Rob's Wrap Up - Round 16

BASEBALL (February 10, 2024)

WOODVILLE WIN BIG

[Woodville v Adelaide photos by Paul Taeuber]

By Robert Laidlaw

THE MAJOR DIFFERENCE IN Woodville beating Adelaide 8-7 in division one baseball at Findon was the Senators’ big hitting.

Five of Woodville’s runs came from three home runs, with two, two-run dingers in the Senators’ four-run third inning the game-changer.

Adelaide looked the better side early, after Max Tracey had a RBI double in the first frame for a 1-0 lead, which was extended to 4-0 at the top of the third dig on Billy Damon’s three-run two-bagger.

After Woodville tied the scoreline in the bottom of the third, the Angels grabbed the lead again at the top of the fifth with a run, when Tracey tripled and scored on Damon’s single.

But the Senators firstly tied the scores to start the bottom of the fifth with another Janssen home run, then scored two more runs, after hits to Troy Nicholson, Joel Chapman and Daniel Chapman, helped by a couple of errors, for a 7-5 lead.

In the bottom of the sixth Wade Moore walked, and advanced on Cesar Perez’s single and came home of Mitch Fienemann’s grounder, to make it 8-5.

Adelaide would not just lay down and chipped away, with a run in the seventh, after Tracey was hit by a pitch, went to third base on Damon’s double and came home on a wild pitch, then at the top of the ninth took advantage of an error and Lachlan Pace’s RBI single, but that was it.

AJ Verastegui pitched seven innings for the win, conceding eight hits for four strikeouts.

IT WAS A BIG DAY AT West Lakes, where Henley & Grange honoured their past by wearing ‘retro’ uniforms, as the Rams powered away to beat Port Adelaide 10-0.

While Henley had a host of players do the job with the bat, Jordy Grose was sensational from the mound, conceding just two hits for 10 strikeouts over 6.2 innings.

Liam Bull doubled and scored on Koki Yonezawa’s bunt single to open the scoring in the bottom of the second dig, to give the Rams a 1-0 start.

Then a big bottom of the third saw Henley establish a huge lead, with four runs, after a pair of two-run dingers, by Adam Rowe and Patrick Inglis.

With Grose doing the job from the mound, the Rams kept value-adding, with a run in the fifth (on Wilson Lee’s RBI single), three in the sixth (after a pair of walks and hits from Inglis and Jet Clohessy), and one in the seventh (on Liam Bull’s sac fly).

AFTER KENSINGTON CONTROLLED most of its game against Southern Districts at Erindale, built on scoring three first-inning runs, the Hawks managed to steal the points late, to win 5-4.

At the top of that opening frame, Nick Platten and Austin Gallagher walked, Jack Platten hit a two-run single, Tyler Butterwick doubled and a wild pitch helped the Cardinals to a 3-0 lead.

South scored twice at the top of the fourth dig to close the gap, after Brett Hattersley singled, Ben Short walked, Byron Turner hit, an error and Jake Campbell’s RBI walk.

That 3-2 Kensington lead held up until the top of the eighth inning, when the Hawks scored twice to grab a 4-3 lead – Carey McLeod hit, Luke Hansen bunted, Nic Paparella reached on an error and Byron Turner had a RBI single.

Then at the top of the ninth, Paparella walked, stole second base and came home on Short’s hit up the middle, to go 5-3 up – an insurance run that paid dividends.

Almost in shock after surrendering the lead late, Kensington fought back in the bottom of the ninth.

Nick Platten singled and went to second base on Gallagher’s groundout. When Mike Bishop reached on a wild throw, one run scored, then Jack Platten hit a double and Tyler Butterwick was intentionally walked to load the bases, with one out.

The next batter was Austin Hassani, who hit to South third baseman Luke Hansen, who threw home for the force out, then fielded the next ball and accurately thew to first base for the final out, to preserve the Hawks’ victory.

Evan Soules pitched eight innings for eight hits and nine strikeouts to claim the win from the mound.

WITH ADELAIDE GIANTS’ ABL STARS Jordan McArdle and Rixon Wingrove in the line-up, Sturt won 16-6 against West Torrens at Lockleys.

A three-run first inning got the Saints started, which they never looked back from, and featured consecutive two-out hits to Wingrove, Terrell Joyce, McArdle and Dayton Mitchell.

Sam McGarry hit a solo home run in the bottom of the first to at least demonstrate that the Eagles were not just going to lay down.

But Sturt was relentless, with a run in the second frame after Zach Altamura doubled and Harry Knuckey had a RBI single, then really put a stamp on the game with a five-run third dig, which featured two-run hits to Jonas Garcia and Mitch Lightbody.

West Torrens kept pushing, with a highlight being Oscar Weber’s home run in the fourth inning, but the Saints had all the answers, including a four-run seventh dig, which featured a three-run Wingrove dinger and McArdle’s solo shot.

IT TOOK EXTRA INNINGS, but East Torrens came from the clouds to beat Golden Grove Central Districts 3-2 at Illyarrie Reserve.

The Dodgers went 2-0 up in the bottom of the second frame, after Noah Rodgers reached on a dropped catch, Nick Wallis singled Brandon Manzella walked, and Tom Walsh had a two-run hit.

And that’s how the game stayed, until the top of the ninth dig, when the Redsox scored twice to force extra innings – Jay Sanderson singled, Charlie Ashcroft doubled and both scored on Travis Underhill’s hit up the middle.

Then in the top of the 10th Will Couzner was placed at second base, advanced to third base on a wild pitch and came home on Luke Chandler’s sacrifice fly.

The Dodgers still had once more chance in the bottom of the 10th, but could not respond, despite having two runners on base and just one out.

East Torrens had a chance to break through earlier in the game, when at the top of the seventh inning, Sanderson doubled and Ashcroft walked, which forced a pitching change with none out. But Dodgers reliever Nathan Holt got the next three outs.

Ashcroft started on the hill for the Redsox and threw seven innings for seven hits and six strikeouts, while Will Couzner pitched three frames for the win, conceding one hit for three K2s.

Jared Hardman threw six scoreless innings to keep the Dodgers in the game, surrendering six hits for three K2s.

CONSISTENT SCORING HELPED GLENELG overcome Gawler Rangers at Karbeethan Reserve for a 9-6 victory.

The Tigers scored a run at the top of the second inning, after Connor Hill singed, went to second base on Elliott Ross’ bunt and came home on an error.

Then at the top of the fourth dig, Glenelg managed a pair of runs, after an error, three free passes and Tom Huttunen’s RBI single.

It looked like the Tigers were in full control when Alec Steff smashed a two-run home run at the top of the fifth, for a 5-0 advantage.

But Gawler has a lot of spirit and is always a threat to fight back, which it did, starting with three runs at the bottom of the fifth.

Brad Przibilla led off with a double, Nathan Schreier singled, Boyd Worden had a RBI fielder’s choice hit to centrefield, then singles to Forrest Crawford and Aiden Prokopec loaded the bases. Dylan Child had a RBI hit up the middle and Zac Heintze-Unger forced in another run when hit by a pitch.

Glenelg scored a run in the seventh, which could have been more, except for two magnificent fielding gems by Rangers’ leftfielder Zac Hentze-Unger, who made an assist to nip a runner at the plate, and then, after a catch, doubled up another runner at home plate, with another tremendous throw.

At the top of that seventh dig, the Tigers had three hits and two walks but only scored just one run!

And in the bottom of the seventh, Gawler scored a run to make it 6-4, on pinch-hitter Link Ryan’s RBI double.

It looked all over at the top of the eighth when Glenelg scored twice, after hits to Jaikob Mathews, Steff and Ross, but the tenacious Rangers also scored twice in the bottom of the eighth, after Przibilla and Noah Okeil hit singles, and both scored on Worden’s double.

Jacob Eldridge had a RBI single at the top of the ninth to make it 9-6, with Gawler unable to answer, this time.

* * * * *

Division one baseball results:

Woodville d Adelaide 8-7 (hits: Woodville – T. Nicholson 3 (hr), Janssen 2 (2 hr), Perez, J. Chapman, D. Chapman, J. Ramirez, Kuhn; Adelaide – Pace 3, Damon 3, Tracey 2, Ganley. WP: AJ Verastegui; LP: N. Callaghan).

Sturt d West Torrens 16-6 (hits: Sturt – McArdle 4 (hr), Knuckey 3, Joyce 3, Mitchell 3, Wingrove 2 (hr), Lightbody, Garcia, Altamura; WT – S. McGarry 3 (hr), T. McGarry, Clavell, Scott, McFarlane, Broome, Weber (hr). WP: K. Hampton; LP: M. Sawada).

Southern Districts d Kensington 5-4 (hits: South – Short 2, Turner 2, McLeod, Hattersley; Kensington – T. Butterwick 3, N. Platten 2, J. Platten 2, Allen 2, Bishop. WP: E. Soules; LP: K. Butterwick).

East Torrens d Golden Grove Central Districts 3-2 in 10 innings (hits: ET – Sanderson 3, Ashcroft 3, Powell, Lucas, Underhill; GGCD – Walsh 2, Skein 2, Conry, Green, Wallis, Manzella. WP: W. Couzner; LP: N. Holt).

Glenelg d Gawler Rangers 9-6 (hits: Glenelg – Steff 3 (hr), Mathews 2, Hill 2, Ross 2, Jas. Eldridge, Kerns, Huttunen, Day; Gawler – Prokopec 3, Child 2, Ryan 2, Przibilla 2, Worden, Crawford, Schreier, Okeil. WP: T. Harrison; LP: S. Heintze-Unger).

Henley & Grange d Port Adelaide 10-0 (hits: H&G – Inglis 3 (hr), Lee 2, Hernandez 2, Rowe 2 (hr), Bull, Yonezawa, Clohessy; Port – T. McKee, Trebilcock. WP: J. Grose; LP: J. Stemberger).

Goodwood d Northern Districts 11-0.

Premiership points: Henley & Grange 39, Sturt 30, Adelaide 28, Woodville 27, West Torrens 26, Port Adelaide 24, Southern Districts 24, Glenelg 21, Goodwood 19, East Torrens 17, Kensington 13, Gawler Rangers 8, GGCD 4, Northern Districts 2