Preview Week 5.
In Division 1 this week there is one game on Saturday when Geelong hosts Sandringham at 4.30pm. Zablan threw 6 innings for 9 strikeouts last week, so expect him to take the mound as the Baycats come off 2 losses in a row. Geelong will be looking to generate some power after only getting 1 hit against Essendon last week. Sandringham are winless after 4 games so will be looking to create some runs before the midweek games commence.
Blackburn travel to Cheltenham on Sunday at 3.30pm, this should be a very interesting game with both teams on 3 and 1. Blackburn won after 7 innings on a mercy rule against Waverley last week and will be charged by the fact that Adam Bright has thrown well for them in the last 3 outings. A big concern for the Orioles will be Cheltenham’s Paul Rutgers who has collected multiple hits in the last 2 games. Rutgers got 4 last week when the Rustlers beat Doncaster 11-1. Blake Cunningham relied on a tight field throwing contact outs against the Dragons and is the likely starter for The Rustlers. So expect a pitching dual between the 2 very different styles of him and Bright.
Waverley travel to Melbourne after the Demons won with a Mitch Ayres walk off home run last week. Melbourne got on safely 10 times and matched Upwey for hits as the power and experience of their middle order is starting to show. Andy Mann pitched 4 innings last week then handed the ball to the reliable Ratcliffe so expect to see those 2 on the hill against the Wildcats. Waverley will be looking for ways to produce runs as they are coming off a 10 run loss to Blackburn. In the 1st four games of the season the team from Napier Park have managed to produce only 5 runs and these were all in the same game. Last week the Wildcats got 4 hits in the loss but they must take something from the fact that they restricted their opponents to only 7. Most of the runs for the day were given up by Waverley in the first innings on 5 walks, meaning they played another 8 frames of competitive baseball. Alteration of their pitching rotation and some results from their hitters should see them compete well with Melbourne.
Essendon are gathering strength as more of their senior players become available. The Dons travel to the undefeated Preston this week in a conference 2, top of the table match up. Luke Abels threw 5, then passed the ball to Michael Formisano to keep Geelong to 1 hit last week so it is likely that those 2 will be on the hill again for the Bombers. Whilst they must be happy with the win, Essendon will be looking for ways to improve their own batting after getting only 5 hits agianst the Baycats. Meanwhile Preston come into this game after their ace Andrew Smiley threw a no-hitter against Williamstown last week. The Pirate’s pitching depth is impressive as they also have Godbould and Bass in relief. Both of the relievers have started games this season, this is especially handy for them as they head into midweek games starting this Wednesday.
Doncaster will head to Upwey Ferntree Gully looking for a chance to get their 2nd win of the season. Donovan Hendricks started for the Tigers last week and threw 4 strikeouts in 6 and 1/3 innings so he may start. Luke Howell has thrown deep into games this season so he may be a chance to take the hill given that the Tigers face Doncaster at Deep Creek again on Wednesday night at 6pm. Upwey look to storm out of the blocks after they lost in a walk off for the 2nd time this season against Melbourne last week. Nick Rice, Evan Phillips and Kieran Lewis all got 2 hits apiece so maybe it’s the Tigers turn this week at home. The Dragons go into the game after their starter Luke Westphal threw 5 innings for 10 strikeouts last week in their loss to Cheltenham. Westphal left the mound with the game tied at 1 all before the Rustlers scored 7 of their 11 runs in one innings. If Doncaster can find a way for their young players to manufacture some runs the results may start going their way.
The match of the round this week sees Williamstown travel to their local rival Newport. Both of these teams have recently gained promotion to Division 1 so this is the 1st time they have played each other in the premier division in a very long time. David White the manager of Newport says that he has a very coachable young team, now going for 3 wins in a row that has turned out some good results this season. In the 1st couple of games the Rams had players unavailable due to the under 25 competition in Queensland but are now at full strength. Griffin Weir pitched 7 innings for 1 hit in their win against Essendon last week so is the likely starter for the Rams. Newport also have many other options for pitching in Jeremy and Jordan Young and they can call on Eric Kleine in relief.
Williamstown are coming off a 10 run defeat after Preston’s Andrew Smiley threw a no-hitter against them last week. The Wolves may take some confidence from the fact that they took a 1-0 lead into the 4th innings before it all went wrong for them. David Asp or Andrew Russell are likely starters for the Williamstown.
Daniel Chircop the Senior Vice-President of the Wolves says-
"This local derby is more than a year in the making as both teams haven't been in the same division since the 2012-2013 season when they last both competed in Division 2. These games are rarely one sided, and with both teams holding a 2-2 record this game looks to be no exception. Newport have again relied on their ace Griffin Weir to dominate in starts this season, while Williamstown is using their entire pitching staff (the likes of Andrew Russell, Jason Lester, David Asp, Josh Lee and Ryan Camov) with more waiting in the wings to get the job done.
All four club grades are at Newport's KC White Reserve tomorrow, with the 1's starting at 3:30 on Sunday 3rd of November."
In Division 2 Berwick City travel to St.Kilda for the Saturday game with both teams coming off a loss. Bonbeach take on Malvern and Fitzroy travel to Port Melbourne with both sides looking for their 2nd win. Fitzroy come off a loss to Werribee after leading early whilst the Mariners lost to Bonbeach 6-2. The Lions pitched well against the Giants so will be looking for more consistent hitting from their middle order. Port will be trying to do the same as they have been showing improvement in defence so far.
Moorabbin travel to Sunshine after the Panthers fended off the late run of Malvern last week. Finally, Springvale go down to Werribee in what promises to be a great game. Werribee starter Wes Dejong threw accurately last week and was backed up well by his pen. Springvale will look to consolidate their position in the top 4 as they, like the Giants, now sit on 3 and 1.
In women’s Division 1 Malvern travel to Doncaster and Springvale travel for a rematch from Thursday against Footscray. The Lions will have more pitching as their regular starter Cat Rowe beomes available. Their pitching depth was on show when Kelly Manzie-Novotny shut out the Bulldogs. With Shae Lilywhite and Chevy Stephenson leading their offence Springvale look strong. However, Risa Tanaka is a great leader for Footscray so should give the Bulldogs a chance at home. The Essendon women go to Werribee after 4 wins from 7 as the Bees try to get their 1st win.
Report By Cam Gleeson
@valiantcam