The 2021/22 VSBL Division 2 season is off to a busy start with Werribee, Newport, and Mulgrave leading the way although the other teams are not far behind. There's lots more action-packed baseball to come as teams set their sights on a successful summer.
View full season fixtures, results, and ladders HERE and read recaps below.
Division 2 Firsts
Newport Rams 15 v Mulgrave Rebels 5
The Rams improved to 2-1 on the road at Mulgrave, bouncing back from a 5-4 loss to Moorabbin the week before.
Mulgrave was forced to play catchup from the get-go as Newport scored two in the first and four in the second. The Rebels gave up one more to the Rams in the third before scoring four of their own, but Newport quickly answered with four more in the fourth.
A quiet fifth on both sides led to the final frame as Newport added four and Mulgrave scored one.
Tyler Comben threw six innings for Newport, giving up nine hits, two walks, and five runs - two of them unearned. He struck out nine.
Mulgrave's Jayson Arthur handled 2.66 innings with five hits, three walks, five runs, and six strikeouts. Ryan Phillips pitched 1.33 innings with four hits, two walks, six runs, and three strikeouts.
Donnie Poole struck out two and gave up five hits and four runs during two innings.
Newport's big day at the plate included two singles and two RBIs for Jared Berman, and a double, a triple, and three RBIs for Ben Howard.
Matthew Lawman doubled and walked for three RBIs as Dean Malthouse plated two with a single and a double. Aaron Robson had two singles and Alan Ortiz had one base hit as both recorded RBIs. Trenell Hutchins, Zachary Gorman, and Comben had singles too as the entire lineup recorded at least one hit.
Caleb Poole had two singles, a double, and an RBI for Mulgrave while Nicholas Thompson knocked in a run on a single and a double. Paul Rutgers had an RBI single as Arthur and Michael Morgan singled.
Both teams are now 2-1 as Newport will go for back to back wins on the road at Ormond Glenhuntly while Mulgrave visits Werribee.
Doncaster Dragons 4 v Moorabbin Panthers 7
The Panthers got back to back wins after a solid outing v Doncaster featuring six hits and solid pitching.
Mitchell Sheldon-Collins threw four innings with six hits, three runs, and two strikeouts. Matt Hardie handled two innings with a hit, a run, and four strikeouts while Nicholas Veale contributed one inning with no walks, hits, or runs.
Angus Stals threw 3.66 innings for Doncaster with two hits, three walks, and two runs - one unearned. He struck out four.
Simon Fitzmaurice pitched 1.66 innings, giving up three earned runs and one unearned with two hits, two walks, and a strikeout. Brian Chen handled 0.66 innings with two hits, a walk, a run, and two strikeouts.
Moorabbin's offense included Mitch Barr's single, walk, and two RBIs, plus doubles and RBIs for Adam Harris and Stewart Mathieson. Veale and Tom Brookes also knocked in runs.
Nic Unland led Doncaster's efforts with three RBIs on two home runs while Dakota Gibson doubled and Stals and Brian Chen singled.
Moorabbin is 2-1 going into this week's game at St Kilda while Doncaster will look for a win at home v Preston.
Port Melbourne Mariners 0 v St Kilda Saints 3
The Saints got their first win of the season after scoring an early run and carrying that lead through the rest of the game, eventually adding two more in the fifth.
Adam Schoppe got the win for St Kilda with four hits and seven strikeouts in seven innings. He threw 21 first pitch strikes and had a 0.57 WHIP.
Matthew Parker threw four innings, giving up four hits, a walk, and a HBP for three runs - two of them unearned. He struck out seven and threw 17 first pitch strikes with a 1.25 WHIP.
Petri handled two scoreless innings with a hit, a walk, and three strikeouts. Petri had four first pitch strikes and a 1.00 WHIP.
St Kilda had eight hits including three for Deilyn Guzman (two singles and a home run) and base hits for Shuji Sanuki, George Polley, Daniel Hogg, Mariano Favia, and Rolando Curiel. Guzman, Curiel, and Hogg had RBIs.
Toby Gleeson-Payne, Aaron Petri, and Jack White singled for Port Melbourne.
The Mariners are 1-2 and host Williamstown while 1-2 St Kilda plays reigning premiers Moorabbin at home.
Preston Pirates 0 v Williamstown Wolves 10
Williamstown had the upper hand offensively and defensively in this matchup, scoring three runs in both the first and the second.
The Wolves added one in the third and another in the fourth before scoring a final two runs in the fifth.
Williamstown's Dennis Neal covered four innings with just two hits, one HBP, and seven strikeouts. Tobimaru
Yamamoto struck out one in an inning of work.
Zachary Breen, Aaron Green, Robert Higginson, Jason McDonald, and Hiroshi Narasaki had RBIs. Higginson doubled and McDonald had three base hits.
Logan O'Brien threw three innings for Preston, giving up three runs with two walks and a strikeout. Mitch Legge had a single.
The Wolves improved to 1-1-1 and visit Port Melbourne this weekend while Preston is 1-2 and on the road playing Doncaster next.
Werribee Giants 3 v Ormond Glenhuntly 0
Werribee followed up on a 6-2 win last week with their first shutout victory of the year, made possible thanks to strong pitching and a few timely hits.
The Giants led 1-0 and the score didn't change until the seventh when they got two more runs. Ormond Glenhuntly managed four hits while Werribee had two.
Trent Pantalleresco threw five scoreless innings, giving up just three hits and a walk with seven strikeouts. Wesley de Jong struck out five and gave up one hit in two innings.
Pantalleresco and Wade Balzer had singles to help the Giants go 3-0 as they host Mulgrave next. Ormond Glenhuntly also plays at home v Newport as the Hunters look to improve on their 1-2 record.