With just six rounds to go in the regular season, the VSBL Women's competitions are heating up. Essendon continues to lead in Women's Division 1 while Springvale is undefeated in Women's Division 2. Moorabbin, Sandringham, and Doncaster also have winning streaks in Women's Division 3.
Women's Division 1
Doncaster Dragons 0 v Springvale Lions 8
The Lions improved to a 2-3 record with their shutout win over the Dragons.
Brooklyn Hutton gave up three earned runs in three innings pitched while Chelsea Stewart struck out two in two innings of work with five runs allowed - four of them earned.
Springvale pitchers gave up just two walks and five hits, including two singles to Maddi Weller and one each to Belinda Cannington, Vanessa Clifford and Jessica Johnson.
Springvale sits third with 30 runs scored and 43 given up while 3-2 Doncaster is second behind Essendon with 37 runs scored and 30 given up.
Essendon Bombers 16 v Newport Rams 2
Essendon has a 5-0 record after another big performance as the Bombers have reached double-digit runs in each of their five wins.
Newport took an early one-run lead in the first before giving up 10 in the second to a hard-hitting Essendon side. The third, fourth, and fifth innings were quiet while the Bombers scored six more in the sixth while giving up just one more to Newport.
Allie Bebbere pitched three innings for Essendon, giving up three hits and an unearned run with three strikeouts. Abbey Kelly threw two innings with three hits, one run and one strikeout while Courtney Foura gave up just one hit in a scoreless inning of work.
Essendon collected 13 hits, including Kelly's three base hits and two RBIs and Kayla Adams pair of singles and RBI. Victoria Brown also had two hits with three RBIs while Jasmine Bentley singled and doubled with an RBI and Bebbere had a base hit. Emma Davenport, Megan Kelly and Tayla Weldon also plated runners.
Newport's Georgia Page had three earned runs and seven unearned runs score during four innings on the mound with six hits, four walks, and three strikeouts.
Leslie Anglin had Newport's lone RBI with a single and a double, while Zoe Allen, Claire Costa, and Morgan Doty recording base hits. Danni Teasdale also doubled.
Essendon has scored a total of 71 runs while giving up just 21. Fourth-place Newport plays Springvale next and Essendon hosts Doncaster.
Women's Division 2
Preston Pirates 0 v Springvale Lions 17
The Lions were once again fired up at the plate, racking up their third double-digit run tally of the year.
Springvale kept Preston's offence firmly under control while scoring four in the first, two in the second, four in the third and another seven in the fourth.
Now the ladder leaders have scored a total of 66 runs while giving up just 10.
The Pirates play third-place Essendon coming off the bye while Springvale visits Footscray.
Footscray Bulldogs 8 v Geelong Baycats 6
It was a fierce battle but one Footscray managed to win by scoring the go-ahead runs at the top of the fifth.
The Baycats led 2-1 after the first but by the end of the second, it was a 5-4 ballgame Footscray's way.
The Bulldogs gave up two to lose the lead in the third but managed to get one back in the fourth. The final two runs scored in the fifth as Footscray improved to a 3-1 record while Geelong slipped to 1-3. Footscray hosts Springvale and Geelong has a bye in the next round.
Women's Division 3 East
Pakenham Pumas Black 4 v Berwick City Cougars 21
The Cougars brought their A-game in this matchup, getting their first win on the board with their highest run tally of the year.
The team has both scored and given up 48 runs and now has a 1-2-1 record, while Pakenham is 1-4.
Pakenham Black plays Wheelers Hill fresh off the bye next while Berwick heads to Springvale.
Springvale Lions 8 v Cheltenham Rustlers 13
The Rustlers had the upper hand in this matchup, getting win number one on the board thanks to consistent scoring and a stronger defence.
Cheltenham put six on the board in the first while Springvale scored three. The Rustlers scored two more in the second as Springvale kept chipping away with another. Four more Cheltenham runs came in the third as the Rustlers led 12-7 after three. Both teams scored once more to wrap up the game.
Cheltenham has moved up a spot to seventh with a 1-2-1 record while Springvale stays fifth at 2-3. Round six sees Cheltenham hosting Pakenham White and Springvale hosting Berwick.
Bonbeach Bluejays 4 v Sandringham Royals 10
The Royals kept their winning streak going with strong hitting and pitching. They led 2-1 after the first and scored five more after a scoreless second while Bonbeach fell further behind despite scoring three more runs. Sandringham scored another three in the fourth to finish off the game.
The 4-0 Royals have scored 52 runs and given up just 18 as they hold tight to their second-place spot just behind reigning premiers Moorabbin, who they play next in a battle of the undefeated sides. Bonbeach sits fourth with a 2-3 record and 52 runs scored v 48 given up going into a bye.
Moorabbin Panthers 20 v Pakenham Pumas White 6
The 5-0 Panthers show no signs of slowing down after their fifth double-digit run tally of the year. They scored six in the first and seven runs in both the second and the third while allowing three Pakenham runs in the first, two in the second and one in the third.
Moorabbin has now scored 88 runs while giving up just 29 as the Panthers haven't missed a beat, holding onto first place the entire season. They host Sandringham next while Pakenham White plays Cheltenham.
Women's Division 3 West
Fitzroy Lions 8 v Melbourne Demons 18
The Demons racked up the runs as they bounced back from an 8-5 loss to Doncaster the round before.
Melbourne led 4-2 after the first and by the end of the second, it was an 11-7 ballgame. The Lions scored one more in the third as the Demons tacked on a further seven runs to end the game. Melbourne has now scored 77 runs and given up just 28, with the second-place team hosting North Western on Saturday.
The 2-3 Lions are in fourth place with 49 runs scored and 54 given up going into a home game v Doncaster.
Doncaster Dragons 17 v Geelong Baycats 3
The Dragons put on a big show as they improved their overall run tally to 51 scored for and just 21 against.
Geelong's Ella Wilson impressed in her catching debut and also had an RBI single. Jen Renouf and Magda Boros also had RBI base hits.
Doncaster takes a 5-0 record into round six v Fitzroy while Geelong visits Newport.
Newport Rams 8 v North Western Titans 12
The Titans scored four runs in each of the three innings on their way to win number three. Newport scored once in the first and second, with another six runs scoring in the third.
Third-place North Western has a 3-2 record with 41 runs for and 42 runs against. Fifth-place Newport has a 1-4 record with 28 runs for and 76 runs against.
North Western visits Melbourne for round six as Newport hosts Geelong.