Cheltenham 10, Blackburn 7
Three hits each from George Callil, Mitch Holding and Ben Leslie helped the Rustlers down the host Orioles, 10-7. Cheltenham scored two runs in each of the first two innings and then added a couple more in the sixth to take a commanding 6-2 lead. Blackburn responded with five markers in the bottom of the sixth to inch ahead but their lead didn’t last long as the Rustlers tied it with a lone run in the seventh and secured the victory with three runs in the top of the ninth.
One of Leslie’s hits was a home run and he knocked in four. Andrew Gribbin had two doubles and Dylan Trevorah scored three runs, slugging a double (and RBI) amongst his two hits.
The win keeps the Rustlers (13-8-1) in second place in their conference, 2.5 games behind Melbourne with two games in hand. The loss drops third place Blackburn to 13-11 on the season.
Springvale 3, Doncaster 2
The Lions’ Sammy Drummond willed his team to victory, going 2-5 with two runs scored in this über-tight contest. Freddy Flores, Mackenna Hura and Glenn Mascoll had the other hits for visiting Springvale; Hura had the lone RBI.
Across the diamond, Scott Carr starred for the Dragons, registering two hits and a run scored in a losing effort. Travis Cutt and Marcel D’Avoine each had doubles and Rhys Aldenhoven had the game’s only home run.
Now 10-14 on the season, Springvale sits fifth in their conference. Doncaster (5-15-2) is last behind the Lions.
Newport 2, Sunshine 0
In a well-pitched game, timely hitting also played a key role in this contest between two struggling squads. The Rams got contributions from up and down the lineup, with six of their nine starters—Heath Black, Mathew Lawman, Dean Malthouse, Scot Malthouse, Gabriel Sandersius and Zac Seipolt—each recording one hit. Lawman had Newport’s only extra base hit (a double) and Sandersius knocked in both runs.
Essendon 12, Preston 5
A fast start—seven runs in the first two innings—and a resilient seventh inning propelled the host Bombers to a resounding win. The Pirates didn’t make it easy, scoring single runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, before plating two in the seventh to cut their deficit to two. Four runs in Essendon’s half of the seventh put the game away. The Bombers added one more in the eighth to provide the winning margin.
With the victory, the Bombers (17-6-1) stayed atop their conference, while the Pirates (9-14-1) dropped a half game behind third place Sandringham.
Sandringham 2, Geelong 1
Speaking of the Royals, they bested the visiting Baycats in a hard-fought, nip-and-tuck tilt. Geelong started the game well, tallying their lone run in the top of the first. Their pitching held strong until the fourth when Sandringham broke through with two runs on RBI by Declan Ferguson and Jake Wonnacott.
That productive inning proved enough as neither team could push across another run.
Wonnacott led the Royals with two hits while Ryan Morris, Jake-Cole Sinclair, Anton Cevec and Jordan Barnett had the other knocks.
Despite the loss, Geelong is still sitting pretty with a 14-9-1 mark, good for second in their conference, trailing only Essendon.
Waverley 5, Melbourne 4
So close. The Demons almost completed an impressive comeback, but their ninth inning rally fell one run short. Down 5-1 after two, Melbourne scored once in the fifth and twice in the ninth to provide the final margin. Nathan Aron again starred at the plate, going 3-5 with a double and RBI, while Matthew Blackmore (2-4) and Kyeongmin Kim (2-4) also contributed to the cause.
The Wildcats win pushes them above .500 (11-10-1), just a game and a half back of the third place Orioles. Despite the loss, the Demons remain a robust 18-4-2 on the season.
Three hits each from George Callil, Mitch Holding and Ben Leslie helped the Rustlers down the host Orioles, 10-7. Cheltenham scored two runs in each of the first two innings and then added a couple more in the sixth to take a commanding 6-2 lead. Blackburn responded with five markers in the bottom of the sixth to inch ahead but their lead didn’t last long as the Rustlers tied it with a lone run in the seventh and secured the victory with three runs in the top of the ninth.
One of Leslie’s hits was a home run and he knocked in four. Andrew Gribbin had two doubles and Dylan Trevorah scored three runs, slugging a double (and RBI) amongst his two hits.
The win keeps the Rustlers (13-8-1) in second place in their conference, 2.5 games behind Melbourne with two games in hand. The loss drops third place Blackburn to 13-11 on the season.
Springvale 3, Doncaster 2
The Lions’ Sammy Drummond willed his team to victory, going 2-5 with two runs scored in this über-tight contest. Freddy Flores, Mackenna Hura and Glenn Mascoll had the other hits for visiting Springvale; Hura had the lone RBI.
Across the diamond, Scott Carr starred for the Dragons, registering two hits and a run scored in a losing effort. Travis Cutt and Marcel D’Avoine each had doubles and Rhys Aldenhoven had the game’s only home run.
Now 10-14 on the season, Springvale sits fifth in their conference. Doncaster (5-15-2) is last behind the Lions.
Newport 2, Sunshine 0
In a well-pitched game, timely hitting also played a key role in this contest between two struggling squads. The Rams got contributions from up and down the lineup, with six of their nine starters—Heath Black, Mathew Lawman, Dean Malthouse, Scot Malthouse, Gabriel Sandersius and Zac Seipolt—each recording one hit. Lawman had Newport’s only extra base hit (a double) and Sandersius knocked in both runs.
Essendon 12, Preston 5
A fast start—seven runs in the first two innings—and a resilient seventh inning propelled the host Bombers to a resounding win. The Pirates didn’t make it easy, scoring single runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, before plating two in the seventh to cut their deficit to two. Four runs in Essendon’s half of the seventh put the game away. The Bombers added one more in the eighth to provide the winning margin.
With the victory, the Bombers (17-6-1) stayed atop their conference, while the Pirates (9-14-1) dropped a half game behind third place Sandringham.
Sandringham 2, Geelong 1
Speaking of the Royals, they bested the visiting Baycats in a hard-fought, nip-and-tuck tilt. Geelong started the game well, tallying their lone run in the top of the first. Their pitching held strong until the fourth when Sandringham broke through with two runs on RBI by Declan Ferguson and Jake Wonnacott.
That productive inning proved enough as neither team could push across another run.
Wonnacott led the Royals with two hits while Ryan Morris, Jake-Cole Sinclair, Anton Cevec and Jordan Barnett had the other knocks.
Despite the loss, Geelong is still sitting pretty with a 14-9-1 mark, good for second in their conference, trailing only Essendon.
Waverley 5, Melbourne 4
So close. The Demons almost completed an impressive comeback, but their ninth inning rally fell one run short. Down 5-1 after two, Melbourne scored once in the fifth and twice in the ninth to provide the final margin. Nathan Aron again starred at the plate, going 3-5 with a double and RBI, while Matthew Blackmore (2-4) and Kyeongmin Kim (2-4) also contributed to the cause.
The Wildcats win pushes them above .500 (11-10-1), just a game and a half back of the third place Orioles. Despite the loss, the Demons remain a robust 18-4-2 on the season.