It was a bolt out of the blue for current premiers Central in Friday night’s replay of last season’s Mount Gambier and District Baseball League grand final series when they emphatically destroyed last season’s runners-up Tigers.

In one of the largest margins recorded in A Grade, Major A and Division 1 baseball history Central inflicted the worst defeat between the two clubs since Tigers joined the competition in 1982.

The Central batters scored runs in every one of the six innings played before the mercy rule was called after two hours of play.

Five and six runs were scored from the two innings that Tigers pitcher Garth Ransom threw before he was replaced on the mound by Mitchell Thomson who gave up 2, 6, 2 and 3 runs in his four innings on the hill.

Six fielding errors did not help their cause along with the Magpies continually hitting the ball into play collecting 26 safe-hits along the way.

Central chucker Koby Chant pitched the perfect six dig game giving up zero hits and zero runs while the fielders backed him up with errorless baseball.

Tigers have lost quite a few of their players from last year’s grand final team and are going through a rebuild, adding some of their talented juniors to the side.

They will need a little time to integrate these players into the team but with time on their side they will no doubt become a much more competitive outfit.


Demons come out firing

In atrocious conditions the Demons easily defeated a courageous Indians in Saturday’s last game of the day after the red and white’s failed to score a run.

Batting second in the first dig Federal scored one run after Riley Rolph singled to rightfield and was batted in by Matt Nicholls.

It was not until the fourth innings they scored more.

Leadoff batter Dean Searcy walked and scored on Alex Pearson’s double to rightfield followed by Riley Rolph who singled to leftfield.

Pitcher Alex Reppin stepped up to the plate and slammed the ball to centrefield for a home run also scoring the previous two runners.

Matt Nicholls was the fourth consecutive safe hitter knocking the ball into leftfield and scored on Roy Hutchesson’s deep hit to centrefield.

Single runs were scored in the next four innings with the last one scoring on a wild pitch giving the umpire the opportunity to call the game on a 10 run to 0 mercy and allow all and sundry to come in out of the weather.

South tried hard all night but could not get wood on the ball as Reppin retired 10 of their batters with strike outs.