The first five rounds of the 2021/22 VSBL Women's season are in the books as Springvale and Doncaster remain undefeated so far.
Read full season fixtures, results, and ladders HERE and check out recaps below.
Women's Division 1 & 2
Springvale Lions 16 v Doncaster Dragons B 1
Springvale is 4-0 after keeping a streak of double-digit runs alive by scoring five early and maintaining a strong offense throughout the rest of the game.
Gabby Bevan and Maddy Patrick split pitching duties on the mound, striking out seven in total with just four hits and one run all together. Emily Devine had four RBIs on a pair of singles while Hanami Campitelli plated two and Lili Cavanagh singled and doubled.
Hannah Jackson and Shae Lillywhite both had three RBIs as the latter singled, doubled, and tripled. Maddy Patrick had a single and a double while Baylin Rousell had two base hits and Siobhan Stephenson had one.
Keeley Harrison and Chelsea Stewart pitched for Doncaster as six unearned runs made it challenging. Sherryn Medlicott knocked in the lone run of the game while Brooklyn Hutton, Katrina Wapsas, Maddi Weller, and Stewart had one hit each.
Undefeated Springvale has a bye while 1-3 Doncaster B looks to get back in the win column at home against the other Dragons side.
Newport Rams 8 v Essendon Jets 1
The Rams got their first win on the board over Essendon Jets, giving them some extra momentum as a round 6 matchup at Newport rolls around.
The Jets play the Bombers at home next in their last game before the break.
Footscray Bulldogs (forfeit) v Doncaster Dragons
After this forfeit, Doncaster has a 4-0 record going into a game v Doncaster B.
Geelong Baycats (forfeit) v Essendon Bombers
Following the forfeit, the Bombers play the Jets at home, looking to improve on a 3-2 record.
Women's Division 3 North East
Melbourne Demons 17 v Research Lower Plenty 1
Melbourne started strong with a seven-run first inning, scoring another six in the second and two more in both the third and the fifth, all while giving up just one run in the second.
The Demons are 3-1 and take on first place Waverley in round 6 while Research Lower Plenty is 1-3 and plays Upwey Ferntree Gully next.
Waverley Wildcats 11 v South East Warriors 4
First-time player Steph Gibbs had two RBIs in this exciting matchup between these two top four teams.
The Wildcats had a 5-0 lead going into the bottom of the fourth, and although the Warriors came within one, a flurry of six runs in the fifth sealed the deal for Waverley.
The Warriors are 2-1 and host Preston next while 4-0 Waverley plays Melbourne at home.
Malvern Braves 12 v Upwey Ferntree Gully Tigers 7
The Braves scored seven runs in the fourth inning to wrap up the game on a high note. The Tigers led 2-1 after the first and 5-3 after the second before both sides scored two in the third.
Now 2-3, the Braves will look for another win in the new year while the 1-3 Tigers host Research Lower Plenty this weekend.
Malvern Ormond Glenhuntly (forfeit) v Preston Pirates
Following the forfeit, the Pirates are 4-0 and play the Warriors next, while Malvern Ormond Glenhuntly has the week off after the Women's Derby last Wednesday.
Women's Division 3 South
Pakenham Pumas 5 v Bonbeach Bluejays 15
The Bluejays scored six in the first, two in the second, and seven in the third to earn their third win of the season. Pakenham scored one in the third and four in the fourth.
The Pumas are 2-3 and the Bluejays are 3-2 with upcoming home games v Berwick and Springvale, respectively.
Berwick Cougars 12 v Sandringham Royals 2
The Royals fell behind in the second inning as Berwick scored seven, followed by one in the fourth and four in the fifth. Sandringham's two runs came in the fourth as the Cougars improved to 3-2.
Sandringham isn't far behind at 2-3 with a home game coming up v Moorabbin. Meanwhile Berwick hits the road to take on Pakenham.
Moorabbin Panthers 15 v Springvale Lions 9
Moorabbin took led 6-2 after the second and added another 10 across the last two innings, holding off a seven-run rally from Springvale to end the game.
Moorabbin is 4-1 atop the ladder with a game at Sandringham coming up while Springvale looks for a win at Bonbeach.
Women's Division 3 West
North Western Orange 13 v Fitzroy Doncaster 14
North Western Orange came so close to their third win of the season but ultimately Fitzroy Doncaster finished in front to even their record at 2-2.
Fitzroy Doncaster has a bye and North Western Orange plays their fellow Titans this weekend.
North Western Black 9 v Port Melbourne Mariners 14
The Mariners racked up their second-highest run tally this season, securing a 2-2 record going into round 6 at Essendon.
North Western Black plays the other Titans team, looking to build on a 2-1 record.
Geelong Baycats 21 v Newport Rams 8
The Baycats cruised to a big win thanks to big hits from Sarah Upton, Courtney Stack, and Ruby Benne, plus RBIs for Michelle Searle, Phoebe Arnott, and Jaymee McDonald.
Geelong took an early 7-0 lead before adding two in the second and seven more in the third. A final five runs in the fourth gave the Baycats their third double-digit win as Newport's scoring was limited to one in the second, six in the third, and one more in the fourth.
Now 3-1, Geelong plays Sunshine at home next while Newport carries a 1-3 record into a home game v Werribee.
Sunshine Eagles 22 v Werribee Giants 5
Sunshine took an early 5-3 lead and kept going from there, scoring four in the second and seven in the third. The final frame saw Sunshine add six and Werribee score two.
The Eagles are 4-0 and play at Geelong next while Werribee plays at Newport.