Geelong 10, Doncaster 6
Six runs on just four hits were not enough for the Dragons on this day. The knocks—Rhys Aldenhoven, Travis Cutt, Michael Mazzocato and Ben Utting each had one—were scattered singles throughout the game.
Mazzocato and Utting each finished with two runs batted in.
The victory keeps the Baycats (15-9-1) three games behind top-of-the-ladder Essendon; Doncaster (6-16-2) is last in their conference.
Cheltenham 3, Newport 1
Though the visiting Rams opened the scoring—a single run in the top of the first—it was all Rustlers on Sunday. Cheltenham parried the original volley by tallying single runs in the third, fourth and fifth frames to provide the winning margin.
With the win, the Rustlers (14-8-1) remained in second place in their conference, 4.5 games behind top-side Melbourne.
The loss keeps the Rams (8-16-0) fifth in their conference, a game behind the Pirates from Preston.
Melbourne 11, Preston 0
An all-around dominant effort buoyed the Demons in their 11-0 mercy-rule shortened whitewashing of the Pirates. Melbourne scored their runs in the second (three), third (four) and fifth (four) innings.
Now 19-4-2 on the season, the Demons occupy the top spot in their conference by a wide margin. The Pirates, 9-15-1, are in fourth, a half-game behind Sandringham.
Springvale 12, Sunshine 11
The game of the week took place in Springvale on Sunday as the Eagles and Lions contested a back-and-forth affair that wasn’t settled into the last of the ninth.
Sunshine got the scoring started in the top of the first with a single run. In the bottom of the second, Springvale scored four in the second and three in the third to take a commanding 7-1 advantage.
Undaunted, Sunshine flipped the script by themselves scoring four in the fourth and three in the third to go ahead by a run. In the bottom of the sixth, the Lions scored once and then added three insurance markers in the seventh to lead 11-8.
The Eagles, though, had one more comeback in them and they rallied for three runs in the eighth to tie the contest at 11, necessitating the Lions’ last inning heroics.
The win ups Springvale’s record to 11-14 on the season while Sunshine falls to 7-16.
Blackburn 2, Sandringham 1
In a closely fought pitchers’ duel, the Orioles eked past the host Royals, 2-1. Sandringham grabbed the lead in the third with a single run and then held Blackburn off the board until the top of the seventh when the Orioles tied the game at one.
A run for the away side and a scoreless bottom of the night provided Blackburn with the win.
For the victors, five different players—Steven Bookluck, David Dicker, Jacob Evans, Jarryd Rogers and Andrew Whiteford—recorded hits with Bookluck doubling and Evans providing the lone run batted in. Bookluck and Rogers scored the two Orioles runs.
With the win, Blackburn is now 14-11 on the season while Sandringham drops to 10-15-1.
Essendon 7, Waverley 1
Runs early and often propelled the Bombers to a relatively easy win over the Wildcats on Sunday. Essendon tallied two in the top of the first and then two more in both the sixth and eighth innings to provide a comfortable cushion. They added one more marker in the ninth as insurance.
Waverley’s lone score came in the bottom of the first frame.
At the bat, Jack Giles and Brett Tamburrino fuelled the Bombers with two hits each. Liam Bedford had Essendon’s lone extra base hit (a double) and Tim Sullivan knocked in two runs. Tamburrino scored three runs and Scott McIntyre crossed the plate twice in the win.
The victory keeps Essendon (18-6-1) atop their conference; Waverley (11-12-1) falls to one game below .500.
Six runs on just four hits were not enough for the Dragons on this day. The knocks—Rhys Aldenhoven, Travis Cutt, Michael Mazzocato and Ben Utting each had one—were scattered singles throughout the game.
Mazzocato and Utting each finished with two runs batted in.
The victory keeps the Baycats (15-9-1) three games behind top-of-the-ladder Essendon; Doncaster (6-16-2) is last in their conference.
Cheltenham 3, Newport 1
Though the visiting Rams opened the scoring—a single run in the top of the first—it was all Rustlers on Sunday. Cheltenham parried the original volley by tallying single runs in the third, fourth and fifth frames to provide the winning margin.
With the win, the Rustlers (14-8-1) remained in second place in their conference, 4.5 games behind top-side Melbourne.
The loss keeps the Rams (8-16-0) fifth in their conference, a game behind the Pirates from Preston.
Melbourne 11, Preston 0
An all-around dominant effort buoyed the Demons in their 11-0 mercy-rule shortened whitewashing of the Pirates. Melbourne scored their runs in the second (three), third (four) and fifth (four) innings.
Now 19-4-2 on the season, the Demons occupy the top spot in their conference by a wide margin. The Pirates, 9-15-1, are in fourth, a half-game behind Sandringham.
Springvale 12, Sunshine 11
The game of the week took place in Springvale on Sunday as the Eagles and Lions contested a back-and-forth affair that wasn’t settled into the last of the ninth.
Sunshine got the scoring started in the top of the first with a single run. In the bottom of the second, Springvale scored four in the second and three in the third to take a commanding 7-1 advantage.
Undaunted, Sunshine flipped the script by themselves scoring four in the fourth and three in the third to go ahead by a run. In the bottom of the sixth, the Lions scored once and then added three insurance markers in the seventh to lead 11-8.
The Eagles, though, had one more comeback in them and they rallied for three runs in the eighth to tie the contest at 11, necessitating the Lions’ last inning heroics.
The win ups Springvale’s record to 11-14 on the season while Sunshine falls to 7-16.
Blackburn 2, Sandringham 1
In a closely fought pitchers’ duel, the Orioles eked past the host Royals, 2-1. Sandringham grabbed the lead in the third with a single run and then held Blackburn off the board until the top of the seventh when the Orioles tied the game at one.
A run for the away side and a scoreless bottom of the night provided Blackburn with the win.
For the victors, five different players—Steven Bookluck, David Dicker, Jacob Evans, Jarryd Rogers and Andrew Whiteford—recorded hits with Bookluck doubling and Evans providing the lone run batted in. Bookluck and Rogers scored the two Orioles runs.
With the win, Blackburn is now 14-11 on the season while Sandringham drops to 10-15-1.
Essendon 7, Waverley 1
Runs early and often propelled the Bombers to a relatively easy win over the Wildcats on Sunday. Essendon tallied two in the top of the first and then two more in both the sixth and eighth innings to provide a comfortable cushion. They added one more marker in the ninth as insurance.
Waverley’s lone score came in the bottom of the first frame.
At the bat, Jack Giles and Brett Tamburrino fuelled the Bombers with two hits each. Liam Bedford had Essendon’s lone extra base hit (a double) and Tim Sullivan knocked in two runs. Tamburrino scored three runs and Scott McIntyre crossed the plate twice in the win.
The victory keeps Essendon (18-6-1) atop their conference; Waverley (11-12-1) falls to one game below .500.