Berwick City, Geelong, Upwey Ferntree Gully, Fitzroy, Sunshine, and Waverley enjoyed big wins over the weekend in VSBL Division 1 with just a few weeks to go before finals.
Read full season fixtures, results, and ladders HERE and check out the latest recaps below.
Division 1 Firsts
Cheltenham Rustlers 2 v Berwick City Cougars 4
The Cougars took care of business in a tight matchup, improving to a 9-5-1 record to stay within the top four. Cheltenham broke a scoreless deadlock in the sixth but the Cougars fought back, making it a 3-1 ballgame in the seventh.
Both sides got one last run in the eighth as Berwick stayed in front 4-2. Starter Craig Barnett allowed one earned run and struck out nine in eight innings while second baseman Aaron Ouwehand smashed a go-ahead double to centre for two runs.
Dante Caruso and Jack Daniels had two hits for Cheltenham while Blake Holding knocked in a run and Josh Tribe pitched with 10 first pitch strikes and four strikeouts.
Berwick heads to Melbourne next as Cheltenham plays at Upwey Ferntree Gully.
Sandringham Royals 5 v Geelong Baycats 12
Seven early runs sealed the deal for Geelong's 12-5 win over Sandringham, marking the Baycats' tenth win of the season.
Harper Rickard went 4-for-4 with four RBIs and Keli’i Zablan went deep with a two-run shot to start the scoring.
Sandringham also got in on the home run fun as Declan Ferguson had a two-run homer.
Third place Geelong has a 10-4-1 record and hosts Malvern this week while 6-9 Sandringham hosts Fitzroy.
Upwey Ferntree Gully Tigers 11 v Blackburn Orioles 3
Blackburn watched the game slip away early and couldn't recover in an 11-3 loss to Upwey Ferntree Gully.
The Tigers started scoring in the first with singles by Harvey Chinn, Donovan Hendriks, and Josh Hendriks. They added four runs in the third with RBIs from Hendriks, Peter Schroeders, and Wade McConnon.
Jarrod Turner led things off on the mound for Upwey Ferntree Gully, throwing six innings with four hits, two runs, and seven strikeouts.
Blackburn starter Sam Bucello gave up seven runs on seven hits over three innings, striking out two. Rowan Johnstone threw six innings in relief out of the bullpen.
Nick Rossell, Evan Maury, and Steven Bookluck all had two hits for Blackburn including Rossell's home run while Upwey Ferntree Gully totaled 11 hits.
The Tigers are now 6-7-2 going into a home game v Cheltenham while 5-10 Blackburn plays Waverley on the road.
Fitzroy Lions 7 v Essendon Bombers 3
Even though Essendon collected ten hits to Fitzroy's nine, the Bombers still fell 7-3 on Sunday.
Essendon opened scoring in the first when Ross Bament tripled on a 1-0 count, but Fitzroy managed to pull in front with a two-run fourth thanks to RBIs from Damian Preston and Darcy King.
Another three Lions runs came in the ninth on a single by Tyler Trevaskis and a fielder's choice by Riley Hill.
Jordan Hill led things off on the pitcher's mound for Fitzroy. The ace lasted four innings, allowing two hits and one run while striking out two.
Gareth Formisano started the game for Essendon, allowing four hits and two runs over five innings, striking out four. Michael Formisano and Luke Abels entered the game from the bullpen, throwing two innings each.
Essendon had ten hits total as Declan Speirs went 4-for-4 and McLeod Sell, Bament, and Darby Sexton had multiple hits too. Trevaskis went 3-for-5 at the plate to lead Fitzroy in hits.
The Lions play Sandringham next while Essendon takes on Sunshine in a battle of the ladder leaders.
Sunshine Eagles 6 v Malvern Braves 2
Malvern fell behind early and couldn't come back in a 6-2 loss to Sunshine as the Eagles took the lead on a Cam Deeble single in the third inning.
Jeremy Young led Sunshine to victory on the mound, throwing nine innings, allowing five hits and two runs while striking out nine and walking one.
Ryan Othen took the loss for Malvern, allowing eight hits and four runs over five innings, striking out six. The Braves racked up five hits in the game including two apiece for Justin Burke and Gavin Woolger.
Sunshine collected nine hits on the day with Allister Lovelock and Deeble leading the way.
11-3-1 Sunshine plays Essendon next while 7-7-1 Malvern heads to Geelong.
Waverley Wildcats 11 v Melbourne Demons 4
Sunday's game against Waverley was a heartbreaker for Melbourne, as they lost the lead late in an 11-4 defeat. The game was tied at one with Waverley batting in the top of the sixth when an error scored two runs for the Wildcats.
Melbourne fired up the offense in the first inning when Oliver McMahon grounded out, scoring one run. Finn Weichard's sac fly scored one run for Waverley to tie it up in the fourth.
Waverley pulled away for good with eight runs in the sixth inning on an error and RBIs from Lochlan O’Connor, Mitch Homfray, and Jacob Sheldon-Collins.
Melbourne did get three back in the eighth on a single by McMahon and a double by Kynan Jones.
Luke Papanicolaou got the win for Waverley, throwing eight innings with four runs on six hits, plus one walk and three strikeouts. Weichard threw one inning in relief out of the bullpen.
Mitch Bowen took the loss for Melbourne, giving up seven hits and eight runs over one and one-third innings with a strikeout. Hayden Godbold started the game, allowing two hits and one run over three and two-thirds innings, striking out one and walking one.
Melbourne tallied six hits with two apiece for Jones and Harvey Mitchelhill, while Waverley's 16 hits came off the bats of Jordy Ley, Homfray, Weichard, and Shakore Bragg-Taylor.
Waverley has an 8-5-1 record while Melbourne is 5-8-1 going into home matchups vs Blackburn and Berwick, respectively.