Game reports by: Neil Barrowcliff
The Australian School boys team continues their tour down the West Coast of the United States. They played a double header versus Lower Columbia Community College and a single header versus Clarke College, both who have been divisional champions either last year or recently.
Game 5 vs Lower Columbia Community College
Our hitters were unable to bunch together any hits and this was a product of quality opposition pitching, combined with some superb defence. Their outfielders took three great diving catches which if not caught would have resulted in some runs for us.
DeJong threw brilliantly to keep the same score line going until some lucky hits started a rally for Lower Columbia that produced seven base hits in a row that scored five runs, making the final score 10-0.
Game 6 vs Lower Columbia Community College
Columbia scored twice in the first when a routine out early in the innings ended up proving to be costly. We threatened in the top of the 5th and went close to scoring after hits to McCallum and King and a walk to Turnbull, loaded the bases but we were unable to score the runners. Then Colombia, with a walk, a hit and another costly error scored a further two runs to extend their lead to 4 – 0.
In the 6th, we loaded the bases again after singles to Turnbull and McCallum, and Holding drew a walk. Then King stepped to the plate, and with one swing of the bat, tied the game up with a monster grand slam home run over left centre, King now has 12 RBIs in just six games.
Whitehead was continuing to shut down the opposing hitters and in the last innings we had a chance to win the game after McCallum tripled with two out but we were unable to bring him in. Whitehead shut out the game and so it ended at a 4 – 4 draw.
Game 7 vs Clarke College
Inn/Team
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
V
Australia
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
2
4
1
H
Clarke College
0
4
0
0
0
0
2
1
X
7
10
1
A good start to the game with opening pitcher Steedman shutting out Clarke College in the first. In the 2nd McCallum led off with a single and Holding’s hard hit ground ball forced an error, which allowed McCallum to scamper through to third. Our RBI machine, Tristan King, then hit a deep sacrifice fly to centre field to bring him home and we’d taken an early 1 – 0 lead.
Clarke hit back straight away with two hits and a walk to load the bases with none out. An infield single scored one, and then another two hits and an error scored a further three runs, and so at the end of the 2nd we were down 4 – 1.
Despite getting our lead off hitter on in the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th innings we couldn’t score a run. In the meantime, Steedman was doing an outstanding job keeping Clarke also scoreless and so at the end of six innings it was still a 4 – 1 game.
Again in the 7th we got our lead off on via a Holding walk but this time he ended up scoring on Bourke’s infield ground ball so it was now 4 – 2. Leskiw came on to pitch for the start of the 7th but unfortunately threw three straight walks to load the bases with none out. Whitley came on to relieve Leskiw and was able to minimize the damage to two runs which meant we were now down 6 – 2. Clarke added another in the 8th to make the final score 7-2.
The team will now play single header games in Oregon, before attending a College football game and playing a double header against Corbin University.
For more updates about the tour visit baseball.com.au or schoolsports.edu.au.