Women's baseball is back in full swing as the 2021/22 VSBL season continues, with round 9 featuring huge offensive performances and solid shutout wins.
Check out recaps below and view season fixtures, results, and ladders HERE.
Women's Division 1 & 2
Doncaster Dragons B 2 v Essendon Jets 13
The Jets had the upper hand in this matchup with strong pitching from Victoria Brown and Roslyn Gowty. Brown struck out six in three innings with one hit and two unearned runs while Gowty threw two scoreless innings with just one hit and three strikeouts.
Essendon's Michelle Blacklock singled as Brown and Jaimee Cockerell had 2 RBIs each while Gowty, Sarah Haouchar, Megan Kelly, and Aislinn Taiaroa knocked in one run each.
Eight unearned runs hurt Doncaster as Keeley Harrison and Hannah Sowden combined to give up just four hits. Lilly Simpson and Michelle Love had hits for Doncaster while Harrison and Chelsea Hare recorded RBIs.
This marked the Jets' second win of the season as they play Newport next while Doncaster is also on the road to Footscray.
Springvale Lions 12 v Springvale Lions B 0
The battle of the Lions featured a flurry of runs in the final frame as Hannah Jackson had 4 RBIs with big base hits and Siobhan Stephenson had 3 RBIs.
A single and a double for Maddy Patrick brought two runs home while Shae Lillywhite, Emily Devine, Shirlie Bull, and Gabby Bevan got on base too.
Lily Bell-Tanner and Rebecca Heenan managed hits off Simone Wearne, who threw struck out 10 in five innings.
7-0 Springvale hosts Essendon and 6-2 Springvale B plays Doncaster at home in round 10.
Doncaster Dragons 24 v Geelong Baycats 0
Doncaster got the job done with a comprehensive no-hit performance over Geelong, led by strong pitching and big hits for Belinda Cannington, who singled three times for 6 RBIs.
Maddi Weller had two base hits and 4 RBIs, Brooklyn Hutton brought in three runs, and Jessica Johnson, Amy McCann, and Chelsea Stewart all had 2 RBIs each.
Bronwyn Gell had Doncaster's only double of the day, joining Jamie Bastian, Erin Collins, and Ursula Howard with 1 RBI apiece.
Doncaster is 7-0 and plays Springvale B next while Geelong has a bye.
Footscray Bulldogs 0 v Essendon Bombers 28
It was a game of sevens for the Bombers, who scored the same number of runs in all four innings on their way to a comprehensive shutout victory, their second-largest margin of the season.
Alanna Kappler threw 12 first pitch strikes Caitlin Hoy had Footscray's lone single of the day while double-digit unearned runs hurt the Bulldogs' chances. Essendon's Emma French threw two scoreless innings with no hits, just two walks and a strikeout.
Abbey Kelly struck out five in three innings with one hit and a walk, not to mention hitting for the cycle with a huge 5-RBI day at the plate. Victoria Brown also had 5 RBIs on four singles, while Aislinn Taiaroa and Courtney Foura knocked in three runs.
Essendon's offense didn't stop there, with Megan Kelly recording two singles, two walks, and two RBIs and French plated two. Sam Deeble, Jaimee Cockerell, and Kayla Adams also brought runners home.
After this big win, Essendon heads into a game at Springvale with a 5-3 record, while Footscray looks for win number three at home v Doncaster.
Women's Division 3 North East
Research Lower Plenty 1 v Preston Pirates 12
The Pirates scored four runs in the first, second, and fourth to seal the deal on win number five, with a lone run allowed to Research in the top of the fourth.
This win helped Preston snap a three-game losing streak and improve to 5-3, hanging on to fourth place, while Research keeps working hard in search of their second win.
Round 10 has Preston on the road to Upwey Ferntree Gully and Research Lower Plenty at home v Malvern.
Upwey Ferntree Gully Tigers 5 v Waverley Wildcats 8
Waverley got on the board first with a run in the second and kept going from there, scoring five in the third before the Tigers put up two in the fourth. Waverley scored twice more while Upwey Ferntree Gully added three before the game finished with Waverley on top for the seventh time this season.
Waverley's only loss so far came back in round 6 against Melbourne, while Upwey Ferntree Gully is looking for win number three. The Wildcats play Malvern Ormond Glenhuntly at home and the Tigers host Preston next.
Melbourne Demons 21 v Malvern Ormond Glenhuntly 3
The Demons delivered at the plate with consistent contributions up and down the lineup resulting in a five-run first and a seven-run second. Two more Melbourne runs came in the third while Malvern Ormond Glenhuntly got on the board with three of their own, but a final seven runs for the Demons finished off the game in the fourth.
Melbourne is 7-1 holding onto the top spot with their only loss coming in round 3 v the Warriors, the team they are hosting in the next round for a rematch.
Meanwhile, Malvern Ormond Glenhuntly has a 2-6 record and visits Waverley next.
South East Warriors 16 v Malvern Braves 3
The Warriors kept the momentum going with a double-digit win over the Braves. Stacey Kuilboer drove in two of the three runs in the first while seven more runs came in the third.
Eva Gottschling pitched well with no hits over two innings before Penny Donnelly finished on the mound, keeping the Braves relatively under control despite three runs with solid at-bats. The Warriors scored six more runs in the final dig for a big victory ahead of their matchup with Melbourne this weekend.
The Warriors are 6-1 and Malvern is 3-5 going into the next round at Research Lower Plenty.
Women's Division 3 South
Moorabbin Panthers 3 v Bonbeach Bluejays 14
This contest was tight to start with 1-1 tie after the first, but the Bluejays soon pulled ahead with two in the second and three in the third. Moorabbin's final two runs came in the third while Bonbeach scored once in the fifth leading into a seven-run sixth.
The Bluejays are now 6-3 with a game coming up at Pakenham while Moorabbin has the same record at the top of the ladder and hosts Springvale next.
Pakenham Pumas 11 v Sandringham Royals 12
The Royals narrowly came away with the win after a hot contest, which came down to the final inning when Sandringham scored the go-ahead run after giving up four runs to Pakenham in the top half.
Sandringham led 6-2 after the first and 11-5 after the second, but six runs for Pakenham in the next two innings kept things interesting. Ultimately Sandringham secured win number five ahead of a game at Berwick while Pakenham hosts Bonbeach next.
Berwick City Cougars 21 v Springvale Lions 8
The Cougars got the job done with seven runs in three of the four innings. Springvale did get one in the first and seven in the fourth, but it wasn't enough as Berwick cruised to victory, their fifth of the year.
Next up for the Cougars is a home game v Sandringham while Springvale looks for win number three at Moorabbin.
Women's Division 3 West
Werribee Giants 22 v Fitzroy Doncaster 23
In the highest-scoring matchup of the year, Fitzroy Doncaster came out on top by one run, improving to 4-3 in the process. They play North Western Black at home next while Werribee plays North Western Orange at home after coming so close to a huge first win.
Newport Rams 7 v North Western Black 14
The Titans gave up six early runs to Newport but quickly settled in, making things happen at the plate with seven runs of their own.
The second inning saw the Rams get one more while North Western added seven, sealing the deal on a 14-7 victory.
4-3 North Western Black visits Fitzroy Doncaster next while Newport has a bye.
Port Melbourne Mariners 12 v Geelong Baycats 4
The Mariners racked up the runs with four in the first, one in the second, and seven in the fourth. Geelong scored once in the first and third and twice in the second but it wasn't enough as the Mariners managed to get their fourth win of the season.
4-3 Port Melbourne hosts Sunshine and 4-4 Geelong heads to Essendon next.
Essendon Bombers 16 v Sunshine Eagles 11
The Bombers were challenged by the Eagles at time but still came out on top thanks to a late charge.
Sunshine led 7-2 after the first, and by the end of the second, it was a 10-6 ballgame. The Bombers put up a big third inning with seven runs to take the lead, and an extra three runs in the fourth sweetened the deal.
Sunshine got just one back in the third as Essendon improved to a 4-3-1 record, handing the Eagles their first loss. Round 10 sees Essendon at home v Geelong and Sunshine on the road to Port Melbourne.