Rob's Wrap Up - Finals: Week 1
Published Sun 10 Mar 2024
SATURDAY
RAMS WALK IT OFF
By Robert Laidlaw
ON DAY ONE OF the division one baseball semi-finals, Jack Partington hit a two-run single in the bottom of the seventh and final inning to help Henley & Grange beat Port Adelaide 6-5 at West Lakes.
With temperatures reaching 40c on Saturday, all division one games were commenced at 11am and only went seven innings or two hours.
The Magpies came out firing with two runs at the top of the first frame, when Flynn McKee doubled, Sammy Steigert walked and Ethan Murphy hit a two-run, two-bagger on a high ball that could not be handled by the Henley defence.
Two long balls by the Rams changed the momentum of the game. First a solo shot in the bottom of the second by Liam Bull, then in the third dig, Landon Hernandez smashed a three-run dinger after Jet Clohessy and Partington had walked, for a 4-2 lead.
Murphy hit a solo home run in the top of the sixth to close the gap, then in the seventh, Brodie Arriola and Murphy again, hit homers, to see Port grab a 5-4 lead.
But Henley was good enough to come back and win in the bottom of the seventh. Patrick Inglis singled, Koki Yonezawa bunted him to second base, and after Adam Rowe also singled, the Magpies made a pitching change, bringing in Sammy Steigert.
Steigert hit the next batsman, Clohessy, which set up Partington’s heroics.
Jordy Grose pitched six innings for nine hits and two strikeouts, with Wilson Lee collecting the win after coming on to the mound at the top of the seventh.
For Port, Tyson McKee started and threw 6.1 innings for six hits and nine K2s in a solid outing.
Game two and if needed game three is at West Lakes on Sunday.
IN A GAME WHERE HITS were few and far between, Adelaide scored five runs on two hits in the sixth inning to break open a 2-2 ballgame at Findon, and set up its 7-2 victory over Woodville.
The Angels had a great start with a pair of runs at the top of the opening frame but it was a gift, as Woodville made three errors.
Although not collecting a hit until the sixth dig, the Senators managed a run in the bottom of the first, after Wade Moore walked, a wild pitch put him at second base, Cesar Perez’s groundout put him at third, and Drew Janssen hit a sac fly.
Then in the bottom of the fourth, Perez walked, Mitch Fienemann was hit by a pitch, then an error saw one run in and another possibility, when Fienemann came charging home, but he was tagged out, to leave the game tied at 2-2.
With one out at the top of the sixth dig, Chis Congdon walked, Lachlan Pace had a sac bunt, and Max Tracey walked, which saw a pitching change, with Ty Forney also walking to load the bases – with two out.
Up stepped Stefan Welch and calmly hit a two-run single to put the Angels ahead. Then after Billy Damon walked, Henry Cann hit a three-run single to blow the margin out to five runs, at 7-2, which Woodville could not answer.
Damon went the distance, conceding two hits for eight strikeouts in seven innings – he took a no-hitter in to the sixth frame, with two out. For the Senators, starting pitcher AJ Verastegui went 5.2 digs for two hits and six K2s.
Game two and if needed game three is at Findon on Sunday.
WITH A BIG FOUR-RUN fifth inning, Sturt was able to beat West Torrens 8-4 at Mitcham.
The Eagles went to an early lead with single runs in the first two innings, on Tom McGarry’s home run and James McFarlane’s RBI single.
Sturt tied the ballgame in the bottom of the second, on Zach Altamura’s two-run dinger, after Dayton Mitchell had walked.
At the top of the third dig, West Torrens regained the lead when Tom McGarry doubled and came home on Mason Clavell’s two-bagger, for the Eagles to go 3-2 up.
But again, the Saints fought back, this time going 4-3 ahead, with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third, after hits to Jonas Garcia, Harry Knuckey, Jordan McArdle and Terrell Joyce.
Then the bottom of the fourth inning saw Sturt pull away, with Blake Farr smashing a two-run dinger and McArdle hitting a two-run double.
Hits to the McGarry brothers, Tom and Sam, combined with an error, saw the last run of the game, to the Eagles at the top of the fifth.
Ty Hampton went the distance on the mound for Sturt, conceding eight hits for seven strikeouts in six innings.
Game two and if needed game three is at Mitcham on Sunday.
* * * * *
Division one baseball results:
Henley & Grange d Port Adelaide 6-5 (hits: H&G – Hernandez 2 (hr), Partington, Bull (hr), Garbella, Inglis, Rowe; Port – Murphy 3 (2 hr), Arriola 2 (hr), F. McKee, Steigert, Stead, Trebilcock, Paech, Bird. WP: W. Lee; LP: T. McKee).
Adelaide d Woodville 7-2 (hits: Adelaide – Welch 2, Cann, Ganley, Pace; Woodville – Janssen, J. Chapman. WP: B. Damon; LP: AJ Verastegui).
Sturt d West Torrens 8-4 (hits: Sturt – Altamura 3 (hr), McArdle 2, Joyce 2, Garcia 2, Knuckey, Lightbody, Farr (hr); WT – T. McGarry 3 (hr), McFarlane 2, S. McGarry, Clavell, Hambly. WP: T. Hampton; LP: M. Clavell).
SUNDAY
GRAND SLAMS DECIDE GAMES
By Robert Laidlaw
NOT ONE BUT TWO GRAND SLAM HOME RUNS proved the difference in two of Sunday’s three division one baseball semi-final match-ups, with Adelaide and Sturt riding the big hits to wins over Woodville and West Torrens.
And then there were four, as the Eagles and Port Adelaide have been knocked out of the play-offs, with the Senators surviving for a preliminary final match-up with top team Henley & Grange at West Lakes next weekend.
The other preliminary final will be at Mitcham, where Sturt hosts Adelaide, with both best of three series.
TY FORNEY WAS ADELAIDE’S hero in the Angels 5-1 game two victory over Woodville on Sunday at Findon, with a grand slam home run at the top of the seventh and final inning.
Adelaide took the early lead with a run at the top of the opening frame, when Max Tracey singled, Forney walked and Billy Damon had a RBI hit.
That 1-0 lead held up until the bottom of the fifth, when the Senators squared the ledger with their first run to make it 1-1, after Nick Kuhn singled, Greg Bravo was hit by a pitch and an error.
With the game still tied 1-1 going into the top of the seventh, and the two-hour limit because of the extreme heat looming, the Angels took advantage of the opportunities presented.
After Woodville pitcher Drew Janssen struck out the first two batters of the frame, Chris Congdon walked and Lachlan Pace reached on an error. Then Tracey ran out an infield single and the bases were loaded, setting the stage for Forney’s heroics.
Still the Senators had one more chance in the bottom of the seventh but could not muster a rally and lost the series in two games.
Henry Cann went the distance on the mound for the win, conceding two hits in seven digs for four strikeouts, while Janssen gave up five hits in 6.2 innings for 11 K2s.
ALTHOUGH WINNING 10-4 AGAINST West Torrens on Sunday at Mitcham to win the series in two games, Sturt can thank a six-run second inning, which set up the victory, with Terrell Joyce smashing a grand slam home run to set up the Saints.
The Eagles got on the board early with a run at the top of the opening frame, on Mason Clavell’s RBI single, but Sturt took the lead in the bottom half of the dig, when Mitch Lightbody walked and Jordan McArdle ‘put one out’, for a 2-1 advantage.
Then the big rally in the second frame, where Zach Altamura, Matt McBeth, Jonas Garcia, Harry Knuckey and Lightbody collected hits before Joyce’s heroics, to go 8-1 up.
West Torrens managed to pull two runs back in the third inning, when Clavell smashed a two-run dinger after Sam McGarry had singled.
And when Sam McGarry hit a sac fly at the top of the fourth dig, the Eagles closed the gap to 8-4, but Sturt pulled away with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth and final dig, when Garcia doubled and Knuckey belted a two-run home run.
Jackson Brebner-Russ pitched 3.2 innings for the win, conceding eight hits for a pair of strikeouts.
AFTER A STIRRING 6-5 WALK-OFF victory over a gallant Port Adelaide on Saturday, Henley & Grange was able to close out the series at West Lakes on Sunday, with a 6-0 win in game two.
In the bottom of the opening frame Jack Partington, Landon Hernandez and Liam Bull collected hits for a 1-0 lead.
Then in the second dig, Jet Clohessy doubled and Partington had a RBI single, while in the fourth, Koki Yonezawa smashed a home run to make it 3-0.
Yonezawa came to the fore again in the fifth frame with a two-run double, after hits to Giovanni Garbella and Patrick Inglis, while in the sixth, Partington picked up his fourth hit of the game, and ‘ran wild’ around the bases to set up a Wilson Lee sacrifice fly, to make it 6-0.
Landon Hernandez went the distance, conceding four hits in six frames for nine strikeouts.
* * * * *
Division one baseball results:
GAME ONE, on Saturday:
Henley & Grange d Port Adelaide 6-5 (hits: H&G – Hernandez 2 (hr), Partington, Bull (hr), Garbella, Inglis, Rowe; Port – Murphy 3 (2 hr), Arriola 2 (hr), F. McKee, Steigert, Stead, Trebilcock, Paech, Bird. WP: W. Lee; LP: T. McKee).
Adelaide d Woodville 7-2 (hits: Adelaide – Welch 2, Cann, Ganley, Pace; Woodville – Janssen, J. Chapman. WP: B. Damon; LP: AJ Verastegui).
Sturt d West Torrens 8-4 (hits: Sturt – Altamura 3 (hr), McArdle 2, Joyce 2, Garcia 2, Knuckey, Lightbody, Farr (hr); WT – T. McGarry 3 (hr), McFarlane 2, S. McGarry, Clavell, Hambly. WP: T. Hampton; LP: M. Clavell).
GAME TWO on Sunday:
Henley & Grange d Port Adelaide 6-0 (hits: H&G – Partington 4, Bull 2, Yonezawa 2 (hr), Clohessy 2, Hernandez, Garbella, Inglis; Port – Steigert 2, Arriola, F. McKee. WP: L. Hernandez; LP: S. Steigert).
Adelaide d Woodville 5-1 (hits: Adelaide – Tracey 2, Forney 2 (hr), Damon; Woodville – Perez, Kuhn. WP: H. Cann; LP: D. Janssen).
Sturt d West Torrens 10-4 (hits: Sturt – Lightbody 3, Knuckey 2 (hr), Garcia 2, McArdle (hr), Joyce (gshr), Farr, Altamura, McBeth; WT – Clavell 2 (hr), McFarlane 2, Clark, T. McGarry, McGarry, Hambly. WP: J. Brebner-Russ; LP: M. Sawada).
