Rob's Wrap Up - Round 11

BASEBALL (January 6, 2024)

REDS LETTER DAY

By Robert Laidlaw

WITH DOUBTS ANY PLAY would be possible on Saturday, Northern Districts had a ‘Reds Letter Day’, when it won its first division one baseball game of the season, with a 7-6 victory over Golden Grove Central Districts at Ingle Farm.

And it was a walk-off win, when Josh Whelan hit a two-run single in the bottom of the ninth, after an error and hits to Naoya Kondo and Tom Fraser had loaded the bases.

The day started out bleak, with most divisions cancelled because of the poor weather, and by 4pm, two of the seven division one games were also not played.

North took an early lead in its game, when Collins Robinson walked, stole second base, went to third on a wild pitch and came home on an error, in the bottom of the second frame for a 1-0 lead.

Then the highlight of the game came in the fourth dig, when, after Phil Whelan singled and Zane Tomaszek reached on an error, Cam Dziego put one over the fence for a three-run home run and a 4-0 advantage.

But then the Dodgers made a stunning come-back, first with two runs at the top of the sixth, after a pair of walks and Kynan Skein RBI double, then another four runs in the seventh, which included hits to Isaac Pearce, Tyler Green, Brayden Caskey, Brandon Manzella and Skein, to grab a 6-4 lead.

A shell-shocked Reds managed a single run in the bottom of the eighth, on Robinson’s RBI single, which set up the fairytale ending.

North starter Todd Marshall was in control through the first six innings, conceding four hits for two strikeouts to keep the Reds in the game, while reliever Naoya Kondo collected the win, after pitching 2.2 frames for one hit and four K2s.

ANOTHER WALK-OFF WIN happened at Plympton, where Brady Smith had a RBI single in the bottom of the ninth to give Adelaide a 9-8 come-from-behind victory over East Torrens.

Trailing 8-6 going into their last at bat, the Angels had consecutive hits by Max Tracey, Ty Forney, Stefan Welch and Billy Damon, as well as Henry Cann’s walk, before Smith’s heroics.

Earlier the Redsox scored twice at the top of the second frame, after consecutive hits to Aiden Lucas, Travis Underhill, Troy Chandler and Will Couzner, with Adelaide answering with one run in the bottom of the second, on Cann’s RBI single.

The Angels then seemed to take control of the game with a four-run rally in the bottom of the third, after hits to Lachlan Pace, Tracey, Forney, Welch and Cann, to lead 5-2, with another run in the fifth, on Damon’s sac fly.

But the Redsox climbed back into the game with two runs in the sixth, after a pair of hit batters, two walks and Dylan Lester’s RBI single.

Everything was turned upside-down at the top of the eighth when East Torrens made a stunning charge, scoring four runs, after hits to Carter Powell, Lester and Jay Sanderson, an error and Aiden Lucas’ two-run double, to grab an 8-6 advantage, before Adelaide made its unbelievable recovery.

WEST TORRENS DID MOST of the scoring early in a 4-2 win over Southern Districts at Christies Beach.

At the top of the opening inning, Tom McGarry doubled, Sam McGarry singled, Mason Clavell had a RBI ground-out and Jacob Scott hit a run-scoring single up the middle.

Then in the second dig, Jude Barker was hit by a pitch, stole second base and scored on Jasper Clark’s single, while in the seventh, Oscar Weber walked and scored on another Clark hit, for a 4-0 advantage.

The Hawks rallied at the top of the eighth to get back into the game, scoring twice, after hits to Jake Campbell, Drew Davies, Luke Hansen and Brett Hattersley, but that was it.

Masa Sawada collected the win for the Eagles, conceding two hits for four strikeouts over six innings.

PORT ADELAIDE WAS too strong for Gawler Rangers at Semaphore, with a 12-2 victory.

The Magpies took advantage of three walks and RBI hits to Flynn McKee, Ethan Murphy and Tommy Bird to take a 4-0 lead at the bottom of the opening inning.

Gawler managed to respond with a pair of runs in the second frame, after Seb Hentze-Unger singled, Brad Przibilla had a RBI and reached on a wild throw, and Harry Grambau hit a RBI double.

But four walks, a Jack Stead double and Murphy’s two-run single saw another three Magpies runs in the third, and a 7-2 lead.

The Rangers pitching woes continued in the bottom of the fourth, when Port scored four runs, after three walks, a hit batsman and Flynn McKee’s two-run single.

Murphy collected his fourth hit of the game with a RBI single at the bottom of the seventh to end the contest.

Over the game’s final five innings, Gawler only managed one baserunner, Seb Heintze-Unger’s sixth-inning single, while nine Rangers were struck out.

Starting Magpies hurler Tyson McKee threw five frames for four hits and seven K2s for the win.

HENLEY & GRANGE WAS pecking away with single runs in four innings, before an explosive six-run seventh frame gave it a 10-0 mercy win at Mortlock Park against Goodwood.

The Rams scored a run in the second frame, after hits to Liam Bull and Landon Hernandez, another in the third on Bull’s sac fly, another in the fourth after Pat Inglis and Jet Clohessy collected hits and Phil Acosta had a sac fly, while in the sixth, speed-merchant Jack Partington singled, stole two bases and scampered home on a wild throw, for a 4-0 Henley lead.

Two-run hits by Clohessy and Wilson Lee were the highlights of the Rams’ big rally at the top of the seventh.

Veteran Indians’ hurler Darren Fidge came on in the seventh with none out and conceded two hits for two strikeouts for no runs, to help reduce the damage.

Lee started on the mound for the Rams and went six innings, conceding two hits for eight strikeouts.

* * * * *

Division one baseball results:

Northern Districts d Golden Grove Central Districts 7-6 (hits: North – Kondo, Fraser, J. Whelan, P. Whelan, Robinson, Clifton, Dziego (hr); GGCD – Walsh 2, Skein 2, Manzella, Shotton, Pearce, Green, Caskey. WP: N. Kondo; LP: N. Holt).

Adelaide d East Torrens 9-8 (hits: Adelaide – Welch 3, Tracey 2, Forney 2, Damon 2, Cann 2, Smith, Edwards, Pace; ET – Lucas 3, Powell 2, Lester 2, T. Chandler 2, Sanderson, Underhill, Couzner. WP: B. Ganley; LP: D. Lester).

Henley & Grange d Goodwood 10-0 (hits: H&G – Lee 3, Bull 2, Hernandez 2, Inglis 2, Clohessy 2, Partington, Garbella, Yonezawa; Goodwood – Cakebread, Cresswell. WP: W. Lee; LP: K. Takahashi).

Port Adelaide d Gawler Rangers 12-2 (hits: Port – Murphy 4, Arriola 2, F. McKee 2, Bird 2, Stead; Gawler -0 S. Heintze-Unger 2, Crawford, Child, Grambau. WP: T. McKee; LP: N. Antoine).

West Torrens d Southern Districts 4-2 (hits: WT – Clark 2, T. McGarry 2, S. McGarry 2, Scott, No. Vanderlinden; South – Campbell 2, Davies, N. Paparella, Hansen, Hattersley, McLeod. WP: M. Sawada; LP: N. Hutchings).

Premiership points: Henley & Grange 23, Adelaide 16, Sturt 16, Woodville 16, West Torrens 16, Port Adelaide 14, Southern Districts 14, East Torrens 12, Goodwood 9, Glenelg 8, GGCD 4, Kensington 4, Gawler Rangers 2, Northern Districts 2.