With both divisions of our squad away this round the Division 1 team took on Henley & Grange. With the opportunity to set the tone offensively the ladies did just that and after a lead off ground out proceeded to go single, single, walk, single, single, walk and we took an early 5 run lead.
Bianca Smith got the start and made sure we lost none of the early momentum, three quick outs mixed around a walk and we were back in the dugout. Kenney, Dillon and McMahon with some great plays.
Fiona Crabb recalled to Division 1 for the game led off the second with a double and after Dillon singled, Smith walked and Prokopec singled, another three runs had been added to the board (8-0) good guys.
Second inning and Smith stayed strong, a quick ground out to short then back to back strikeouts and the pitcher catcher battery of Smith and Papadothomakos was on fire.
Aldwin led off the third inning with her second walk of the game, and hard contact continued all inning with Prokopec’s third single and Kenney’s single to left field highlights. 13-0 after three.
Smith was in a hurry to get back in for another at bat it seemed – carving through their 8,9,1 hitters. After linking up with Aldwin for the first out, B struck out her third of the match before a 1-3 comebacker ended the inning.
Aldwin leads off again, this time with a cracking single to center but we were unable to add to the scores.
Into the bottom of the fourth and Smith was facing the middle of the order for the second time and in cracking team fashion she got a little help from her friends. Harris and Dillon made superb catches in the outfield before Prokopec ranged to her left to end the inning with a nice 6-3.
With the setting sun becoming an increasing factor late in the game we were unable to trouble the scorers further.
With the knowledge a clean inning would secure a mercy rule victory Smith kept a clean sheet with a strikeout sandwiched around a couple of ground outs. An absolute cracking performance by the entire team – strong defence by all in support of Bianca’s strongest start on the season.
We welcome some returning reinforcements after the bye round as we prepare to host a strong Southern Districts team for the second match up this season. Before then we have four representatives playing this Wednesday in the WBL All Star game at West Beach – starting at 7pm.
After a sweltering week of heat, we were graced with a slightly cooler (albeit humid) afternoon to see the top two teams in Division 2 go head to head. From the first pitch of the game, there was an electric energy from the Tigers team - focussed and team centred. Alex Meldrum started on the mound, backed strongly by both the infield and outfield. Meldrum threw consistently and gave her team a formidable start to the game. While Northern Districts were able to get runners on base, they left many of their player stranded, and didn’t capitalise on getting those runs home. Aggressive base running and consistent hitting by our Tigers team meant that we inched further away from Northern District’s score as the game progressed.
Bec Bond caught an impressive outfield fly, displaying the skills and confidence she has worked hard to develop this season. This was Bond’s first fly ball catch in a game setting. Em Parker came onto the mound in the middle of the game and managed to sit down the first 3 batters before they could get a hit, giving the Tigers some needed breathing space to stretch out their lead further.
Adele Munro-Chambers on first base calmly covered nearly everything that we launched at her (in her general direction is probably more accurate) and was backed up consistently by Lucy from second base. Adele is becoming known for her spider-like arms and stoic nature on this bag – she’s the epitome of a team player.
Sarah Wright was our absolute rock at home plate behind the mask - lifting up every pitcher and hustling hard for any passed balls. She managed to get a solid hit at bat towards the end of the game, right when we needed it, helping us to keep a strong lead.
New player, Kassy Rose showed consistency and skill both in the field and the batting box - another speedy base runner to add to the team! Cariad Edwards, another new player for us, was a critical part of the outfield and batting line up. She showed us speed, experience and a cool head under pressure in both batting and fielding.
Both sides fielded several pitchers throughout the game, displaying the depth available in each team. This meant that all batters had adjust accordingly to new pitching speeds and styles.
Our range of outfield players throughout the game: Phoebe, Shona, Bec, Cariad and Erica were a consistent and united front to back up the infield and one another throughout the game. This was a critical factor in keeping Northern Districts runs to a minimum.
Lucy Mitton finished the game on the mound and helped to support the hard work from all players throughout the game. Her solid pitching efforts meant that the fielders were able to shut down the Northern Districts side, getting the 3 out just before we ran out of light to play. Tigers took another solid victory, ending the game 17-9. The Division 2 team looks to be a daunting and tight-knit group heading into the final part of the season.