In Friday Night’s Mount Gambier and District Baseball League Division 1 action at Blue Lake Sports Park Tigers proved far too strong for a struggling South Indians.
Batting first South’s leadoff batter Jett Lewis singled to leftfield and was batted in when Jesse Balshaw hit safely to centrefield.
Tigers put pressure on the Indians defence immediately, firing back with four runs in the even dig.
Ben Marcus hit safely to leftfield, Mitch Thomson scored on a hit into an error and Jai Hillstone loaded the bases when he hit into a fielder’s choice play.
Matt Thomson’s Texas leaguer to leftfield scored both Marcus and Thomson, Hillstone crossed home plate on Kane Harrison’s sacrifice flyball to centrefield and Thompson added the fourth run of the opening inning when Jake England hit into a play from shortstop, pushing the loaded bases runners toward home.
The orange and black added two more in the next inning when Ben Marcus drew a walk and Mitch Thomson hit landed safely In leftfield.
Kane Harrison’s safe-hit to leftfield scored Marcus and Jake Powell’s hit to third base scored Thomson.
Tigers were not done as they went on a scoring spree in their very next at bat.
Jake England picked a walk, Ben Marcus singled to centrefield, Mitch Thomson hit safely to leftfield which scored England and Jai Hillstone was hit by a pitched ball again loading all corners of the diamond.
Matt Thompson came up with a huge double to deep rightfield which cleared the bases bar himself standing up at second.
Kane Harrison’s hit landed in fair territory in leftfield, Thompson crossed home on a wild pitch, Jake Powell hit long to leftfield scoring Harrison and Jake England’s long shot to rightfield scored Powell, giving Tigers seven runs for the inning and a 13 run to 1 lead in mercy rule territory.
The Indians added one more to the score in the fourth dig after Ryan Placucci picked a base on ball and eventually scored on a wild pitch.
In the even fifth and the two hour mercy limit in sight, Tigers’ Joe Sims dropped a safe-hit into leftfield, Jake England followed with a hit to centrefield and Koby Stratman also landed a hit to the same place which scored Sims before side away and the end of the game due to the mercy rule with Tigers runaway winners 14 runs to 2.
MAGPIE MACHINE POWERS ON
Saturday’s late afternoon Division 1 game between Federal and Central at Blue Lake Sports Park resulted in a decisive result for the black and white.
Leadoff batter for Central Kyall McClean picked a walk first up and Dave Harris hit into an error at shortstop.
Alex Ridding’s sacrifice fly to leftfield scored McClean and Harris scored on Koby Chant’s two bagger to rightfield.
In the second dig Colby Muller was on board after a fielder’s choice, Daniel Ferguson hit safely to centrefield which scored Muller, Dave Harris also hit safely to centrefield and the ball got away from that fielder allowing Ferguson to cross the plate while Harris scored on a wild pitch.
Central was up five runs to nil.
They added two more in the top of the third.
Alex Ridding’s triple saw him stand up at third base, Koby Chant’s infield out pushed Ridding home, Dylan Gull picked a base on ball, and he scored on Josh Chuck’s hit into an infield error.
The Federal batters had had enough and they fired up in the bottom half of the inning.
Roy Hutchesson hit safely to shortstop, Mason Galwey picked a walk, Alex Pearson singled to rightfield loading the bases, Clay Carpenter hit into a fielder’s choice forcing Hutchesson out at the plate but leaving the bases still fully occupied.
Riley Rolph’s two bagger to rightfield scored both Galwey and Pearson and then Rolph scored on Jordan Johnson’s hit to shortstop which resulted in a wild throw and the Demons were back in the game.
However, Central was not going to let the game slip.
They added two more in the fourth, Kyall McClean singled to leftfield as did Alex Ridding which scored McClean and Koby Chant hit safely to rightfield scoring Ridding.
Federal was only able to score one more run for the game which they added in the even fourth.
Alex Pearson picked a walk and he was batted in by Matt Nicholls.
Central kept powering ahead scoring in the next three innings.
In the fifth Josh Chuck beat out a throw to first from shortstop, Kyall McClean clunked a hit to centrefield which scored Chuck and McClean added to the score when he was batted in by Dave Harris.
There was another run in the sixth when Alex Ridding again hit safely and eventually crossed home plate on a wild pitch.
It was into mercy rule territory in the seventh.
Sam Ruwoldt drew a walk and he was out at second when Kyall McClean hit straight back to the pitcher who made the play to second, leaving McClean at first.
Dave Harris picked a base on ball, Nathan Meinck’s sacrifice fly to rightfield scored McClean, Alex Ridding with his fourth safe-hit of the game this time to leftfield scored Harris, Koby Chant with his third hit of the game batted in Ridding, Dylan Gull singled to centrefield and Colby Muller walked loading the corners of the diamond.
Josh Chuck also picked a walk which forced Chant home giving the black shirts four runs for the inning, an insurmountable winning score of 16 runs to five.
