Bats ignite as leaders return to their winning ways
LEAGUE-LEADING Lara rebounded from a rare loss with a thumping win over Mounties in Round 12 of the Geelong Baseball Association A-grade.
Lara went straight back to work, driving in eight runs in the first inning.
Guild shook off a competitive Saints outfit by plating multiples in the fourth and the sixth to stroll to a clear-cut victory and Deakin dominated a slugfest to take the points over Bellarine in a Sunday fixture.
LARA 17 v MOUNTIES 5
Taking the start for his club, Mounties manager Mathew Jones found it tough going in the first, as the Wildcats took full advantage of walks and timely hitting to put up a game-breaking eight spot.
Although the Ballarat club hit back with three in the bot- tom of the second, Lara was again on the march with a couple in the third before teenager Xavier Woolley was called into action for his debut A-grade pitching outing that would have heartened management with an eye to the future.
Playing errorless defence behind starter Greg Anderson, Cameron Forbes in the set-up role and Jared Berman with the close, Lara was hardly going to let this one slip as it cruised away to a comprehensive win generated largely through the offence of old hands in Aaron Green (three hits and four RBIs), Justin Charles (two and four), Cameron Forbes (one and four), Stuart Forbes (two and two), Ben Hammer and manager Ross Wilson. With three hits and two ribbies, Scott Kerr was the standout for Mounties.
GUILD 12 v SAINTS 3
With two of the league’s best hurlers in Brad Egan (Guild) and Josh Lee (Saints) going head to head, this game remained tight through three innings.
The Lions roared to life in one telling innings – this time the fourth – when four hits, a walk and a HPB gleaned five runs and spelled the end for Lee as Saints activated a bullpen that would offer up stints from Jordan Isbister and Connor Hughes before a cameo by Harry McGovern at the end.
Ten walks and six HPBs – combined with five defensive errors – put Saints behind the eight-ball against a Guild outfit that had terrific offensive contributors in Troy Snarey (three hits and three RBIs), Liam Spence (one and two), Tony Kilfoyle (one and two) and Ben Jensz (two and one).
Spinning five innings for no earned runs, Egan racked up another win for the Lions, who cruised to a comfortable win despite two late runs off closer Jarryd Wood, including a sacrifice fly by Hiro Sekine (three hits), who is enjoying a purple patch for the Saints line-up.
DEAKIN 17 v BELLARINE 7
In a Sunday clash that capped off an A-grade round of heavy scoring, Deakin backed up from an important win over Lara by outgunning Bellarine in a slugfest.
Tossing another complete game for the Blues, Chris Webb conceded two in the first and a three-run bomb to Bellarine manager Cameron Brown in the fifth but was accorded outstanding offensive support by a Deakin lineup that posted multiples in each of the first four frames before icing the win with a barnstorming six runs in the bottom of five.
Calling in turn on reliable starter Josh Crotty, Lachlan Hockey and Matt Sage before Brown mopped up at the end, the Bears were unable to contain a Deakin offence that was emphatically shown the way by Ayden Ham (three hits and four RBIs) and Andy Medew (three and three).
Heading his club’s offensive output with three hits, including the round-tripper, Cameron Brown dominated the offensive production for Bellarine, which holds third placing by a whisker over Deakin.