Rob's Wrap Up - Round 4

CELEBRATION OF A CENTURY

By Robert Laidlaw

EAST TORRENS CELEBRATED its centenary on Saturday in division one baseball with a 3-2 victory over Kensington at Payneham.

It was 100 years ago, in 1923, when East Torrens was born from the old Norwood club, which was celebrated with a major function on Friday night, with festivities continuing into Saturday, including the wearing of retro uniforms for the game.

The game was tight, as starting pitchers Dylan Lester for the Redsox and Kensington’s Riley Moore duked it out.

Lester scored the first run, in the bottom of the second, when he doubled, advanced to third base on Dalton Probert’s groundout and came home on a balk.

Then in the fourth frame, Probert sent the ball over the fence to stake East Torrens to a 2-0 lead.

Kensington finally came back into contention in the bottom of the eighth dig. With two out, Moore singled, which forced a pitching change. Mike Bishop reached on an error and the Platten brothers, Nick and Jack walked, which saw one run in and bases loaded.

Lindsay Barbary then came onto the mound in relief and walked a batter to make it 2-2, before retiring the third out.

The Redsox weren’t going to disappoint their legion of supporters on such a big occasion, and responded with a run in the bottom of the eighth.

Carter Powell walked, stole second base and, after two outs, came home on veteran Travis Underhill’s hit up the middle.

Although giving up two hits at the top of the ninth, Barbary struck out two batters to claim the win.

Lester threw 7.2 innings for five hits and eight strikeouts, while Moore went six frames for five hits and four K2s.

IN A 13-INNINGS NAILBITER, Woodville triumphed 5-4 over Southern Districts at Christies Beach, despite neither side collecting a safe hit after the sixth frame.

The Senators scored three runs at the top of the fifth inning to break the deadlock. Joel Chapman and AJ Verastegui singled, Greg Bravo was hit by a pitch, Callum Park had a RBI hit, Drew Janssen batted a run home with a grounder and Cesar Perez hit a sac fly.

It didn’t take long for the Hawks to respond, when in the bottom of the sixth frame, Carey McLeod walked, Luke Hansen singled and Nic Paparella smashed a three-run home run to tie up the ballgame, which was also the final hit of the game.

That 3-3 scoreline remained through the regulation nine digs, and the first two extra innings. But at the top of the 12th Woodville managed to break through, when its placed runner scored on an error.

In the bottom of the 12th South followed suit when its placed runner came home on an error, forcing a 13th frame.

And it happened again, as Woodville’s placed runner came home after an error, but this time the Hawks could not respond – as Senators’ reliever Troy Nicholson struck out the side.

Verastegui pitched six innings for four hits and 13 strikeouts for Woodville, with relievers Janssen (two innings for three K2s), Perez (2.1 frames for a pair of K2s), Todd Vansteensel (one dig, one K2) and Nicholson (1.2 innings for four K2s) not giving up a hit.

For the Hawks, starter Brett Hattersley threw five frames for six hits and two K2s, while Mick Johnston (four frames, three K2s) and Nick Hutchings (four innings, one K2), also did not surrender a hit.

ANOTHER EXCITING EXTRA-INNINGS game was played at Glenelg, where West Torrens managed to sneak home 14-13 against the Tigers.

Jacob Scott was the game’s hero, as he hit a two-run bomb at the top of the 10th, and pitched through a tense bottom of the frame to claim the win from the mound.

After six innings the score was 11-11, with neither side adding to the scoreline through the final three frames, forcing a 10th dig.

At the top of the 10th, with a placed runner on second base, Mason Clavell singled up the middle for a RBI, which was followed by Scott’s mighty clout over the leftfield wall, to make it 14-11.

But Glenelg still had to bat in the bottom of the 10th, with a runner on second base. After two outs, an error opened the door, as one run scored, and then Alex Steff batted in another with a single. But a flyball to leftfield was held by first gamer Carter Roe, which ended the game.

The Tigers opened well with six first inning runs, after four free passes, an error and hits to Connor Hill, Kai Reid and Briley Knight.

West Torrens fightback started at the top of the second frame when it scored three times, on Jude Barker’s home run.

Then at the top of the third dig, the Eagles closed to within one, after consecutive hits to Tom McGarry, Sam McGarry, Mason Clavell and Jacob Scott saw two runs in.

But Glenelg scored three times in the bottom of the third, helped by two walks, a hit batsman and an error. Kai Reid then smashed a dinger in the fourth, as the Tigers moved out to a 10-5 advantage.

West Torrens is always a threat to score runs in bunches, and at the top of the fifth scored twice, with Sam McGarry’s home run the highlight, while Glenelg managed one run at the bottom of the fifth.

The Eagles then exploded with four runs to tie up the ballgame at the top of the sixth, after three walks, a hit batsman, Tom McGarry’s RBI hit and an error – with none out.

Glenelg reliever Beau Kerns then entered the fray and struck out the next three batters, leaving the game tied at 11-11, which it remained until the 10th inning.

There was one chance for Glenelg in the seventh frame, after Knight tripled, and, with two out, Zane Judd smashed the ball to centrefield, which West Torrens’ outfielder Jasper Clark was able to run down and take an amazing catch to quell that threat.

GOODWOOD HAD A SCARE but held on to beat Gawler Rangers 9-7 at Mortlock Park, and remain undefeated in the 2023-24 season.

The first inning saw both sides score a run, with Dylan Child batting a one home on his grounder, while Matt Hutchings had a RBI single for the Indians.

That 1-1 scoreline remained until the bottom of the fourth, where Goodwood scored five times, after Griff Weber and Jack Bushell walked, Hutchings singled and Koki Takahashi had a two-run hit, while three costly errors then seemed to rip the life out of the game, as the Indians led 6-1.

Another two runs at the bottom of the sixth, after hits to Peter Paech, Brodie Heeps and Josh Cakebread, and Weber’s sac fly, seemed to end any of the Rangers hopes of a revival.

But revive Gawler did at the top of the seventh frame, with three runs. Noah Okeil and Boyd Worden picked walks, and both came home on Zak Heintze-Unger’s triple. Then Aiden Prokopec had a RBI single, to reduce the margin to four, at 8-4.

In the bottom of the seventh it looked like Goodwood was mounting another big rally, when Bushell singled and Takahashi reached on an error, before Billy Sutton smashed the ball to deep rightfield, which ended up a triple, but only scored one run, as Okeil relayed the ball to see catcher Child make the play at home.

Another outstanding outfield play in the bottom of the eighth dig helped the Rangers get out of trouble, when Seb Heintze-Unger took a great running catch in centrefield and relayed the ball in to double up the runner at first base.

With just one more chance to get back into the game, at the top of the ninth, Gawler would not just lay down.

Okeil reached on an error, Worden singled and Zac Heintze-Unger loaded the bases with a walk. Prokopec had a two-run single and a third run came home on a wild pitch, but that was it, as the Rangers fell just two runs short.

TRAILING FOR MOST of the game at Semaphore against Port Adelaide, Sturt scored three runs at the top of the ninth and held on for a meritorious 8-7 victory, and remained undefeated.

With the scores locked at 5-5 going into the top of the ninth, Tyrell Joyce doubled, Dayton Mitchell walked, Blake Farr hit a RBI double, Zac Altamura had a RBI single and an error scored a third run, for an 8-5 lead – Sturt’s first of the game.

Still the Magpies had to bat in the bottom of the ninth, and they put up a good fight but fell just one run short.

Ethan Murphy walked, Michael Schrapel singled, Nick Vasic had a RBI hit and Will Paech batted a second run in with his groundout, but ‘that’s all she wrote’.

Port went to a 3-0 lead after three innings, scoring twice in the first dig on Todd Trebilcock’s double and another in the third, when Jack Stead singled and made his way around the basepaths.

Terrel Joyce hit a solo home run at the top of the fourth to get the Saints started, but Port responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame, after hits to Nick Vasic and Trebilcock, and Stead’s sac fly, to lead 5-1.

But Sturt was up to the challenge and scored twice at the top of the fifth, after Jonas Garcia singled, Mitch Lightbody was hit by a pitch, Jordan McArdle had a RBI hit and Joyce batted another in with his groundout.

Then Lightbody evened the game at 5-5 with a two-run dinger at the top of the seventh inning, which led to the exciting conclusion in the ninth.

A MAGNIFICENT PITCHING performance by Jordy Grose paved the way for Henley & Grange’s 10-0 victory over Golden Grove Central Districts at West Lakes.

Through seven innings from the mound, Grose only conceded one hit, while collecting 13 strikeouts.

Dodgers’ starter John Inglis was also sharp, giving up five hits in five frames for 10 K2s, but lacked support in the field and from the batters’ box.

The big inning for the Rams was the second, where they scored four runs, after hits to Pat Inglis and Luke Trevaskis, two walks and a three-run error.

Wilson Lee smashed a solo dinger in the bottom of the fifth, to make it 5-0 before Inglis left the game.

Henley scored another two runs in the sixth, after hits to Inglis and Jack Partington, as well as a nifty double steal.

Then in the bottom of the eighth finished the game with three runs, after Luke Trevaskis doubled, Jay Couzner had a RBI single, Acosta hit and Lee topped the scoring off with his two-run single.

ADELAIDE SCORED FIVE first-inning runs and kept going to beat Northern Districts 18-0 at Ingle Farm.

With six hits, including Brady Smith’s two-run single, the Angels laid the foundation of its win with those five opening frame runs.

Smith hit a dinger in the third, Max Tracey had a two-run homer in the fourth, and Henry Cann put one over the fence in the fifth with a man on, while Ty Forney had a two-run double in the seventh.

Billy Damon started on the mound for Adelaide and gave up two hits in four frames for two strikeouts, while Tracey, Stefan Welch and Chris Congdon all threw an inning each.

* * * * *

Division one baseball results:

East Torrens d Kensington 3-2 (hits: ET – Underhill 2, Ashcroft, Powell, Lester, Probert (hr), Chandler; Kensington – Moore 4, L. Spratt, Butterwick, J. Splatt. WP: L. Barbary; LP: A. Tanner).

Goodwood d Gawler Rangers 9-7 (hits: Goodwood – Heeps 2, Cakebread 2, Hutchings 2, Bushell, Takahashi, Sutton, Paech; Gawler – Worden 2, Z. Heintze-Unger 2, Prokopec 2, S. Heintze-Unger 2, Przibilla, Antoine. WP: T. Fitzgerald; LP: S. Heintze-Unger).

West Torrens d Glenelg 14-13 in 10 innings (hits: WT – Clavell 3, Scott 3 (hr), T. McGarry 2, S. McGarry 2 (hr), Clark, Barker (hr), Weber; Glenelg – Knight 2, Reid 2 (hr), Mathews, Judd, Hill, Steff, Sato, Huttunen. WP: J. Scott; LP: B. Kerns).

Henley & Grange d Golden Grove Central Districts 10-0 (hits: H&G – Lee 3 (hr), Inglis 2, Trevaskis 2, Couzner 2, Partington, Bull Acosta; GGCD - Manzella. WP: J. Grose; LP: J. Inglis).

Adelaide d Northern Districts 18-0 (hits: Adelaide – Damon 4, Smith 4 (hr), Tracey 3 (hr), Forney 3, Callaghan 3, Pace 3, Cann 2 (hr), Edwards 2, Chapman; North – Kondo, Clifton, P. Whelan, Lambert. WP: B. Damon; LP: Z. Tomaszek).

Sturt d Port Adelaide 8-7 (hits: Sturt – McArdle 3, Joyce 3 (hr), Garcia 2, Knuckey, Lightbody (hr), Brebner-Ross, Farr, Altamura; Port – Trebilcock 3, Vasic 2, F. McKee 2, Stead, Steigert, M. Schrapel. WP: M. Lightbody; S. Steigert).

Woodville d Southern Districts 5-4 in 13 innings, (hits: Woodville – Park 2, Janssen, Perez, J. Chapman, Verastegui; South – Hansen 2, N. Paparella (hr), Short. WP: T. Nicholson; LP: N. Hutchings).

Premiership points: Sturt 8, Henley & Grange 7, Goodwood 7, East Torrens 6, West Torrens 6, Glenelg 4, Southern Districts 4, Adelaide 4, Woodville 4, Gawler Rangers 2, GGCD 2, Kensington 2, Port Adelaide 0, Northern Districts 0.