Rob's Wrap Up - Round 7

ANOTHER INDIANS v MAGPIES EXTRA INNINGS THRILLER

By Robert Laidlaw

ONE OF THE MOST famous games in Baseball SA history was the 1972 grand final, where Port Adelaide beat Goodwood 4-2 in 19 innings.

On Saturday at Semaphore, in division one baseball, it was another classic encounter between these two proud clubs, with the Magpies triumphing 2-1 in 11 frames.

In fact, neither side scored in the regulation nine digs, or in the 10th inning.

The drought was finally broken in the top of the 11th when Goodwood scored the game’s first run.

Josh Cakebread was the placed runner on second base and went to third on a wild pitch, then came home on Hunter Cooper’s infield groundout – 1-0 the Indians.

But Port still had to bat, and although not recording a hit scored twice to win the ballgame 2-1 in the bottom of the 11th.

Flynn McKee was the placed runner, Jack Stead walked, and Ethan Murphy was intentionally put on, to load the bases.

But Michael Schrapel also walked to force in the equalising run, and after a strikeout, Jesse Stemberger’s infield ground-out saw Stead scamper home for the match-winning score.

Obviously pitching was the story of the game, with only a total of three hits recorded on the day, with Goodwood collecting two and the Magpies one.

For Port, Tyson McKee started and threw seven innings, for two hits and 13 strikeouts. Stemberger then pitched two hit-less frames for one K2, while Samuel Steigert collected the win, after two digs of hit-less innings for one K2.

Koki Takahachi threw the first five frames for the Indians, for no hits and six strikeouts, while Tom Fitzgerald was the unlucky loser, as he pitched 5.1 innings for one hit and six K2s.

IN ANOTHER THRILLER, Henley &Grange held on for an exciting 2-1 victory over East Torrens at Payneham.

The Rams broke open the 0-0 ballgame at the top of the fifth frame, when Liam Bull reached third base on an error and scored when Luke Trevaskis singles to rightfield.

But the Redsox had the immediate answer in the bottom of the fifth, when Dalton Probert walked, advanced to third base on Travis Underhill’s single and came home when Aiden Lucas hit a sacrifice fly down the middle.

With two out, Henley scored the game’s final run at the top of the sixth. Jack Partington singled, stole second base and came charging home on Wilson Lee’s hit.

East Torrens made its final major challenge in the bottom of the seventh, when with one out, Mark Stewart and Probert collected singles to force a pitching change.

Rams’ starter Jordy Grose had pitched 6.1 innings for four hits and three strikeouts, with Lee then finishing the game from the mound, allowing just one hit in 2.2 innings for three K2s to shut the Redsox out the rest of the way.

Charlie Ashcroft took the loss, after conceding four hits for five strikeouts in 5.2 frames. Lindsay Barbary threw an inning, while Dylan Lester pitched the final 2.1 digs for one hit and one K2.

Henley collected five hits in the game – three to Partington and one each to Trevaskis and Lee, both batting a run in with singles.

AND WEST TORRENS WON another close one, as it beat Adelaide 3-0 at Plympton, to move clear into the top four.

The Eagles sored a run at the top of the first, when Jacob Scott legged out an infield hit and went from first to home on Tom McGarry’s single up the middle.

But then it was lights out for the next six innings, as that 1-0 lead was still holding going into the top of the eighth, where West Torrens scored twice.

That eighth was not pretty, as Tyrone Hambly and Jasper Clark were hit by pitches. Then James McFarlane laid down a sacrifice bunt, Oscar Weber had a run-scoring single and Nico Vanderlinden batted another run in with his fielder’s choice.

It could have been more, as Scott, the next batter, singled to Angels’ leftfielder Dan Jones, who threw Vanderlinden out at third base to end the rally.

Adelaide had its chances earlier, when in the bottom of the sixth, Ty Forney and Billy Damon singled and with runners on second and third bases there was none out.

But on Brayden Edwards fly to centrefield, Clark caught the ball and with a tremendous throw, nipped the speedy Forney out at the plate.

Clark had a super day in the outfield with five catches and that assist, with his diving effort in the fifth a marvellous catch.

From the mound, Masakiyo Sawada was the winner, as he conceded two hits for two strikeouts in 3.2 innings. Starter Jarod Large went four frames for four hits and four K2s, while Will Kortekaas mopped up, giving up one hit for one K2 in 1.1 digs.

IF KENSINGTON COULD BAT it would be dangerous, as the Cardinals lost another close one, going down 2-0 to Sturt at Mitcham – although missing the Platten brothers Nick and Jack, and big bat Austin Gallagher.

The only runs of the game came in the bottom of the fifth inning, for the Saints. Harry Knuckey had an infield single, Simon Adkins bunted him to second base, Terrell Joyce walked, and a wild pitch and wild throw later, both had scored and Sturt was 2-0 up.

A double by Tyler Butterwick in the seventh frame was the only time Kensington had a runner on second base.

Josh Tindall is having a wonderful season and again was the key to his side’s victory, as he threw eight innings for four hits and eight strikeouts. Matt Williams cleaned up the final frame, facing four hitters.

Ali Tanner pitched a one-hitter for five innings in taking the loss, collecting five strikeouts, while Greg Mosel gave up one hit for three K2s in three frames.

A RUSH OF LATE RUNS, broke open a close ballgame, as Glenelg beat Golden Grove Central Districts 8-0 at the Bay.

The first run of the game was set up by Zane Judd’s single, after an error in the opening inning.

That 1-0 Tigers lead held up until the bottom of the seventh, when Glenelg scored three times, on two walks, Kai Reid RBI single, a double steal, and Beau Kerns RBI hit.

A four-run bottom of the eighth closed out the scoring, where the Tigers took advantage of two walks, two errors and a big Jaikob Mathews double.

Jayden Eldridge collected the win, after pitching five innings for four hits and five strikeouts. Reliever Stephen Chamblee threw three frames for no hits and four K2s.

Dodgers starter Nathan Holt gave up five hits for five strikeouts in six innings in taking the loss.

BIG HITS PAVED THE WAY for Southern Districts 11-0 victory over Northern Districts at Christies Beach.

The first inning featured two walks and hits to Ben Short and Jake Campbell, as the Hawks scored twice to open a 2-0 lead.

Then in the third frame, three walks set up Tyson Schunke’s three-run triple, with an error making it four runs for the rally, and a 6-0 advantage.

In the bottom of the fifth Nick Hutchings hit a two-run dinger, as did Ben Short in a three-run sixth.

WOODVILLE WENT ON A BATTING spree to beat Gawler Rangers 10-1 at Evanston Gardens.

Over the first five innings there was no stopping the Senators’ batting machine, as it went 10-0 up in the top of the fifth.

Troy Nicholson had a RBI double in the opening frame, then hits to Joel Chapman, Armando Ramirez, Greg Bravo and Drew Janssen saw another two runs in the second dig, and it was 3-0 Woodville.

Then at the top of the fourth, with two out, Bravo walked, Janssen had a RBI double and Cesar Perez hit a RBI single, to extend the advantage to 5-0.

A pitching change made no difference to the Senators, as they proceeded to score five runs at the top of the fifth, with Perez’s three-run double the big hit – but not the highlight of the dig, as Gawler leftfielder Aiden Prokopec took a candidate for play of the season, when he ‘ran a mile’ and took a sensational dive and grab, for the out.

In the bottom of the fifth the Rangers scored their only run of the game, when Dylan Child doubled and eventually came home on a wild pitch.

While Prokopec’s catch was still whirling in the minds of everyone who had witnessed it, the sixth inning saw another highlight reel play, when Gawler centrefielder Boyd Worden took a classic, which unfortunately for him was only the second best catch of the day, but arguable the second best of the season!

Janssen pitched five innings for the win, conceding four hits for four strikeouts. Reliever AJ Verastegui gave up one hit for four K2s in four frames.

* * * * *

Division one baseball results:

Port Adelaide d Goodwood 2-1 in 11 innings (hits: Port – Steigert; Goodwood – Cakebread, Weber. WP: S. Steigert; LP: T. Fitzgerald).

Sturt d Kensington 2-0 (hits: Sturt – Knuckey, Brebner-Russ; Kensington – L. Spratt, Butterwick, Allen, J. Spratt. WP: J. Tindall; LP: A. Tanner).

Glenelg d Golden Grove Central Districts 8-0 (hits: Glenelg – Mathews 2, Reid 2, Ross 2, Judd, Kerns; GGCD – Manzella, Pearce, Conry, Green. WP: J. Eldridge; LP: N. Holt).

Southern Districts d Northern Districts 11-0 (hits: South – Short 2 (hr), Campbell 2, Davies, N. Paparella, Schunke, Hutchings (hr); North – Fraser, P. Whelan, Tomaszek, Clifton. WP: T. Pearce; LP: N. Kondo).

Henley & Grange d East Torrens 2-1 (hits: H&G – Partington 3, Lee, Trevaskis; ET – Lester, Stewart, Probert, Underhill, Couzner. WP: J. Grose; LP: C. Ashcroft).

West Torrens d Adelaide 3-0 (hits: WT – Scott 2, T. McGarry 2, S. McGarry 2, Weber 2, Clavell, Clark; Adelaide – Forney 3, Damon, Edwards, Smith, Pace. WP: M. Sawada; LP: P. Nagle).

Woodville d Gawler Rangers 10-1 (hits: Woodville – Janssen 3, Perez 2, Fienemann 2, A. Ramirez 2, T. Nicholson, Moore, J. Chapman, N. Nicholson, Verastegui, Bravo; Gawler – Worden, Grambau, Prokopec, Child, Okeil. WP: D. Janssen; LP: N. Antoine).

Premiership points: Sturt 14, Henley & Grange 13, East Torrens 10, West Torrens 10, Adelaide 8, Glenelg 8, Southern Districts 8, Woodville 8, Goodwood 7, Port Adelaide 6, Gawler Rangers 2, GGCD 2, Kensington 2, Northern Districts 0.