in the fifth, but Waverley White scored six their next time up. A final run for the Red team tied the game.
Waverley Red now sits third with three wins while Waverley White isn't far behind in fifth with two victories. Waverley Red plays Mornington next and Waverley White plays Waverley Black.
Division 4 North
Mitchell Majors B 1 v Mitchell Majors A 3
The battle of the Mitchell Majors went in the A's team favour. They scored one in the first, one in the fourth and another in the sixth. The B team scored once in the seventh.
Mitchell Majors A has a 4-0 record and plays Fitzroy A next. 2-2 Mitchell Majors B plays Fitzroy B in round five.
Fitzroy Lions A 15 v North Coburg Rebels A 2
The Rebels led 2-1 after the first but it didn't last long, with the Lions putting up seven in the second and another seven in the fourth.
The Lions stay undefeated at the top of the ladder with 59 runs scored and just 16 given up. Their next game is at home v Mitchell Majors A. North Coburg A has a 1-3 record with the next game at home v North Coburg B.
Fitzroy Lions B - FORFEIT v North Coburg Rebels B
Following this forfeit, North Coburg B gets a win on the board and sits fourth while Fitzroy is sixth. Fitzroy B plays Mitchell Majors B next and North Coburg B plays the other Rebels side.
Division 4 South
Mornington Pirates 10 v Bonbeach Bluejays A 3
The Pirates got the upper hand over the Bluejays to secure a 4-0 start to the season in this battle of the undefeated teams. Mornington has a chance to continue that streak in the next game v Bonbeach B, while the Bluejays play Berwick next.
St Kilda Saints 1 v Bonbeach Bluejays B 16
The Bluejays kept up their strong offence with seven runs in both the first and second. St Kilda scored one in the fifth and Bonbeach scored two to wrap up the game.
Fourth-place Bonbeach B takes a 2-1 record into round five against Mornington, while St Kilda has a bye before a round six matchup at home v Mornington.
Berwick City Cougars 12 v Chelsea Dolphins 1
The Cougars scored in every inning, including two in the first, one in the second, five in the third, three in the fourth and one in the fifth. Meanwhile, Chelsea's lone run came in the bottom of the second.
The Cougars remain in third place with a 3-1 record while the Dolphins have a 1-3 record going into games v Bonbeach A and Mordialloc, respectively.
Mordialloc Ducks 16 v Wheelers Hill Warriors 1
The Ducks got the job done with a huge offensive performance as five players had perfect on-base percentages. They scored six in the first, seven in the third and three in the fourth while the Warriors' only run came in the final frame.
Mordialloc has a 2-1 record going into a home game v Chelsea while 1-3 Wheelers Hill plays Pakenham fresh off the bye in round five.
Division 4 West
Geelong Baycats Blue 5 v Footscray Bulldogs 7
Footscray opened with one run in the first before Geelong tied it up in the third. The Bulldogs pulled ahead by two in the fourth while both teams put up four in the fifth.
Footscray moved up to second place with a 3-1 record while Geelong Blue has a 2-2 record. The Baycats play Newport next and Footscray plays Essendon Bombers.
Essendon Bombers 17 v Essendon Jets 2
As the two Essendon sides went head-to-head, the Bombers had a bigger day at the plate. The Bombers scored four in the first, seven in the second, and six in the fourth. The Jets scored once in the second and another in the fourth.
The Bombers are 4-0 with 57 runs scored and only 10 given up. They play Footscray next while the Jets visit Geelong White in round five.
Newport Rams 18 v Geelong White 11
This high-powered offensive game ended with the Rams' second victory of the season. Both sides got started right away with Newport leading 5-4 after the first.
The Baycats scored two to take a one-run lead in the second, but Newport kept things going with a four-spot in the third. The Rams put the game out of reach with seven runs in the fourth, followed by a final two in the fifth. The Baycats scored one in the fourth and two in the fifth as they dropped their third game in a row.
Geelong White sits fifth with a 1-3 record and Newport is third at 2-2. Geelong White hosts Essendon Jets and Newport hosts Geelong Blue next.