Teams in VSBL Women's Division 1, 2 and 3 will enjoy a break after three exciting rounds to open the season. Essendon is 3-0 in Division 1 and Springvale is 2-0 in Division 2, while the women of Moorabbin, Sandringham, Melbourne and Doncaster lead the way in Division 3 East with 3-0 records.
Women's Division 1
Doncaster Dragons 6 v Newport Rams 2
The Dragons have kept up the momentum after a 13-3 win over the Rams in round two. Doncaster's efforts were led by strong pitching work from Jamie Bastian and Chelsea Stewart.
Bastian threw four innings of scoreless baseball with just one hit allowed and four strikeouts. Stewart kept the Rams to two runs during her three innings on the mound, with two hits, four walks and three strikeouts.
Morgan Doty and Bronwyn Gell handled pitching duties for Newport, with six runs scoring against Doty - three of them unearned - during four innings on the mound. Doty gave up five hits, three walks and one HBP with four strikeouts. Gell gave up five hits in three scoreless innings with four K's.
Four Doncaster players had multi-hit games, with two apiece Bastian, Vanessa Clifford, Erin Collins and Rebecca Wright getting on base. Clifford had three RBIs and Collins had two. Jessica Johnson doubled while Maddi Weller singled and walked. Doty led Newport with three base hits.
After the break on Saturday, 16 January 2021, 0-3 Newport play Essendon while 2-1 Doncaster host Springvale.
Essendon Bombers 11 v Springvale Lions 3
The Bombers got the best of the Lions again after a 21-3 win v Springvale in round two. The game was quiet through two innings before Essendon scored the first two followed by one for Springvale.
The Lions took a brief 3-2 lead in the fourth but it didn't last long as Essendon put up nine unanswered runs - five in the fifth and four in the sixth.
Allie Bebbere pitched 3.66 innings for Essendon, giving up three hits and four walks with a strikeout and three runs scored, including one unearned run. Abbey Kelly pitched scoreless 2.33 innings, giving up just two hits and one walk with three strikeouts.
There were hits up and down the Essendon lineup with a single and HBP for Kayla Adams with two RBIs, along with Bebbere's two base hits and two walks for a pair of RBIs. Jasmine Bentley had an RBI single while Emma Davenport collected three RBIs with a timely triple. Courtney Foura walked, singled and doubled and Tayla Weldon had two singles and a double. Kelly singled and took two walks, bringing in a pair of runs.
Springvale is 1-2 and will look to avoid three straight losses when the season resumes in January at Doncaster. Essendon has a 3-0 record with the next game at home v Newport.
Women's Division 2
Geelong Baycats 9 v Essendon Bombers 11
It was a back and forth battled as the Bombers eventually prevailed, scoring the winning runs late to secure their second victory of the year.
Geelong didn't go down without a fight, putting on some great displays of offence and defence against a tough opponent. Pitcher Jen Mason settled into her time on the mound, forcing the Bombers to put the ball in play, with good defence from Bri Telford at second and Lily Kevelham at short. Anna Radnay caught the first half of the game and Emma Hill pitched for the Baycats as well.
Kevelham, Mason, Sarah Haouchar , Teri Jackson and Ella Wilson all had hits on the day. Geelong led 2-1 after the first and 5-2 following the second, but the Bombers fired back with a seven-run third inning in response to four further runs for Geelong. The game was tied at nine apiece when Essendon kept Geelong scoreless in the fourth only to tack on two more in the bottom of the inning.
Essendon is now 2-1 while Geelong is 1-1 at the end of three rounds. Essendon plays 1-1 Footscray and Geelong hosts 2-0 Springvale to open 2021.
Preston Pirates 0 v Footscray Bulldogs 16
The Bulldogs ran wild on the base paths on their way to their first victory of the season. The lineup of Jody Hamilton, Rachel Howard, Caitlin Hoy, Kelly Jewers, Alanna Kappler, Sabrina Kinlough, Rhea Sandoval and Tiffaney Shawcross proved unbeatable, especially in the later stages of the game.
The first inning was scoreless followed by three Footscray runs in the second and two in the third. The Bulldogs scored four in the fourth and seven in the fifth to seal the deal and take out the win, although the Pirates held strong and still had fun on the field.
Preston has a bye on 16 Jan while Footscray hosts Essendon.
Women's Division 3 East
Pakenham Pumas Black 2 v Moorabbin Panthers 20
The Panthers are proving to be the team to beat with 57 runs scored and just 16 given up across three games. Moorabbin is in first place with a 3-0 record followed by Sandringham, a position made possible by their big run rallies as demonstrated on Saturday.
A scoreless first inning was followed by a six-run spot in the second and a seven-run third inning. Moorabbin scored yet another seven runs in the fourth as Pakenham managed to get two on the board in the last two innings.
Moorabbin's high-powered lineup with the likes of Janelle Campbell, Ruby Dale, Hayley Fielden, Jacqueline Morris and Jessica Thompson will look to stay undefeated when they play Springvale in the new year. Pakenham Black hosts Cheltenham for round four.
Bonbeach Bluejays 7 v Springvale Lions 15
The Bluejays put up a good fight against the Lions but Springvale prevailed to get the second win of the season on the board.
The Lions took a 2-1 lead after the first and added six in the second. Bonbeach broke through with two in the third, but Springvale was right there to add another seven. The final fourth inning saw the Bluejays tack on four runs as Springvale took out the win.
There were contributions from up and down Springvale's hard-hitting lineup, including Cassandra Shelverton, Breanna Cavanagh, Jenna Gambrell and Stacey Kuilboer.
Next up for Springvale in the new year is a home game v Moorabbin, while Bonbeach hosts Pakenham White.
Wheelers Hill Warriors 20 v Cheltenham Rustlers 6
The Warriors bounced back from a 18-9 loss to Moorabbin the week before with a comprehensive performance at the Rustlers home base.
Wheelers Hill scored two early runs and followed up with six in the second. Cheltenham got one on the board in the bottom of the inning and backed it up with a scoreless third. The Warriors tacked on seven in the fourth and five in the fifth as the Rustlers had a late five-run rally.
Cheltenham has one loss and a draw going into the new year when they play Pakenham Black to start things off. Wheelers Hill is 2-1 and opens the year at home v Berwick, fresh off the bye and the break.
Sandringham Royals 11 v Pakenham Pumas White 6
The Royals won 18-5 over Springvale in round two and they followed up with a winning performance over Pakenham. Sandringham has now scored 42 runs and given up just 14 as the Royals sit in second place just behind Moorabbin, while the Pumas are 0-2 and looking for a win at Bonbeach when the season resumes. Sandringham has the bye to start the year.
Women's Division 3 West
Melbourne Demons 18 v Geelong Baycats 2
The Demons are at the top of the ladder with a 3-0 record, having scored 54 runs and given up just 12 over three games. They led 1-0 going into the second when they scored another seven.
The third inning saw four more Melbourne runners come around to score followed by two in the fourth. The Demons wrapped things up with four more in the fifth while Geelong managed to score one run in the fourth and one more in the fifth to end the game.
Melbourne's experienced pitching gave up just one walk, so Geelong had to string together some hits, including singles for Michelle Searle, Sarah Upton, Narelle Cooper and Katrina Edwards. Searle started on the mound, throwing three innings with consistent strikes backed up by Upton who took to the mound for the first time to finish the game.
Despite the score line, Geelong had some great outfield catches and infield plays, something the Baycats will look to build on when they visit the Titans in round four. Melbourne plays Doncaster in a battle of the undefeated teams.
North Western Titans v Fitzroy Lions - FORFEIT
After forfeiting this game, the Lions have a 1-2 record in third place with 27 runs scored and 34 given up. North Western is 1-2 in fifth place with 16 runs scored for and 28 against.
The first round of 2021 sees Fitzroy head to Newport and North Western host Geelong.
Doncaster Dragons 16 v Newport Rams 2
The Dragons remain undefeated after another high-scoring performance, following up on a 14-4 win over North Western in round two. A Doncaster lineup with the likes of Zoe Cooper, Keeley Harrison and Brooklyn Hutton wasted no time getting on the board.
Doncaster has scored 43 runs and given up just 16 as the Dragons sit in second place just behind Melbourne. Newport is in fourth place with a 1-2 record. Newport hosts Fitzroy and Doncaster hosts Melbourne in round four.