Interview with Geelong Baycats Manager, Sean Arnott. Postmatch.
This game started like so many others have in the Division 1 VSBL season so far when there were very few runs scored in the early innings.
In the second frame Geelong got the only score of the first five innings when Harry Levy was HBP, then after two wild pitches put him at third, a single from Mark Rigby made it 1-0.
Luke Abels started for Essendon and managed to scatter the hits across five innings and hold the visitors to that solitary run. Kyle Bedford then took the mound to start the sixth. Kelii Zablan led off and singled for Geelong then Bedford settled and got the first two outs. Zablan had other plans though and got a good jump to steal second and made it to third on a wild pitch. With two out Essendon still looked in control, but that was when an error on a routine play at first proved costly and another Geelong run scored to make it 2-0.
The pressure that Geelong applied with the pitching of Rudy Jaramillo shouldn’t be underestimated as he scattered four hits through seven innings. At that stage of the game the Bombers were not out of it, below their best and still only trailing by two.
Then in the eighth it was Jaramillo who again stamped his influence on the contest, but this time with the bat. Having completed his pitching duties for the day Rudy stepped up to the plate with two out and tripled to clear the bases and make the score 5-0. After that the Baycats didn't look back
Cameron Forbes pitched the remaining two innings for the Baycats giving up one walk and two hits with two strike outs to leave the Bombers scoreless.
The other stand out performance was from Chris Webb who got three hits for the winners.
Hits
Essendon- 6
Scott McIntyre 1, Dean McIntyre 1, Shane Lindsay 1, Michael Formisano 1, Daniel Fornito 1, Brett Tamburrino 1 (double).
Geelong- 8
Chris Webb 3, Chris Durston 1 (double), Liam Spence 1, Kelii Zablan 1, Rudy Jaramillo 1 (triple), Mark Rigby 1.