Women's baseball is back as the 2021/22 VSBL season resumed with exciting matchups, including a few high-scoring games.
Read recaps below and check out full season fixtures, results, and ladders HERE.
Women's Division 1 & 2
Doncaster Dragons B 0 v Footscray Bulldogs 13
Footscray outhit Doncaster 9-1 in this shutout victory, with the Bulldogs scoring two in the first, six in the second, three in the third, and a final two in the fourth.
Alanna Kappler was the driving force on the mound, striking out five with just one hit and two walks in five innings.
Teammates Caitlin Hoy, Kelly Jewers, Abbey McLellan, Olivia Medland, and Tiffaney Shawcross all had RBIs, with Medland knocking in three runs on two big hits. McLellan, Kappler, and Shawcross had extra-base hits on the day.
After their second win of the season, the Bulldogs have an away game at Essendon Jets while the Dragons head to Newport.
Essendon Bombers 5 v Springvale Lions B 6
The Lions narrowly got the edge over the Bombers after a late flourish, helping them stay undefeated.
The game was tied 2-2 after the first and Essendon was in front 5-4 after the third, but two more Springvale runs in the fourth and fifth sealed the deal on a close win.
Shae Lillywhite got the win on the mound, giving up two hits and striking out four in four scoreless innings. Five runs scored during Gabby Bevan's three innings on the mound, but four of them were unearned. Bevan had three hits and three strikeouts.
Essendon's Abbey Kelly handled three innings with five hits, two walks, and four runs (two unearned) plus four strikeouts. Victoria Brown struck out one and Jasmine Bentley recorded five K's too.
Baylin Rousell had two singles, a double, and two RBIs for Springvale while Lily Pedder, Emily Devine, and Rebecca Heenan also knocked in runs. Lillywhite and Emma Jenkinson had hits as well.
Essendon's offense included one single each for Allie Bebbere, Emma Davenport, Paige Farrell, Courtney Foura, and Tayla Weldon.
6-0 Springvale plays Doncaster and 4-3 Essendon has a bye in round 8.
Newport Rams 14 v Geelong Baycats 1
The Rams earned their third win of the season with three runs in the first, four in the second, and seven in the fourth, all while keeping Geelong scoreless up until the final inning.
Newport's Mackenzie Prentice-Evans threw 3.33 innings with no hits and six strikeouts while Leslie Anglin struck out five and gave up three hits during a relief appearance.
Geelong's Lily Kevelham and Jennifer Mason combined for five strikeouts on the mound while teammates Emma Hill and Magda Boros had singles.
For the Rams, Anglin had three RBIs and Erin Collis, Claire Costa, Kira Jansen, Ildi Klein, and Prentice-Evans had one each.
3-4 Newport hosts Doncaster B next as Geelong heads to Springvale.
Essendon Jets (forfeit) v Springvale Lions
After this forfeit, Springvale is 5-0 and plays Geelong next while the Jets host Footscray.
Women's Division 3 North East
Research Lower Plenty 10 v Malvern Ormond Glenhuntly 13
Research LP was first on the board with three runs, but Malvern OGH responded with four in the bottom of the first.
The Braves/Hunters got five more in the second and four in the third, holding off Research despite giving up seven runs.
Malvern OGH is 2-4 with an upcoming game v South East Warriors while Research hosts Waverley.
Upwey Ferntree Gully Tigers 3 v South East Warriors 9
The Warriors got two early runs but it wasn't long before the Tigers tied it up at two apiece. Upwey FTG got one more in the top of the third to make it a 3-2 ballgame, but the Warriors came together for a seven-run inning to win the game.
Ashleigh Cranston pitched well for the Warriors and had two RBIs with a big hit past second base. Stacey Kuilboer and Lori Lygris also had hits for the winning team.
Next up, the 4-1 Warriors play Malvern Ormond Glenhuntly at home while Upwey FTG heads to Melbourne.
Preston Pirates 7 v Waverley Wildcats 10
The Wildcats came from behind to win their fifth game of the season. Waverley led 1-0 after the first but Preston scored seven in the second to switch things up.
Waverley put together five in the third and four in the fourth to seal the deal. Now, the 5-1 Wildcats look to stay atop the ladder with a game at Research Lower Plenty, while 4-2 Preston hosts Malvern.
Women's Division 3 South
Berwick Cougars 2 v Bonbeach Bluejays 16
Jess Brown had an in-the-park home run as the Bluejays scored three in the first, six in the second, and seven in the third. Berwick's two runs came in the last inning.
Bonbeach is now 5-2 with an away game at Sandringham coming up while 4-3 Berwick heads to Moorabbin.
Sandringham Royals 1 v Springvale Lions 10
The Lions got their first win on the board with a successful outing against Sandringham.
The first two innings were scoreless before Sandringham scored the first run in the third, but Springvale answered with four of their own. The Lions added six runs in the final frame for a big win, giving them extra momentum going into a round 8 matchup at Pakenham.
3-4 Sandringham hosts Bonbeach next.
Moorabbin Panthers 17 v Pakenham Pumas 4
The Panthers led 3-1 after the first and proceeded to score seven in both the second and third, putting the game out of reach for the Pumas although they managed three in the final frame.
This was Moorabbin's fifth win of the season as the ladder leaders host Berwick next and Pakenham plays Springvale at home.
Women's Division 3 West
North Western Titans Black 9 v Essendon Bombers 13
Both sides had strong days at the plate, but ultimately it was Essendon's game thanks to a seven-run first and six-run second.
NW Black scored four in the first, three in the second, and two in the third but their rally fell short as the Bombers came away with their third win of the year.
Essendon heads to Werribee next and NW Black takes a 3-2 record into a home game v Sunshine.
North Western Titans Orange 14 v Newport Rams 7
The Titans took a 6-0 lead in the first and never looked back, scoring four more in both the second and the third. However, Newport wasn't going down without a fight, managing four in the second and three in the third to stay in the game.
NW Orange is now 3-3 going into a home game v Geelong, while Newport plays Fitzroy Doncaster next.
Geelong Baycats 12 v Werribee Giants 10
Geelong started off strong with five runs in the first, but Werribee was right there to tie it up. The Giants briefly took a one-run lead in the second, but the Baycats pulled ahead with seven runs in the third, thanks in part to a stand up triple from Sarah Upton.
The Baycats had contributions up and down the lineup with timely hits from Michelle Searle, Andrea Huggins, and Lucy Hateley.
This marked Geelong's fourth win of the season as the Baycats sit second with an upcoming game at North Western. Werribee hosts Essendon in round 8.