VSBL Division 3 teams are on a roll with six rounds to go as Springvale continues to lead the way.
Division 3 Firsts
Footscray Bulldogs 8 v Bonbeach St Chads Bluejays 12
Bonbeach drew first blood and didn't look back, scoring one in the second to get things started.
Footscray scored its first run at the top of the the third to draw level but it was quickly taken away again when the Bluejays scored four, advancing their lead to five after four innings.
Footscray made a small comeback in the fifth, scoring two runs but Bonbeach was again too good, collecting five runs at the bottom, the lead becoming 12-3 after six complete innings.
The Bulldogs scored five to add on to their margin but couldn't bring in any more runners in the eighth.
Dylan Brown got the win for Bonbeach. Through four innings he gave up four hits for one run with four strikeouts. Adam Major and Daniel Conway-Jones helped out for the remainder of the four innings.
Brittney Cedelland pitched 3 and 1/3 innings for Footscray, giving up two hits and seven runs with two runs. Heny Hernandez picked up the loss though, giving up two hits and five runs among 2 and 2/3 innings.
Bonbeach's Jarad Curwood had three hits and two runs while Oliver Hookey-Rizzo and David Steere each had two-hit, one-run games, the latter with two RBIs. Matthew Prior had five RBIs as he hit a triple and scored himself. Dylan Eldridge and Matt Bucci had one-hit, one-run games while Jacob Bald hit two runs.
Footscray's Joe Michaud had three hits for two runs while Jaime Harvey and Asdrubal Jimenez had two hits each. Hernandez had two RBIs from one hit as he, Alexander Da Silva and David Ponce de Leon had one-hit, one-run games.
Footscray hosts Chelsea this weekend, as the club look to keep its spot in the top two, currently sitting at 4-2. Bonbeach is fourth at 2-4, hosting Springvale in the upcoming round.
Pakenham Pumas 2 v Springvale Lions 11
Springvale pounced on a chance to take a three-run lead after the third inning, not looking back as Pakenham scored its two runs at the top of the fourth.
The Lions defense were too good to restrict the Pumas to just the one frame of runs, Springvale's lead extending to seven runs as the fourth came to a close. The home side scored one more run in each of the sixth and eighth innings also.
Lucas Anderson picked up the win for Springvale, pitching five innings for four hits and two runs with nine strikeouts. Scott Baillie pitched four innings for six hits, zero runs and three strikeouts.
Pakenham's Trent Job had four innings on the mound, giving up five hits and two runs with four strikeouts. Martin Kennedy also spent four innings in the middle for five hits and three earned runs.
Maxwell Chew and Rydge Hogan each hit a home run for the Lions with Hogan collecting a further two hits that were doubles he was able to convert to runs for himself too. Mark Richards had thee hits including a double with five RBIs.
Danny Cannizzaro, Mitchell Lording and Daniel Taylor had two hits each. Scott Dale had one run from one hit, Shane Evans had one hit for one RBI while Taylor had the second RBI.
Springvale is 6-0 for the season, sitting first on the ladder before taking on Bonbeach away this weekend. Pakenham are away to North Western, sitting 4-2 in fifth.
North Western Titans 12 v Chelsea Dolphins 6
Each team scored a run in the first before the next three were tight on both ends, the same 1-1 scoreline taking the teams into the fifth inning.
North Western broke through with five at the top, Chelsea not giving up, scoring two at the bottom.
But it was another five-run effort from the Titans which extended the lead again, adding one more in the eighth while shutting out the Dolphins, until they scored three at the bottom of the ninth.
Brendan Robinson pitched five innings for North Western, giving up three runs from five hits while striking out five hitters to pick up the win. Connor Wilson pitched four innings, striking out six with one earned run among four hits.
Shannon Groenendyk took the loss for Chelsea, pitching 5 and 1/3 innings, giving up eight runs from 12 hits. Rhys Tippett pitched the remaining 3 and 2/3 innings for the Dolphins, giving up one run from three hits, with five strikeouts.
Dan Holmes had three hits on the day including a double as he had three RBIs for the Titans. Cameron Wilson, Connor Wilson, Ryan Tompkins, Matthew Howe and Jarrod Johns each had two-hit, two-run games.
For Chelsea, Tippett had three hits for the day that included a double and three RBIs. Lachlan Davies had a two-hit game, scoring twice also. Groenendyk had a one-hit, one-run game.
North Western is home to Pakenham in Round 7, sitting third at 4-2. Chelsea is 0-6 on the year and will travel to Footscray for the upcoming fixture.
Division 3 Reserves
North Western Titans 2 v Chelsea Dolphins 11
Chelsea scored one in the first while North Western got two runs in the second. The Dolphins managed to keep the Titans off the scoreboard for the rest of the game while scoring one more in the third, five in the fourth, and four in the fifth.
This marked Chelsea's first win of the season while the Titans are still searching for a victory. Round seven has Chelsea playing Footscray and North Western hosting Pakenham.
Pakenham Pumas 8 v Springvale Lions 9
This back and forth battle started with a Springvale run in the first, followed by three Pakenham runs in the second and three more in the third.
Springvale battled back with two in the bottom of the third, and by the end of the fourth, it was a 7-4 ballgame in Pakenham's favour. Springvale fought back with four in the fifth while both teams scored once in the sixth.
The first-place Lions hung on for their fifth win while the Pumas are 2-4 in fourth place. Springvale has scored 71 runs and given up just 20, while Pakenham has scored 50 runs and given up 58. Springvale heads to Bonbeach next and Pakenham plays North Western.
Footscray Bulldogs 6 v Bonbeach Bluejays 4
Footscray opened with five runs in the first and another in the second, while Bonbeach scored one in the bottom frame.
The third and the fourth were scoreless while Bonbeach got three back in the bottom of the fifth.
Footscray is second and Bonbeach is third as the Bulldogs stay undefeated with five wins and a draw. The Bluejays have a 2-3-1 record with 49 runs for and 24 against, while the Bulldogs have scored 67 runs and allowed 31.
The Bulldogs host Chelsea next and the Bluejays host Springvale.