Mens 3 rds – lost to Upwey 5-4
Upwey were always going to be a tough ask for the thirds but they got off to a good start scoring one run in the first and shutting down Upwey with a fantastic double play off a hard come backer to pitcher Ry Stanes and an easy 3rd out play at 1st base. Ry threw the whole game again and did a fantastic job to hold them to only 5 runs. The game was close throughout and was tied up going into the last innings. An unlucky bounce at second base brought in the go ahead run for Upwey and Melbourne were unable to score in the last to stay in the game. Hits went to Dean Ferris, Ry stanes, James Roy,Craig Mitchell, and Shaun Mead. A fantastic team effort showed that we could match it with the best sides in the competition.
Mens 4 ths – lost to Upwey 16-6
A spectacular start by Upwey including a grand slam home run saw the home side jump out to an eleven run first inning. Usually when confronted with this predicament the result is often a massacre but to the Melbourne team’s credit they stuck to their guns and fought out the game with the honours even over the last 5 innings. A great batting display by Chao with 3 hits supported by Roman with a triple and a double. It should be noted that Upwey have been at or near the top of the 4ths for many years and that a lack of a starting pitcher made our task all that more difficult. Hopefully the return game will be a much more even contest. Hits went to Chao (3), Roman Babitski (2), Peter Moore, Ben Hart, Ross Arthur, Tom Andronas, Jamie Hough, and Aaron Hoskin
Masters - beat Geelong by a
walk-over.
Apparently the Master’s reputation is scaring off the opposition as they were all dressed up with no-one to play. An impromtu training session was the highlight of our evening followed by the obligatory "happy hour".
Ladies – beat Ormond/ Glen Huntly 30-5
The Melbourne Ladies made it back to back wins with a commanding victory over Ormond/Glen Huntly. The girls showed good skills in the field; turning a double and great hitting in the later part of the game, with Michelle Cranston hitting a "GRAND SLAM" and Amanda Edwards hitting a "TRIPLE" to go on top of several other girls hitting doubles through out the day. Although the girls are playing good baseball there are still improvements to be made.
Under 18 – beat Upwey 11-2
After an opening round bye, the U18s started their campaign with a solid 11-2 demolition of Upwey. Helped just a tad by the opposition’s two “blanks”, the Melbourne team showed the proper commitment with 11 players showing up for duty! Robbie Hondo gave away nothing from the pitcher’s mound, and we were sharp in the field. A 7-run inning in the fifth was the game-breaker. Well done also to debutantes Tien Hsien and Oliver Fayne. |
Under 16 – lost to Waverly 10-7
The question to be asked is "Where was this team last week against Werribee?"!!!! A much improved performance in both field and batting box with good outs backing up the pitchers and constant pressure from our batters all the way down the line-up, getting hits and walks and forcing errors. Eddie Dunstan batting at 9 reached base 2/2 by forcing two infield errors. But for a couple of errors, in what turned out to be critical plays, the result could have gone our way. All in all a performance to give everyone confidence in approaching the rest of the season, as Waverley had kept the pressure on all day with their batting and we did the same. Jonathan Wiggins' performance on the mound was even better than last week and he was very ably supported by Ben Hart (who surprised at least one parent in the crowd!!) pitching 2 full innings, giving up only 1 run. Hits went to Jordan Mitchelhill (double), Rhett Mitchelhill, Christopher Hince, Jonathan Wiggins, and Jake O'Reilly. The highlight was the three outs involving relayed throws cutting runners off at third and home.
Under 14 Demons – beat Upwey 11-8
The Demons got their season off to a great start with the defeat of the more experienced Upwey. Welcome to Tim Stephens, a great addition to the team. Watching the game and supporting our boys was John Deeble, the Australian Olympic Baseball Team’s Head coach. The boys were very excited to have such an esteemed supporter! The game was tight until the last innings where a great double play by Chris K saw Upwey limited to 8 runs. In the bottom half , with Melbourne down by one Ben, Emo, Bryce and Chris K all scored to secure the win. Safe hits for the day were Ben Cull (2), Thomas Arthur (2), Alex Hondo (2), Bryce Taylor, Emerson Satur, Tim Stephens, and Chris Allen. Our thanks to Peter Unwin for marking out the Diamond. Peter was unwell and had to travel to Surrey Park to pick up the marker, over to Macleay Park to mark the diamond and then back to Surrey Park to return the equipment.
Under 14 Red Sox – lost to Sunshine 15-5
Under 12 – beat Sandringham 17-11
The Under 12's went to Sandringham for the first official game of the season. The sun was shining brightly and the Demons started in fine style batting in some early runs. The team was made up of 9 boys all keen to have a great game and they were not disappointed running out winners 17 : 11. Well done!! The entire team contributed well with Brandon Hough leading off the pitching and Jack Scheffer doing a great job behind the mask. Jai Batten closed out the game in the second half completing an excellent day on the mound for the Demons. The batting was also on fire with safe hits to at least 6 players. The details are not with me (I'm in Hong Kong at the time of writing this) however the result is pretty good when you have 6 out of 9 getting safe hits. We welcomed back Patrick Young with his contribution being felt strongly in the batting and fielding. Edward Pike, Michael Zukier, Ravi Vithal, Chris Vapp and Patrick Politis all contributing well. |
