“From the Diamond” Round 8
REDS BREAK THROUGH
AFTER SEVERAL CLOSE CALLS, Northern Districts finally cracked it for a win in division one baseball, beating Goodwood 5-4 at Ingle Farm, in a game that went down to the wire.
Two big home runs kept the Reds in the game early, before building a lead that held up when Goodwood made a last-ditch effort in the top of the ninth to steal the points.
Steve Matulic belted a dinger in the bottom of the second to give North the early lead, but the Indians went up with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth on a two-run single by Nick Carfora, after Saxon Gibbs was hit by a pitch and Josh Bradley doubled.
The Reds tied the ballgame in the bottom of the fourth on Cam Dziego’s home run, and went 3-2 up in the following frame when Nick Clifton singled and Josh Whelan hit a RBI two-bagger.
Two errors sandwiched around Matulic’s RBI double and Michael Whelan’s single saw North go 5-2 ahead in the bottom of the sixth, which held up until the top of the ninth.
It was a scary time for the home side as the Indians mounted a challenge in the ninth, with hits to Bradley and Carfora, and after two outs and one run in, Billy Sutton had a RBI single — but that was it, and North held on for a 5-4 win.
Luke Barrientos pitched six innings for the victory, conceding three hits for 11 strikeouts. Tom Fitzgerald took the loss, giving up eight hits for four K2s in six frames.
HENLEY & GRANGE FELL BEHIND
Henley & Grange fell behind twice before pulling away to beat West Torrens 10-3 at West Lakes.
Nick George led off with a home run to put the Eagles ahead 1-0 at the top of the opening inning, but Henley went 2-1 up in the bottom of the second after Koki Yonezawa ran out an infield hit and Liam Bull sent one over the leftfield fence.
At the top of the third, Sam McGarry was hit by a pitch and Jasper Clark smashed a dinger, putting West Torrens ahead again, 3-2.
It took a while, but the Rams grabbed the lead for good with a three-run fifth inning, including home runs to Patrick Inglis and Jose Paula.
Consecutive hits by Phil Acosta, Paula, Wilson Lee and Yonezawa saw another four runs in the bottom of the seventh for a 9-3 edge, with one more added in the eighth.
Jordy Grose pitched five innings for the win, conceding five hits with four strikeouts.
A MIRACLE FIGHTBACK
Sturt pulled off a miracle fightback for a 5-2 victory over Southern Districts at Christie Downs.
The Hawks scored both their runs in the bottom of the fourth after Ben Short walked and two wild throws — holding that 2-0 lead until the top of the eighth.
With one out in the eighth, Sam Stewart ran out an infield single, Harry Knuckey doubled and Mitch Lightbody was hit by a pitch, loading the bases and forcing a pitching change.
Simon Baumer smashed a two-run double and, after Brebner-Russ was hit by a pitch, errors contributed to another three runs as the Saints took a 5-2 lead. South could not answer.
Lightbody earned the win in relief, after Austin McClure pitched 7.1 innings for four hits and five strikeouts. Jacob Morin took the loss despite 12 K2s in 7.1 frames.
ADELAIDE TOO STRONG
Adelaide proved too strong for Woodville at Plympton, winning 6-1 behind consistent batting.
A run in the bottom of the second came after Rahman Martinez was hit by a pitch, an error, Lachlan Pace’s infield single and Ty Forney’s RBI walk.
In the bottom of the third, Max Tracey singled and Ian Heck walked to set up Martinez’s two-run hit.
Tracey hit a RBI double in the fourth after a Forney walk, putting Adelaide up 4-0.
Woodville’s only run came in the sixth when Jose Castelano singled, advanced smartly and scored on Cesar Perez’s sac fly.
Adelaide sealed the game with two more in the eighth after Forney doubled, Stefan Welch walked, an error, and Henry Cann’s RBI single.
Nick Veselinovic pitched seven innings for the win with 10 strikeouts. Jose Pimentel took the loss, giving up seven hits in six frames.
Photos from this game by Paul Taeuber.
CHESTER DOMINATES
Behind a magnificent pitching performance by Flynn Chester, Golden Grove Central Districts defeated Kensington 6-2 at Illyarrie Reserve.
Chester pitched seven innings, allowing four hits and striking out 16. Kensington scored twice in the sixth on a Will Tanner walk followed by Michael Bishop’s two-run homer.
But the Dodgers had already posted six runs — two in the second (helped by four HBPs and an error) and four in the fourth (wild throw, HBP, Lucas Manson two-run single, sac bunt, Chester double, wild pitch).
For Kensington, Deakin Filko was strong in relief, striking out eight in five frames.
EAST TORRENS CAPITALISES
East Torrens beat Glenelg 10-0 at Payneham, despite only outhitting the Tigers 10-8.
A four-run second inning began when Luke Chandler was hit by a pitch, Dalton Probert walked, Jack Wilton laid down a sac bunt and reached on a wild throw, followed by hits to Braeden Ashworth, Kason King and Harry Deliyannis.
Ashworth doubled in two more in the third, Deliyannis doubled and scored on Chandler’s single in the fourth, and four walks plus hits to Ashworth and Owen Couzner produced the final three runs.
Deliyannis earned the win with 11 strikeouts in seven innings.
PORT ADELAIDE TOO STRONG
Port Adelaide defeated Gawler Rangers 11-2 at Karbeethan Reserve.
Sammy Steigert opened the scoring with a two-run homer in the first, then added a two-run single in the second for a 5-0 lead.
Gawler scored once in the fifth after hits from Tyler Renken, Ethan Badcock and Zak Heinze-Unger.
Port added single runs in the sixth and seventh, then four more in the eighth after hit batsmen, walks and Jacob Tobias’ single.
Aidan Prokopec homered in the eighth for the Rangers’ second run.
Steigert went the distance, striking out 12.
DIVISION ONE RESULTS
Port Adelaide d Gawler Rangers 11-2 (hits: Port – Tobias 3, Steigert 2 (hr), Vasic, Cedano, Hodgetts; Gawler – Prokopec 2 (hr), Z. Heintze-Unger, S. Heintze-Unger, Przibilla, Renken, Badcock. WP: S. Steigert; LP: S. Heintze-Unger).
Henley & Grange d West Torrens 10-3 (hits: H&G – Paula 2 (hr), Lee 2, Yonezawa 2, Inglis 2 (hr), Acosta, Bull (hr), Couzner; WT – Scott 2, Clark 2 (hr), George (hr), Clavell, S. McGarry. WP: J. Grose; LP: M. Sawada).
Sturt Southern Districts 5-2 (hits: Sturt – Knuckey 2, Baumer 2, Stewart; South – Hattersley 2, Campbell, Inglis. WP: M. Lightbody; LP: J. Morin).
East Torrens d Glenelg 10-0 (hits: ET – Ashworth 4, Deliyannis 2, Couzner, L. Chandler, Probert, King; Glenelg – Jac. Eldridge 2, McCallum 2, Steff, Martinella, Edgar, Monaghan. WP: H. Deliyannis; LP: A. Steff).
Northern Districts d Goodwood 5-4 (hits: North – Matulic 2 (hr), M. Whelan 2, J. Whelan, Dziegi (hr), Barrientos; Goodwood – Bradley 2, Carfora 2, Pratt, Weber, Sutton. WP: L. Barrientos; LP: T. Fitzgerald).
Golden Grove Central Districts d Kensington 6-2 (hits: GGCD – Manson, Rodgers, Chester, Walsh, McKibbin; Kensington – Bishop (hr), Hockley, N. Platten, Cox. WP: F. Chester; LP: C. Kennedy).
Adelaide d Woodville 6-1 (hits: Adelaide – Forney 2, Tracey 2, Cann 2, Martinez 2, Heck, Pace; Woodville – Castelano 2, Hayes, T. Nicholson. WP: N. Veselinovic; LP: J. Pimentel).
Premiership points: Adelaide 16, Southern Districts 16, Woodville 14, West Torrens 14, Henley & Grange 14, Port Adelaide 14, Gawler Rangers 11, East Torrens 10, GGCD 10, Sturt 9, Kensington 6, Goodwood 4, Glenelg 2, Northern Districts 2.