The 2021/22 VSBL Division 4 season is heating up as Waverley, Bonbeach, Mornington, Essendon, Mitchell Majors, and Fitzroy all remain undefeated after three weeks.
View full season fixtures, results, and ladders HERE and read the latest recaps below.
Division 4 East
Blackburn Orioles 4 v Waverley Wildcats Black 15
The Wildcats are proving to be tough competitors once again this season, racking up their first double-digit tally of the season.
Waverley scored seven in the first, six in the second, and two in the fourth while only giving up four to Blackburn to finish up the game.
2-0 Waverley Black hosts Upwey Ferntree Gully Black next while Blackburn goes into an away game at Monash with a 1-1 record.
Monash Uni Farmers 7 v Upwey Ferntree Gully Black 7
The Farmers and the Tigers couldn't break the tie as the game ended in a draw, the first in the competition this season.
The Tigers led 1-0 after the first and 4-0 after the second, but the Farmers turned the game around with seven runs in the top of the third. From there, Upwey Ferntree Gully was forced to play catch-up, scoring one in the third and two in the fourth to level the scores.
Although the Tigers couldn't quite pull ahead for the victory, they have another chance to get their second win of the season at Waverley Black this weekend.
Monash hosts Blackburn in hopes of building on a 1-1-1 record.
Waverley Wildcats Red 19 v Malvern Braves 6
Waverley Red improved to 3-0 thanks to another big day at the plate, scoring in four out of the five innings. The Wildcats started with four runs in the first before a seven-run second and another run in the third.
A final seven Waverley runs came around in the fourth as Malvern put together two three-run frames but it wasn't enough to erase the deficit.
The ladder-leading Wildcats play Upwey Ferntree Gully Gold at home while Malvern looks for a win at Doncaster.
Doncaster Dragons 3 v Upwey Ferntree Gully Gold 18
Upwey Ferntree Gully was determined to put a win on the board and it showed, with 15 hits up and down the lineup and aggressive base running.
Mitch Thomson covered several innings on the mound before handing the ball over to Aaron Moffit for two shutout innings.
The Tigers are 1-1 and play at Waverley Red in round 4 while Doncaster hosts Malvern.
Division 4 South
Mulgrave Rebels 0 v Mornington Pirates Black 19
Two Mornington pitchers rallied to shutout Mulgrave and give the team a 2-0 start to the season.
The Pirates started strong with seven runs in the first and four in the second, followed by another seven-run inning in the third. Mornington wrapped up with six more runs across the final frames for another dominant double-digit victory.
Trev Stumbles threw 10 first pitch strikes in four scoreless innings with eight strikeouts and a 1.00 WHIP.
Tom White led Mornington's offense with four hits and six RBIs while AJ Hill had four hits and five RBIs and David Gucci recorded three hits.
Mulgrave's Pat Guimbeau, Benn Winkler, and Ryan Walsh got on base with walks while Theo Rutgers threw 21 first pitch strikes in three innings with three strikeouts. Lorenzo Bucci also appeared on the mound for Mulgrave.
Now 2-0, Mornington Black plays Bonbeach Blue at home in round 4 and Mulgrave hosts St Kilda.
Pakenham Pumas Black 5 v Sandringham Royals 12
The Royals are 2-1 after a successful Sunday outing, helping them bounce back from a 10-5 loss to Bonbeach White the week before.
Sandringham led 3-0 after the first and added two more runs across the second and the third before the Pumas brought two home in the fourth. The Royals weren't fazed, scoring seven in the fourth for a comfortable lead. Pakenham scored three in the fifth and kept Sandringham off the board in the final inning.
Sandringham plays at Mornington Red and Pakenham Black hosts Bonbeach White in search of win number two.
Bonbeach Bluejays White 14 v Chelsea Dolphins 6
The Bluejays improved to 3-0 after another big day at the plate, their third double-digit run tally of the season.
Bonbeach scored two runs in both the first and second and by the end of the third, the Bluejays were in front 7-3. Bonbeach got two more in the top of the fourth as Chelsea added three, and a final five runs to the Bluejays settled the final score.
Next up for Bonbeach White is a road game at Pakenham Black. Chelsea is also away playing Pakenham White.
Bonbeach Bluejays Blue 7 v Mornington Pirates Red 13
The Pirates got their first win on the board with a strong 13-run performance as they were determined at the plate, tying the game twice before getting in front for good.
Bonbeach led 2-0 going into the bottom of the first but the Pirates tied it up. The Bluejays scored three in the top of the second but Mornington was right there, scoring seven of their own for a larger advantage.
Both teams scored twice in the fourth as the game finished with Mornington in front. Josh Simpson had three hits and four RBIs while Damien Deefholts and Andrew Jones had two RBIs each and Myles Dowsett walked twice.
Pat Smith had two hits for Bonbeach while Dave Brodie had one and Paul Sutton got on base with two walks.
Reyes Sanchez threw two innings for Mornington with a 2.50 WHIP while Steve Crawley threw seven first pitch strikes with a strikeout in two innings.
Bonbeach had Aiden Rusden on the mound for two innings with seven first pitch strikes, two strikeouts, and a 2.00 WHIP. Andy McLaughlan got ahead in the count with six batters he faced.
Mornington Red will look for a second win at home v Sandringham while 2-1 Bonbeach Blue takes on Mornington Black.
Pakenham Pumas White 6 v St Kilda Saints 4
The Pumas recorded their first win with a solid offensive performance, leading 2-1 after the second before adding another run in the fourth. Both teams scored three in the fifth before a quiet final inning ensured Pakenham stayed in front.
Pakenham White is 1-1 and plays Chelsea at home this weekend as 2-1 St Kilda heads to Mulgrave to take on the Rebels.
Division 4 North East
North Western Titans 3 v Fitzroy Lions Blue 10
The Lions led 3-1 after the first and kept it up for the rest of the game, improving to a 7-3 lead by the end of the third. One run in the fourth and another two in the fifth kept Fitzroy comfortably in front for their second win of the season.
Lachlann McDowell hit a home run to help Fitzroy jump three spots up the ladder. The Lions sit third and play Melbourne Blue at home on the weekend while North Western hosts Essendon Bombers.
Port Melbourne Mariners 1 v Melbourne Demons Red 18
The Demons were a force to be reckoned with, quickly squashing Port Melbourne's 1-0 lead after the top of the first.
Melbourne scored four in the first, six in the second, and two in the third before tacking on another six runs in the final frame.
This marked Melbourne Red's first win of the season as the team prepares for an away game at Fitzroy Maroon. Port Melbourne hosts Research Lower Plenty for round 4.
Essendon Jets 7 v Mitchell Majors 8
Riley McGowan's walk-off sealed the victory for Mitchell Majors, their second win so far this year. McGowan had three RBIs while Ben Harkom had two.
Essendon had the early advantage, leading 4-1 after the first. The second inning was quiet before both sides scored two in the third and one in the fourth.
Down by three, Mitchell Majors staged a terrific comeback in the final frame, racking up four runs to secure the win.
Gianni Musetti handled 2.2 innings for Mitchell Majors with 11 first pitch strikes, three strikeouts, and a 2.25 WHIP. Corey Dennehy threw eight first pitch strikes with two strikeouts in 2.1 innings.
Ben Harkom and Musetti led Mitchell Majors with two hits apiece, facing off against Troy Grady who threw 4.2 innings for Essendon, including 17 first pitch strikes, nine strikeouts, and a 2.36 WHIP.
Essendon's Shaun Smith had two hits while Kane Lorimer had three quality at-bats with three walks. Ben Grady and Jordan Doherty both walked twice as Harish Chhabria knocked in a run with three great at-bats too.
After a narrow one-run victory, Mitchell Majors plays Essendon Spitfires on the road while the 1-1 Jets have a bye.
Melbourne Blue 16 v Essendon Spitfires 8
Trent Ryan pitched well for Melbourne Blue as Scott Briggs, Lachie Clayton, and Henry Ryan had hits to help get the team's first win.
It was a busy day on the base paths as Melbourne took an early 1-0 lead that was quickly wiped away with Essendon's two runs in the first. The second was quiet before the Demons went in front by one in the third, only for Essendon to level the scores.
It was neck and neck through the fourth as both sides battled hard, with Melbourne holding on for a narrow 8-7 lead. It wasn't until the fifth when things opened up for the Demons, as they scored three runs before a final fifth in the sixth. Essendon got one back in their last at-bats but the team was still handed their first loss of the season.
Both sides are now 1-1 with Melbourne Blue playing at Fitzroy Blue next and Essendon hosting Mitchell Majors.
Essendon Bombers 7 v Research Lower Plenty 6
The Bombers held off a late Research rally to protect their undefeated record.
It was 1-0 Essendon after the first but Research tied it up in the second, only to give up four more runs to the Bombers in the third. Essendon scored two in the fourth but allowed five Research runs to make it a much closer ballgame.
Neither side scored in the fifth as Essendon held on for the win, going 3-0 ahead of a road game at North Western. Research is 2-1 and plays at Port Melbourne next.