Mulgrave, Newport, Moorabbin, and Werribee are all 4-1 in VSBL Division 2 as teams head into the final round of 2021 before the break.
View full season fixtures, results, and ladders HERE and check out recaps below.
Division 2 Firsts
Ormond Glenhuntly 0 v Moorabbin Panthers 2
The Panthers carried a 1-0 lead through the sixth when they added one more, which was enough for their second straight shutout win.
Nick Bertucci struck out six Ormond Glenhuntly batters while giving up just four hits in five innings. Nicholas Veale handled two innings with no hits, just a walk.
While Ormond Glenhuntly pitchers got eight strikeouts, Moorabbin still managed seven hits, including Veale's double and singles from Adam Harris, Travis Finney, Tom Brookes, and Bertucci. Mitch Barr had two RBIs on a pair of base hits.
4-1 Moorabbin plays at Williamstown in search of a fifth straight win while Ormond Glenhuntly plays Mulgrave at home.
Port Melbourne Mariners 8 v Preston Pirates 12
Late scoring cost Port Melbourne the game in this back and forth battle. Preston took a 3-1 lead in the first but Port Melbourne tied it up in the fourth.
The Pirates scored two in the fifth as Port Melbourne got five back in the sixth, but a final seven Preston runs sealed the deal. Preston had 15 hits and one error compared to 14 hits and three errors for Port Melbourne.
Preston's Logan O'Brien threw 3.66 innings with eight hits, three runs, and one walk on 14 first pitch strikes and four strikeouts. Gabriel Valderrama covered two innings with six hits, two walks, and five runs (four unearned) plus a pair of strikeouts.
Glen Farrell threw 1.33 scoreless innings with just one walk and a strikeout, while he also recorded an RBI for Preston. Campbell Every had a 2-RBI single while Luke Williams doubled and scored a run.
Jaycob Pascuzzi had three RBIs while Hebert Rodriguez plated two. The rest of the Pirates with RBIs included Hamish Foreman, Mitch Legge, Shane Waters, and O'Brien.
Rhys Otter covered three innings for Port Melbourne with 10 first pitch strikes and two strikeouts. Jack White and Beau Graham had three hits apiece while Matthew Parker had four hits in addition to his seven strikeouts during three innings.
Preston is now 2-3 with an upcoming home game v St Kilda. Port Melbourne is 1-4 and plays Doncaster at home to finish off the year.
Werribee Giants 3 v Doncaster Dragons 2
The Giants narrowly edged the Dragons to bounce back from an 8-2 loss to Mulgrave the week before.
Trent Pantalleresco covered the first five for Werribee, giving up two runs on six hits while Wesley de Jong earned the win thanks to two scoreless innings with just two hits and a strikeout.
One unearned run scored during Angus Stals' five innings on the mound, giving up three hits and five walks with four strikeouts. Brian Chen pitched two innings for Doncaster, giving up two runs (one unearned) with three hits and a strikeout.
Jonathon Lowe and Pantalleresco had RBIs for Werribee as Francis Kombukon, Tyler Huisman, Wade Balzer, and Ryan Balzer had singles.
Dakota Gibson knocked in Doncaster's two RBIs while Jean Alvarado, Billy Findlay, and Brendan McDonald had two singles each. Nic Unland and Chen had singles too.
Werribee is now 4-1 with a game at Newport this weekend while Doncaster has a 1-3-1 record going into a matchup at Port Melbourne.
Mulgrave Rebels 7 v Williamstown Wolves 6
The first wo innings were quiet before the Wolves got on the board with two in the third. The Rebels weren't fazed, scoring three in the next frame.
By the end of the fifth it was a 4-3 ballgame, and Mulgrave added three more in the sixth for a comfortable lead. The Wolves didn't go down without a fight, scoring three in the final frame to come within one.
Jayson Arthur got the win, striking out five in seven innings with nine hits and six runs (two unearned). He was backed up by Mulgrave's offense with Jason Cousins, Jordan Gavin, and Ryan Phillips knocking in two runs each.
Riley O'Shea and Nick Thompson had two hits apiece as well.
Williamstown's Dennis Neal handled six innings with nine hits and seven runs (one unearned) plus a pair of strikeouts. Tobimaru Yamamoto had no hits or runs in one inning of relief.
Jason McDonald collected three RBIs for Williamstown while Zachary Breen had two and Justin Gourlay knocked in one. Aaron Green doubled as Nicholas Gray and Scott Meager singled.
Mulgrave heads to Ormond Glenhuntly in search of win number five and Williamstown takes a 2-2-1 record going into a home game v Moorabbin.
Newport Rams 9 v St Kilda Saints 0
This was a close matchup through the final two innings when the Rams woke their bats up, scoring five in the sixth and four in the seventh.
Newport's Tyler Comben threw six innings with four hits and eight strikeouts. Reliever Aaron Robson didn't walk anyone either, giving up just one hit and striking out two.
Jared Berman doubled and Ben Howard knocked in four runs while Matthew Lawman and Cameron Lyons had RBIs too. Dean Malthouse, Nathan Smith, Aaron Robson, and Connor Schibeci also got on base with timely hits.
Four of the Rams' runs were unearned during Daniel Hogg's time on the mound, while Adam Schoppe struck out three during six innings.
Fernando Figueroa had two of St Kilda's singles while Robert Lewis and Mariano Favia had base hits too.
4-1 Newport hosts Werribee and St Kilda visits Preston next.