Mid-Week Rap, November 21st 2014.
Round 10 of the Division 1 Victorian Summer Baseball League saw mid-week games on Tuesday and Wednesday. This was the return leg of the cross-conference matches that began on the previous weekend.
Waverley got the win in a tight contest 1-2 at home to Sandringham in the first of the Tuesday games. This was after the Wildcats alleviated their scoring woes when they scored seven runs on Sunday to defeat the Royals 1. The young Waverley team had won two in a row before the match and with the win they now sit on 4 and 6 and are in touch with the top two who are on six wins. For a full match report go to the Summer League website.
Williamstown who were the away team to Blackburn at MBP snapped their losing streak when they beat the Orioles 4-1, and that was after losing by ten runs at home on Sunday. This win shows how results in Division 1 don’t say everything about a team. In the Sunday win Blackburn were lead by the dominant pitching of Adam Bright and some patience and power in their middle order from Evans, Bookluck and Phillips.
Essendon took the points 6-1 as the away team to Upwey Ferntree Gully after the Dons won in a mercy ruling on Sunday at Boeing Reserve. In the Sunday game Essendon delivered the win on the back of a superb pitching performance from Luke Abels and Ross Hipke as well as four hits from veteran Tim Sullivan. Upwey will take something from the pitching performance of Luke Howell who held Essendon for six innings.
Newport lead by Eric Kline on the hill ran out winners 3-0 as the away team to Doncaster at MBP on Wednesday. That was after the Rams went down to a red-hot Dragons team, lead in defence by Luke Westphal 8-2 on Sunday. Doncaster’s match report can be read here.
Wednesday night saw the final Division 1 midweek game as Geelong came back from a 2-4 loss on Sunday to beat Melbourne 4-0.
Division 2 saw three midweek games all being played on Wednesday at 6pm. Sunshine travelled to Port Melbourne for an 11-6 win; Berwick went down to Springvale and Malvern got the win over St.Kilda.
On the weekend Sunshine came off a big win over Malvern 11-3 and Port Melbourne will be buoyed after their 3rd win of the year against Springvale.
Berwick will be now be looking to steady after the loss to Springvale and a walk off loss to Fitzroy. They go below 500 but their opponents and great rivals will be glad to have steadied after staring down three losses in a row.
St.Kilda took another close loss but were looking for their third win after getting over Bonbeach St.Chads 4-7 on Sunday and losing the two previous games by one run each.
Their opponents Malvern look to have moved on quickly after their 11-3 loss to top placed Sunshine on the weekend. The Braves middle order came out on Wednesday and collated 10 hits in the win after Ashton (batting three) McKenzie (batting four) and Campitelli (in the lead off spot) all got two hits each. Malvern starter Jordan Liester pitched a complete seven innings game for one run and eleven Ks. Those strikeouts must have come under pressure as he got away with throwing seven walks and 3 HBP.
There are no mid-week games in women’s Division 1 this week. This Saturday 22nd November all games are at 3.30pm. Doncaster is at Essendon, Werribee go to Footscray and Malvern are at Springvale.
Report by Cam Gleeson
Australia’s largest hotel operator, Accor has signed a one year agreement with Baseball Australia and the Australian Baseball League as the exclusive accommodation partner for the sporting organisations.
As part of the agreement, Baseball Australia and the Australian Baseball League, their teams, players, corporate staff and international teams will have access to Accor’s some 200 hotels and facilities across hotel brands including Novotel, Mercure and ibis.
The announcement with Baseball Australia adds to Accor’s growing list of sporting partnerships as the preferred accommodation partner with codes such as the AFL, NRL, Golf Australia, Cricket Australia and Swimming Australia.
Baseball Australia Chief Executive Officer, Brett Pickett said “Accor has established a reputation of quality and commitment to the needs of sporting organisations; groups and corporate, and we are very pleased to partner with such a trusted provider. Accor also understand BA’s commitment to the wider baseball community and we are thrilled we can share the value of Accor properties with our membership base.”
Ben Foster, General Manager of Australian Baseball League said “The ABL is proud to join many of Australia’s top professional sports leagues as a part of the Accor family. We see this partnership with such a widespread and respected brand as a chance to continue our growth and development as a league. Our players and staff look forward to the hospitality of the hotels across the Accor network.”
Accor Australia Chief Operating Officer Simon McGrath said Accor is delighted to strengthen its sporting partnership credentials with Baseball Australia and the Australian Baseball League.
“We are delighted to have been selected by Baseball Australia and the Australian Baseball League as their exclusive accommodation partner. We believe it will be an outstanding partnership that will benefit both parties considerably as are very much attuned to the requirements of sporting organisations. Our hotels look forward to providing the very best in service for Baseball Australia’s corporate and group accommodation needs,” McGrath said.
Accor will also extend an exclusive offer to the BA My Membership Benefits suite. Details will be provided to all members shortly.
Book a Hotel: accorhotels.com
Australia’s largest hotel operator, Accor has signed a one year agreement with Baseball Australia and the Australian Baseball League as the exclusive accommodation partner for the sporting organisations.
As part of the agreement, Baseball Australia and the Australian Baseball League, their teams, players, corporate staff and international teams will have access to Accor’s some 200 hotels and facilities across hotel brands including Novotel, Mercure and ibis.
The announcement with Baseball Australia adds to Accor’s growing list of sporting partnerships as the preferred accommodation partner with codes such as the AFL, NRL, Golf Australia, Cricket Australia and Swimming Australia.
Baseball Australia Chief Executive Officer, Brett Pickett said “Accor has established a reputation of quality and commitment to the needs of sporting organisations; groups and corporate, and we are very pleased to partner with such a trusted provider. Accor also understand BA’s commitment to the wider baseball community and we are thrilled we can share the value of Accor properties with our membership base.”
Ben Foster, General Manager of Australian Baseball League said “The ABL is proud to join many of Australia’s top professional sports leagues as a part of the Accor family. We see this partnership with such a widespread and respected brand as a chance to continue our growth and development as a league. Our players and staff look forward to the hospitality of the hotels across the Accor network.”
Accor Australia Chief Operating Officer Simon McGrath said Accor is delighted to strengthen its sporting partnership credentials with Baseball Australia and the Australian Baseball League.
“We are delighted to have been selected by Baseball Australia and the Australian Baseball League as their exclusive accommodation partner. We believe it will be an outstanding partnership that will benefit both parties considerably as are very much attuned to the requirements of sporting organisations. Our hotels look forward to providing the very best in service for Baseball Australia’s corporate and group accommodation needs,” McGrath said.
Accor will also extend an exclusive offer to the BA My Membership Benefits suite. Details will be provided to all members shortly.
Book a Hotel: accorhotels.com
Match Report- Division 1- Upwey Ferntree Gully at Essendon
Sunday 16th November 2014
Interview with Peter Giles of Essendon Baseball Club. Can't see it click here.
Starting batting line-up for Upwey Ferntree Gully- Rice 6, Hunkin 7, Hendricks D 8, Elliottt 3, Geduld 9, Lewis 5, Howell 1, Archer 2, Cassidy 4.
Essendon- S Mcintyre 5, T Dicker 4, Sullivan 8, T McDonald 2, D McIntyre 9, Giles 7, Formisano 3, Fornito DH, Sayers 6, Abels 1.
Top of the 1st- Luke Abels pithing for Essendon with his sidearm motion. Starts with two strikeouts and a groundball to get the batters in order. 0-0
Bottom 1st- Scott McIntyre walked and stole 2nd but was sent back after a batter’s interference with the catcher got Upwey the 1st out. Tim Sullivan singled to left and made it 1st and 3rd after an error. McDonald scored McIntyre on a ground ball. Essendon leading 0-1. Upwey finished it, left 1 on base.
Top 3- Abels was still on target, one ground ball to 3, a strikeout, then a pop-up to 3rd. Luke sat them down in order for the 3rd time in a row. Essendon leading 1-0.
Bottom 3- Scott McIntyre drew his 2nd walk of the game with one out. There was a pop up to 2nd base for the second out then Sullivan got a hit deep in the hole at short. A ground ball to 2nd ended the dig and Upwey went to bat with the Bombers leaving two on. Essendon still leading 1-0.
Top 4 and Abels starts off with two walks after he threw eight balls in a row. Hendricks sacrifice bunted to make it 2nd and 3rd occupied with one out. Elliott got an RBI on a sac fly deep to right and Hunkin came in on a pass ball. Essendon finished it with a ground ball for the 3rd out. Upwey leading 2-1.
Bottom 4- Dean McIntyre hit a double to centre left and Edward Kline-Marantelli came in to run for him after a leg injury. Jack Giles had a collision at 1st with Elliott on a wild throw to 1st but both players stayed in the game after recovery time. Michael Formisano batted in a run on a fielder’s choice at 2nd base. Score now tied 2-2. Fornito singled to make it 1st and 2nd occupied with 2 out. Sayers singled to left to load them up. Scott McIntyre hit the ball over the left fielder’s head to clear the bases and get to 3rd. Essendon leading 5-2. Tim Sullivan singled up the middle for an RBI. Essendon leading 6-2. The innings ended with a pop up to centre.
Top 5- Abels honed in this time and got two ground balls and strikeout for another 1-2-3 innings.
Bottom 5- Kline-Marantelli beat out a high bouncing infield single then got doubled off on a line drive to short stop. Formisano singled to left but he got left on after a line out to 3rd base. Essendon still leading 6-2.
Top 6- Abels started it off with two walks then straightened up for a strikeout. Hendricks beat it out to be safe at 1st after a fielder’s choice at 2nd. John singled to left for Upwey’s first hit and an RBI, he then got caught stealing 2nd to end the dig . Essendon leading 6-3.
Bottom 6- Sayers got on and went to 2nd after an error. Upwey got a groundout, Sayers went to 3rd on a pass ball. Dicker scored him on a sacfly to centre. The innings ended after a groundball out at 1st. Essendon leading 7-3. Hipke in to pitch for the Bombers.
Top 7- Hipke got two fly ball outs then Howell of the Tigers hit over the infield for a single. Scott McIntyre made a good play from 3rd base to end it. Essendon leading 7-3. Alex Oldricks in to pitch for Upwey.
Bottom 7- Kline-Marantelli stole 2nd after he singled to centre with one out to go two from two. Oldricks got a strikeout to make it two dead. Giles walked to the vacant 1st base. The runners stole on the full count but the innings ended after a groundout at 1. Essendon leading 7-3.
Top 8- Sullivan stole a hit off Rice with a diving catch in centre after Cassidy singled then advanced on an error. Hunkin got on with an error to make it 1st and 3rd with one out. Hipke threw a strikeout and the innings ended on a groundout. Essendon leading 7-3.
Bottom 8- Hunkin stole a hit from Dean Mcintyre in left. Before that Sayers walked, stole 2nd and got to 3rd on a wild pitch. Tom Dicker batted him in with a single to left. Sullivan got another hit with a single to right. Tristan McDonald hit to left to load them up after another score on a wild pitch. Essendon leading 9-3. Kline-Marantelli walked to load them up again, Giles got HBP to bring in another Essendon run, now leading 10-3. Lefty Yarran Curtis in to pitch for Upwey with one out and bases loaded.
Formisano walked to force in another run, then Kline-Marantelli and Giles came in on pass balls to make it 13-3.
Essendon won the game on the ten run mercy rule.
Pitching for Upwey- Luke Howell 115 pitches, 73 strikes, 42 balls, 1k, 9 hits, 2 BB.
Pitching for Essendon- Luke Abels 93 pitches, 54 strikes, 39 balls, 6 Ks, 4BB, 1 hit. Ross Hipke, 25 pitches, 19 strikes, 6 balls, 1k, 2 hits, no walks.
Essendon 13 hits- Tim Sullivan got 4. Upwey 3 hits.
Report by Cam Gleeson
Match Report- Division 1- Upwey Ferntree Gully at Essendon
Sunday 16th November 2014
Interview with Peter Giles of Essendon Baseball Club. Can't see it click here.
Starting batting line-up for Upwey Ferntree Gully- Rice 6, Hunkin 7, Hendricks D 8, Elliottt 3, Geduld 9, Lewis 5, Howell 1, Archer 2, Cassidy 4.
Essendon- S Mcintyre 5, T Dicker 4, Sullivan 8, T McDonald 2, D McIntyre 9, Giles 7, Formisano 3, Fornito DH, Sayers 6, Abels 1.
Top of the 1st- Luke Abels pithing for Essendon with his sidearm motion. Starts with two strikeouts and a groundball to get the batters in order. 0-0
Bottom 1st- Scott McIntyre walked and stole 2nd but was sent back after a batter’s interference with the catcher got Upwey the 1st out. Tim Sullivan singled to left and made it 1st and 3rd after an error. McDonald scored McIntyre on a ground ball. Essendon leading 0-1. Upwey finished it, left 1 on base.
Top 3- Abels was still on target, one ground ball to 3, a strikeout, then a pop-up to 3rd. Luke sat them down in order for the 3rd time in a row. Essendon leading 1-0.
Bottom 3- Scott McIntyre drew his 2nd walk of the game with one out. There was a pop up to 2nd base for the second out then Sullivan got a hit deep in the hole at short. A ground ball to 2nd ended the dig and Upwey went to bat with the Bombers leaving two on. Essendon still leading 1-0.
Top 4 and Abels starts off with two walks after he threw eight balls in a row. Hendricks sacrifice bunted to make it 2nd and 3rd occupied with one out. Elliott got an RBI on a sac fly deep to right and Hunkin came in on a pass ball. Essendon finished it with a ground ball for the 3rd out. Upwey leading 2-1.
Bottom 4- Dean McIntyre hit a double to centre left and Edward Kline-Marantelli came in to run for him after a leg injury. Jack Giles had a collision at 1st with Elliott on a wild throw to 1st but both players stayed in the game after recovery time. Michael Formisano batted in a run on a fielder’s choice at 2nd base. Score now tied 2-2. Fornito singled to make it 1st and 2nd occupied with 2 out. Sayers singled to left to load them up. Scott McIntyre hit the ball over the left fielder’s head to clear the bases and get to 3rd. Essendon leading 5-2. Tim Sullivan singled up the middle for an RBI. Essendon leading 6-2. The innings ended with a pop up to centre.
Top 5- Abels honed in this time and got two ground balls and strikeout for another 1-2-3 innings.
Bottom 5- Kline-Marantelli beat out a high bouncing infield single then got doubled off on a line drive to short stop. Formisano singled to left but he got left on after a line out to 3rd base. Essendon still leading 6-2.
Top 6- Abels started it off with two walks then straightened up for a strikeout. Hendricks beat it out to be safe at 1st after a fielder’s choice at 2nd. John singled to left for Upwey’s first hit and an RBI, he then got caught stealing 2nd to end the dig . Essendon leading 6-3.
Bottom 6- Sayers got on and went to 2nd after an error. Upwey got a groundout, Sayers went to 3rd on a pass ball. Dicker scored him on a sacfly to centre. The innings ended after a groundball out at 1st. Essendon leading 7-3. Hipke in to pitch for the Bombers.
Top 7- Hipke got two fly ball outs then Howell of the Tigers hit over the infield for a single. Scott McIntyre made a good play from 3rd base to end it. Essendon leading 7-3. Alex Oldricks in to pitch for Upwey.
Bottom 7- Kline-Marantelli stole 2nd after he singled to centre with one out to go two from two. Oldricks got a strikeout to make it two dead. Giles walked to the vacant 1st base. The runners stole on the full count but the innings ended after a groundout at 1. Essendon leading 7-3.
Top 8- Sullivan stole a hit off Rice with a diving catch in centre after Cassidy singled then advanced on an error. Hunkin got on with an error to make it 1st and 3rd with one out. Hipke threw a strikeout and the innings ended on a groundout. Essendon leading 7-3.
Bottom 8- Hunkin stole a hit from Dean Mcintyre in left. Before that Sayers walked, stole 2nd and got to 3rd on a wild pitch. Tom Dicker batted him in with a single to left. Sullivan got another hit with a single to right. Tristan McDonald hit to left to load them up after another score on a wild pitch. Essendon leading 9-3. Kline-Marantelli walked to load them up again, Giles got HBP to bring in another Essendon run, now leading 10-3. Lefty Yarran Curtis in to pitch for Upwey with one out and bases loaded.
Formisano walked to force in another run, then Kline-Marantelli and Giles came in on pass balls to make it 13-3.
Essendon won the game on the ten run mercy rule.
Pitching for Upwey- Luke Howell 115 pitches, 73 strikes, 42 balls, 1k, 9 hits, 2 BB.
Pitching for Essendon- Luke Abels 93 pitches, 54 strikes, 39 balls, 6 Ks, 4BB, 1 hit. Ross Hipke, 25 pitches, 19 strikes, 6 balls, 1k, 2 hits, no walks.
Essendon 13 hits- Tim Sullivan got 4. Upwey 3 hits.
Report by Cam Gleeson
The Australian Event Awards aim to recognize and celebrate the achievements of the events industry in Australia. Last week the “Major League Baseball 2014 Sydney Opening Series” took out honours in three individual event categories:
Australia’s Best Sporting Event for 2014, awarded to a sporting event that delivers an outstanding experience for competitiors, atheltes, officials and spectators.
Australia’s Best New Event for 2014, recognising the innovation associated with the staging of a new event.
Australian Event of the Year for 2014, recognising an event that excels against the criteria of its award category and demonstrates an outstanding example of best practice in the events industry.
The MLB 2014 Opening Series was held in March of this year at the historical Sydney Cricket Ground. It involved opening season games between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks, as well as Team Australia Challenge games between the major league teams and Team Australia.
Team Photo by IBAF
Australia led by four runs in the fifth inning, but the Czech Republic put together a furious comeback to steal the victory, 6-5, at the 21U World Cup, placing them in 6th place.
The bottom of the second saw Australia take an early lead, a single by James Phillibosian, scoring Ben Leslie started the inning off. Australia added another run in the 3rd scored on a sacrifice fly by Robbie Perkins, plating Ryan Dale. As well as another two in the 4th when Jacob Younis hit a two run triple, making the score 4-0.
The Czech Republic took over the lead in the seventh, adding three additional runs to the two scored in the 6th. Australia tied it up in the bottom 7 off a Perkins double.
The game's last lead went to the Czech Republic thanks to a ninth inning rally that saw one run cross the plate on an RBI single for the Czech Republic, ending the game with a 5-6 score.
Jacob Younis racked up two RBIs on two hits for Australia, with a single in the first and double in the fourth inning. Aaron Thompson pitched the first 6 innings only giving up three hits and keeping the game scoreless through the 5th.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
| Czech Republic | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 1 |
| Australia | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 10 | 1 |
Australia finished 6th at the tournament, with South Korea taking home the Bronze. The gold medal game will be played between Japan and Chinese Taipei at 6:30pm (8:30pm AEST/ 9:30pm AEDT).
For more team updates follow the team on Facebook and Twitter.
Photo by IBAF
Australia lost a close game against South Korea, losing 8-7 in the 9th in their last game of the Super Round Robin at the 21U IBAF World Cup.
Korea jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first but Australia responded with three of their own runs in the top of the 2nd. Korea then went on to tie the game up in the 3rd on a passed ball. Australia fought hard and were able to add a run in the 4th off a Ben Leslie single and RBI from Jacob Younis. The 5th inning saw Australia add more runs when after three walks loaded the bases, a double by Jacob Younis scored them all , giving Australia a four run lead.
Korea knotted the game up once again in the 6th, and the score remained tied through to the 9th when Korea scored in the bottom of the frame to end the game 8-7.
Jacob Younis racked up four RBIs on two hits during the game, when he doubled in the fourth and fifth innings. Sam Street ended up on the wrong side of the pitching decision, charged with the loss. He lasted just 1 1/3 innings, walked none, struck out two, and allowed one run.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
| Australia | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 5 | 6 |
| S. Korea | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 1 |
Australia will play the Czech Republic today at 12:30pm (2:30pm AEST/ 3:30pm AEDT) at Taichung Stadium for 5th place.
For more team updates visit baseball.com.au or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.
Australia will play the Czech Republic today at 12:30pm (2:30pm AEST/ 3:30pm AEDT) at Taichung Stadium for 5th place.
For more team updates visit baseball.com.au or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.
Photo by IBAF
Australia makes the most of 9 hits in 9-4 victory over the Czech Republic for game 2 of the Super Round Robin at the 21U IBAF World Cup.
Australia and the Czech Republic both had scoring chances on Friday night, but it was the Australian side that was able to capitalize as it pulled out a 9-4 win at Taichung Stadium. The Czech Republic out-hit Australia ten to nine, but also stranded 13 runners on base.
The lead stayed with Australia after the first, when they scored one run on an RBI single by Guy Edmonds. Australia added two more runs in the top of the third when Jacob Younis stole home and Edmonds hit a solo home run.
Australia increased its lead with five runs in the fourth. A clutch ground out scored Adam Silva to open the scoring in the frame. Some costly Czech Republic errors and a single to Robbie Perkins helped pad Australia’s lead 8-0.
Three Czech runs crossed the plate in the bottom half of the seventh, making the score 9-4. An error, a wild pitch, and a groundout by Tomas Junec set off a Czech rally, but Josh Silvi got Richard Sazavsky to fly out to end the inning. The rest of game remained scoreless, with a final score of 9-4 Australia.
Guy Edmonds produced two RBIs on two hits for Australia. He singled in the first inning and homered in the third. 17-year-old Lachlan Wells racked up six strikeouts in the Australia win. He tossed four innings of shutout ball and allowed only four hits.
Manager Tony Harris was happy with the teams performance, "We played a good game last night, the team had aggressive offense and Lachlan Wells pitched a nice game. Tonight we will keep the bats swinging, run the bases hard and hopefully get out of there with another win".
Australia will play South Korea tonight at 6:30pm (8:30pm AEST/ 9:30pm AEDT) at Intercontinental Stadium. Todays games will decide wether Australia will have the opportunity to play for Bronze.
For more team updates visit baseball.com.au or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.
Indie music stalwart Kingswood will perform at the Australian Baseball League All-Star Game, presented by Levi’s®, in Melbourne on Wednesday, 17 December 2014. Kingswood will open the night at 6:30pm with the All-Star Game first pitch at 7:40pm.
The Aussie four-piece rock outfit will provide the pre-game entertainment before Team Australia takes on a team of World All-Stars featuring top baseball talent from Major League Baseball in the U.S., and players from the professional baseball leagues in Japan, Korea and Taiwan.
Adding to the international class, Australian Major League Baseball All-Star Grant Balfour will be on hand as honorary captain of Team Australia, making his first appearance in a Team Australia uniform since the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Broadcast worldwide on ESPN Australia, ESPN New Zealand and 27 additional channels throughout Asia via Fox Sports Asia, the All-Star Game has cemented itself in Australia’s sporting calendar. Melbourne hosts the All-Star Game for the third year in a row thanks to support from the Victorian Government through the Significant Sporting Events Program.
Tickets are on sale now for as low as $5 for children and $20 for adults, which includes entry to the Kingswood show, and can be purchased online at: theabl.com.au/asg14
Gates open at 5:30 PM. Melbourne Ballpark, home of the Aces, is located on Merton St, Altona VIC 3018.
Indie music stalwart Kingswood will perform at the Australian Baseball League All-Star Game, presented by Levi’s®, in Melbourne on Wednesday, 17 December 2014. Kingswood will open the night at 6:30pm with the All-Star Game first pitch at 7:40pm.
The Aussie four-piece rock outfit will provide the pre-game entertainment before Team Australia takes on a team of World All-Stars featuring top baseball talent from Major League Baseball in the U.S., and players from the professional baseball leagues in Japan, Korea and Taiwan.
Adding to the international class, Australian Major League Baseball All-Star Grant Balfour will be on hand as honorary captain of Team Australia, making his first appearance in a Team Australia uniform since the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Broadcast worldwide on ESPN Australia, ESPN New Zealand and 27 additional channels throughout Asia via Fox Sports Asia, the All-Star Game has cemented itself in Australia’s sporting calendar. Melbourne hosts the All-Star Game for the third year in a row thanks to support from the Victorian Government through the Significant Sporting Events Program.
Tickets are on sale now for as low as $5 for children and $20 for adults, which includes entry to the Kingswood show, and can be purchased online at: theabl.com.au/asg14
Gates open at 5:30 PM. Melbourne Ballpark, home of the Aces, is located on Merton St, Altona VIC 3018.
Photo by IBAF
In their first game of the Super Round Robin at the 21U IBAF World Cup, Australia came up against top ranked Chinese Taipei. Struggling against Taipei’s starting pitcher, Australia lost the game 3-9.
Starting pitcher for Australia, Sam Gibbons, started the game strong however Chinese Taipei soon found their stride and added 4 runs by the third and another in the 8th.
Not giving up easily, Australia rallied loading the bases with singles from Ryan Dale and Ben Leslie and a walk for Jacob Younis with no outs. Taipei was forced into a pitching change, and eventually after a two run single from Zac Shepherd and a double from Guy Edmonds Australia was on the board with three runs, making the score 5-3 and a win possible.
However Chinese Taipei was not ready to lose, and added an additional 4 runs to the scoreline. Australia was unable to increase their score and lost 3-9.
Manager Tony Harris explained, “we struggled defensively as a team and didn't play sound baseball, which made for a tough game. When playing one of the best teams in the world, you have to play your best and we weren’t our best during that game.
We are looking forward to the game against Czech Republic and Korea, we just have to regroup and bounce back”.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
| Australia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 4 |
| Chinese Taipei | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | x | 9 | 14 | 2 |
Australia will play their second game of the Super Round Robin against the Czech Republic tonight at 6:30pm (8:30pm AEST/9:30 AEDT) at Taichung Stadium. The Czech Republic lost their first game of the Super Round Robin yesterday against Japan 15-0.
For game and team updates visit baseball.com.au or follow the team on Facebook and Twitter.