Going into round 4, Demons were eager to keep their undefeated record in tact, while Bandits looked to get their second win of the Mount Gambier Softball League season.
Sarah Nieuwenhuizen started the Demons’ innings off with 3 strikeouts at the mound, in addition to pressure on the bases from catcher Cody Manning intimidating any possible steals from Bandits’ base runners.
Bandits scored one run at their first bat.
Chantel MacDonald pitched for Bandits and managed one strikeout, but Demons started strong on the bat scoring five safe runs, for six runs home in the first.
Bandits looked to come back in the second, scoring six runs to put on the board, including a safe hit from Chantel MacDonald.
Demons hit back also scoring another five runs.
The last innings saw Bandits’ Bec Fox get a safe hit to progress her to first.
However, a double play from Kezia Feast and a caught fly to left by Simone Little, who also managed four solid safe hits during the game, ended the innings quickly with Bandits scoring no runs.
Pitcher Billie Jones only threw five pitches before the innings ended.
Demons looked to open up the score for the final dig, scoring another six runs home and finishing the match 17-7, leaving Demons undefeated for the season so far.
Warriors v Concordes White Warriors were looking to bounce back against Concordes White on a glorious day for softball after a one run loss to the undefeated Demons juggernaut last week.
Although she was “not feeling it” pre-game, probably because she was uncharacteristically early for warm up, Justine Koop led off with a crisp single, her first of four safe hits for the game.
The next hitter, Jarvo Queale, surprised coaching staff by shaping to bunt then surprised herself as she bunted the ball straight into her right eyeball to leave the game with two strikes and no balls for emergency bench player “The Smiling Assassin” Melissa Chuck to assume that count.
Chuck proceeded to smoke the very next pitch to the fence for a glorious in the park home run.
Warriors’ Caroline Bradshaw continued to impress early in the season with a runner batted in single to left, Kelly Doyle also hitting in that direction to White’s Kate Altschwager getting plenty of action on that side of the outfield.
Veteran Sam Brown took on the pitching duties for White, limiting Warriors to three runs in the top half of the first.
She then led off with an eight pitch walk much to the ire of her mate, Warriors pitcher Leyna Bruggemann, with that competitive fire in her belly, she struck out the next three White hitters.
Warriors debutant Haley Lindner singled over the head of Kylie Cook at third for White, then scored after a well placed Koop bunt and another laser from Chuck, doubling to left before scoring on a Bradshaw sacrifice fly.
Keely Lunsmann led off for White in the second with a single to centre but found herself doubled up by Chuck, covering Jarvo at third, who snagged a line shot off the bat of Lynley Pollard then threw over to Bradshaw at first to have Lunsmann for the third out and a score of 7-0.
Koop led off with a single, Sarah Polderman bunted safely, and with Bruggemann struggling to get bat on ball she decided to finally play the team game putting down a safe running bunt much to everyone’s surprise, loading up the bases for in-form Bradshaw.
She hit another sac fly, Dodsy Dodds ran out an infield single and Warriors ended the dig with another three.
White rallied, scoring two after a Brown infield single and a couple of Warriors fielding clangers.
Lindner stemmed the flow, snagging an important catch at right field off the bat of the dangerous Cook.
Brown nullified Warriors despite Koop’s crisp double, keeping Warriors scoreless in the fourth.
Warriors repaid the favour with three up three down, Bruggemann finishing with eight strikeouts and a 10-2 result moving them up the ladder to third.
Wanderers 15 Concordes United 9
A sunny Saturday afternoon on Remembrance Day provided a beautiful day for a great game of softball.
Both teams fielded and pitched well but it was the hitting that shone through on both sides of the field with 15 safe hits collectively for the game.
Early runs to both teams had the game off to a tight start.
Codie Jackway smashed a double to the fence scoring three, giving Concordes the edge at the half way point of the game.
From there, Wanderers got their act together and put on a seven run inning in the third and extended out to an 11-6 lead.
It was highlighted again for the third week in a row by LCF’s hitting, this time with a hard hit ball to right field allowing her to show off her wheels and pick up an in the park home run.
Concordes hit back with two of their own in the fourth, however it was not enough with Wanderers scoring four more and running away 15-9 winners.
