By Sean Talbot
It was another strong weekend for the Upwey Ferntree Gully Tigers Baseball Club this past weekend, with all four senior men’s teams recording wins and the clubs two Masters teams officially turning on the lights at Kings Park.
Travelling to Barclay Reserve in Albion to take on Sunshine, the Firsts were able to weather the early flurry of offense from the home side, doing enough to stay in the game through nine innings before exploding for seven runs in the top of the 10th inning to run away eventual winners 10-6.
With Jack Ratcliffe and Ryder Wilson in Brisbane playing for the Melbourne Aces in the ABL, the Tigers got creative with their defensive positioning without sacrificing any of their offensive strength, with catcher Jordan Elliott (centerfield), DH Donavon Hendricks (right field) and closer Staci Rogers (third base) all manning irregular defensive positions within the starting line-up. Upwey got on the board first in the top of the second inning, as base hits to Flynn Morrison and Randy Senn put two runners on before Rogers took advantage of a Sunshine error to lift a sacrifice fly ball to score Morrison. Sunshine answered back with three runs in the bottom half of the inning, courtesy of a lead-off home run from Jamie Young before a two run double off the bat of Jordan Young pushed the score to 3-1.
Upwey added a second run in the top of the fourth inning after Elliott led off with a single, Josh Hendricks was walked, Morrison laid down a bunt that could not be handled before Donavon Hendricks put a ball in play to score Elliott. The Tigers scored again the top of the sixth inning on the back of a Randy Senn single that scored Elliott, who had reached base earlier in the inning on an infield error, leveling the game at 3-3. Neither team could score again within the 9 innings played, but Upwey took full advantage of the extra innings rule that sees runners on first and second to start the inning, stringing together seven hits and a walk to score seven runs and blow the game wide open, now holding a 10-3 lead. Reliever Sean Meldrum, who entered the game in the bottom of the ninth after 8 sensational innings from Jarrod Turner, kept the Eagles in check to shut the gate and close the Tigers 10-6 win.
The Tigers got base hits from all hitters in the line-up, with Wade McConnon (two hits, one RBI), Morrison (two hits), Donavon Hendricks (two hits, two RBI) and Senn (two hits, three RBI) were best on offense, whilst Turner was brilliant on the mound, going eight innings, giving up only three runs in the second inning to give his side every chance to stay in the game before Meldrum took over for the last two innings.
Playing in the early game and needing a win after back-to-back losses, the Seconds were in full wrecking ball mode, exploding for seven runs in the second and five in the third to do more than enough to come out on top against the Eagles, 16-9.
Despite recording the same amount of hits (eight) as the Eagles, the Tigers were gifted 15 walks from the Sunshine pitching staff which they took full advantage of, with all base hits coming with runners on base/in scoring position to keep the scoreboard ticking over. The Eagles were not willing to simply roll over however, scoring three in the first and four in the second to keep the onus on the visitors to keep scoring runs to ensure they would come away with the points. The Tigers ensured that the Eagles pitcher/catcher battery was also put to the sword, swiping 10 bases as a team in a display that proves that while walks will always come back to haunt you, being unable to stop the running game can be just as damaging, and combining the two will always lead to free scoring.
All nine Tigers hitters recorded at least one walk and six of the nine recorded hits, production manager Ben Thorn has been taking full advantage and a welcome return after some less-than-ideal output the previous two weeks. Dan Smith (three innings) and Harry Snoxell (one inning) shared pitching duties for Upwey, and while neither was at their best, they were more than enough on the day to record the points for Upwey.
Hosting the visiting Moorabbin Panthers, the Thirds held on in what was a low scoring thriller at Kings Park. Sending Pat Gawith to the mound, the Tigers got six brilliant innings from the young right hander who surrendered just three hits and five walks whilst striking out eight in easily his best appearance of the season to date before Steve Johnson threw the seventh to seal the win for the Tigers.
With scores deadlocked at 0-0 through the first three innings, the Panthers struck twice in the top of the fourth inning, stringing together two doubles and a walk to plate a pair before Gawith recorded a strikeout to escape the jam. Upwey answered in kind in the bottom half of the inning, as team skipper Tarquin Booth laced a two-run single to centerfield to score Johnson and Steve Williams to tie the game 2-2, followed by Richard Ferguson scoring on a bases loaded fielder’s choice to give Upwey a 3-2 lead, one which they would not relinquish for the remainder of the game.
Despite attempting to mount rallies in the fifth and sixth innings, the Panthers could not put enough pressure on Gawith who made important pitches in key situations to deny the visitors any further runs before Johnson slammed the gate with a scoreless seventh inning. Hits were hard to come by on the day, with Moorabbin picking up four and Upwey three, however the Panthers three errors ended up being the difference in the fourth after Booth’s two-run single.
The win improves the teams record to 7-1 on the season as they continue to hold first place on the league ladder, turning their attention to seventh placed Mornington in a game that will see the Tigers on the road to CB Wilson Reserve on Sunday.
Setting the stage for close results in the early game, the Fourths edged past the visiting Panthers in a thriller, doing enough to run away winners 2-0 at home.
Receiving a brilliant five inning scoreless start from Dom McGrath, the Tigers plated one in the second and one in the sixth to provide McGrath and closer Oscar Monagas with all the support they needed as they tightened the screws on the Panthers hitters. McGrath was at his mercurial best, giving up a measly two hits and no walks while inducing a lot of weak contact before Monagas surrendered just a single hit and two walks over the final two innings, with both pitchers showing the form that led the team to the premiership last season.
Stephen Johnson (two hits) and Ferguson (one hit, one RBI) led the way for the Tigers on offense during a game where hits were hard to come by as Moorabbin starter Andrew Fielder surrendered just five hits and no walks in a brilliant start as he did everything he could to keep his side in the game.
The win sees the Tigers maintain their stranglehold on second place on the league ladder as they get ready to take on seventh place Mornington next weekend in a game that should be another pearler.
Offense was the order of the day during the Tigresses game against Waverley Black as the teams combined for 24 runs, 16 hits 14 walks and 25 stolen bases, with Upwey scoring runs in all four innings and Waverley scoring in three of their four innings with seven in the last enough to come from behind to snatch the points at the death.
Leadoff Billie McCulloch (three walks), Jess McDonald (one hit, three RBI) and clean-up hitter Zienna McCulloch (two hits, one RBI) led the way for the Tigresses as the teams all-lineup approach to offense continued to provide positive returns, however the experience of the Waverley hitters was the difference maker on the day as they snatched a win from the jaws of defeat in a game that both teams can surely be proud of and work to become better as a result of.
Hayley Mather took the start for the Tigresses and worked two solid innings before Chelsea Mosbey was tasked with the third and fourth innings, again working hard and throwing plenty of strikes during her appearance.
The result sees the Tigresses record sit at 4-2-1 which is good enough for fourth place on the league ladder as they host second placed Moorabbin this coming weekend in what will be a must-win game for both teams as they approach the half-way point of the season.
