By Sean Talbot
In a game that featured bad luck, weird plays and a myriad of what could politely be described as “an umpire having a rough day”, the Upwey Ferntree Gully Tigers five-game winning streak came to an end at the hands of the Williamstown Wolves at Greenwich Reserve on Sunday afternoon.
Under cloudy skies with plenty of wind off the bay, the conditions were less than ideal for summer baseball, the Tigers sent ace Jarrod Turner to the mound to match up against Williamstown’s American import Brandon Bebee who has been tearing through the league since his arrival earlier in the season, not giving up a single run to date.
Trading scoreless innings in the first, the Tigers were kept off the board in the top of the second, before a leadoff double from Bebee saw the Wolves plate their first run for the day to take a 1-0 lead.
Settling into his work, Turner kept the Wolves off the board in the third while duelling Bebee, who utilised his slider-heavy repertoire to keep the Tigers hitters off balance and off the basepaths.
The Tigers broke through Bebee’s dominance and onto the scoreboard in the top of the fourth, courtesy of catcher Jordan Elliott’s moonshot home run that was last seen landing near Yarraville.
Turner parlayed this game-tying run into another scoreless inning in the bottom of the fourth. To his credit, Bebee was absolutely sensational on the day, quieting the normally potent Tigers line-up to the tune of only four hits allowed whilst striking out 11. The Wolves themselves scored their second run in the bottom of the fifth after a walk, a hit and some aggressive baserunning allowed Harper Rickard to lift a sacrifice fly to right field.
Trading scoreless sixth innings, the Tigers were held off the board again in the seventh as Bebee gave way to Jason Lester who was looking to close the door on the visitors.
After a scoreless top of the seventh, the circus music was queued as bad calls became worse calls, and a series of plays that would be expected at a Little League game took place as the home side found three runs to push the score to 5-1, as Turner gave way to Sean Meldrum to escape the jam.
To their credit, the Tigers hit back in the top of the 8th as Elliott and Staci Rogers peppered the left field wall, both nearly leaving the yard but settling for doubles as the Tigers forced across a run, however any momentum was handed back to the Wolves as they plated another two as Meldrum battled a dancing strike zone.
Entering the ninth looking to collar a historically wayward Lester, the Wolves jumped the tall righty for four runs, courtesy of a hit batter, two walks, a hit and a two- run Josh Hendricks bomb to pull the Tigers within one run. Lester had different ideas however, as he struck out Wade McConnon to end the game and hand the game to the Wolves by the narrowest of margins.
Elliott was the pick of the hitters for the Tigers with four hits including a home run and two doubles to go along with two RBI, while Staci Rogers added a double and Josh Hendricks his two-run home run. The loss sees the Tigers record fall to 7-6, still good enough to keep them tied for sixth as they look ahead to tough matchups against Doncaster on Tuesday and Essendon on Saturday to close out the first half of the season. A win in either game will surely secure a top eigh spot and ensure the Tigers get a chance to play off for their third-consecutive Ross Straw Trophy as Division 1 Premiers.
In the seconds’ curtain raiser, the Tigers put the Wolves on the back foot from the get-go, as leadoff hitter Ryder Wilson tattooed a ball off the base of the left field wall to coast into third with a triple and would eventually come around to score. Starting on short notice, Jack Ratcliffe was solid in his three innings of work as he kept the Wolves off the board before handing the ball to Travis Milz, who struggled mightily before being relieved by Daniel Smith, who was sensational in relief whilst ensuring the Tigers had sufficient time to continue scoring and put the game out of reach. The win sees the Tigers improve to 8-2 but fall to second on the ladder behind Geelong, who are 7-1 after suffering back-to-back washouts.
In the thirds, the Tigers continued their winning ways, racking up an 8-5 win to send the visitors home to the Western suburbs with a lot to think about and things to improve on. While certainly not a blow-out result, the Tigers were never properly challenged on the day, and will definitely be buoyed by the result that highlights the strength and depth of their core group of players. The win sees the team improve to 6-2 on the season and in a tie for third place.
In the fourths, batboy/rookie coach extraordinaire Tate Sadler kept his troops rolling in the right direction, putting an experienced Williamstown team to the sword and throwing up a 10-0 result.
While never really challenged, the result provides much needed momentum as the Tigers look ahead to a top of the table clash against Essendon next weekend, in a game that will see the leagues powerhouse offense come against the leagues stingiest defense in what promises to be an absolute barnburner.
In the Metro League East fifths, the Tigers travelled to Monash Uni and promptly schooled the hosts, belting them to the tune of a 19-4 result that more closely resembled a brutal defeat in battle that some of the university’s History majors would be akin to learning. The win sees the team improve to 6-4 on the season and in fourth place, well positioned for a run at the leaders after the Christmas break.
In the Metro League South sixths, the visiting Chelsea team certainly gave the Tigers the Blues, beating them from pillar to post and back again in a 17-1 flogging that they will prefer to move on from as quickly as is possible. The beating sees the team fall to 5-5 but still clearly in third place on the ladder.
The Lady Tigers continue to be the measuring stick in the Metro South competition as they travelled down the Princes Freeway to Pakenham on Saturday and promptly declawed the Pumas, running out with a convincing 11-4 victory that featured plenty of team hitting and pressure being applied throughout the Lady Tiger line-up. Unsurprisingly, staff ace Chelsea Mosbey gave the visitors another brilliant start, giving her team plenty of time to keep the scoreboard ticking over and the runs flowing and they widened their lead.
The win sees the Lady Tigers maintain their stranglehold on 1st place, maintaining their perfect 9-0 record as they look ahead to a home game against the seventh-placed St Kilda to round out the year before the Christmas break.
