Guild steal 7-5 victory over Lara
GEELONG Baseball Association produced two ripping A Grade games at the weekend, with Guild mustering four in the last to pinch a 7-5 thriller over Lara, while Bellarine edged out Newport 6-5 in a result that may, pending final-round results, force a tie-breaker to decide second placing.
In other games, fourth-placed Deakin found scoring tough early before overpowering Colac Braves 11-0, while Saints smashed 15 in the second innings on their way to a massive 23-1 win over Mounties in seriously bleak conditions.
DEAKIN 11 COLAC 0
While there was nothing much riding on this contest for Deakin ahead of finals, the Braves did a solid early job of stifling a Blues offence that was unable to assert its authority until later in the contest.
Taking the start for Colac, Michael Reid did a superb job in scattering five hits and conceding single runs in the third and the fifth before the Blues launched a serious assault against reliever Alex Lewis and put the contest beyond doubt with a five-spot in the last — thanks in part to some errant defence that yielded three unearned when the game was gone. Connor Hickey (three hits and an RBI), Mark Rigby (one and three), Kobe Greenhalgh (two and one), Lachlan Medew (two and two) and Cam Lyons (two hits) produced the offence for Deakin, while Alex Lewis posted the only safe hits for the Braves — who were well held by Andrew Brady (three innings) and Chris Webb (who went hitless over four).
BELLARINE 6 NEWPORT 5
With the clubs vying for second placing — and a double chance — this clash surely lived up to expectations, with the visitors gaining an early break before a Rams comeback and a game-deciding top of the last when the Bears edged ahead.
Spinning perhaps his best outing of the season for Bellarine, Simon Murry tossed six quality innings in support of his club’s barnstorming start, although he was let down somewhat in defence — with unearned runs proving a factor as Newport took a narrow lead in the bottom of five.
Equally solid for the home side, David Asp departed the hill after six — for two earned runs — before reliever Jason Lester ran into some late strife and the Bears snatched a lead in the top of the last, while their closer Pat Brackley applied the screws with a hitless stint.
With a solo home run, Lewis Weldon made a timely return for Bellarine, who were well served in offence by Brock Wells (two hits and two RBIs), Murry (two hits) and Lachlan Stott (two hits), while James Walshe (two knocks) was a livewire in a Newport side that again enjoyed contributions throughout the order.
Locked in a tussle with the Bears for second, Newport will be away to Saints for what it will regard as a must-win next Saturday, while Bellarine will host Deakin in a match-up of equal import for an ursine brigade bent on going one better than its runner-up status last year.
SAINTS 23 MOUNTIES 1
Plating four in the first — and with hard-throwing Connor Hughes impressive on the hill — Saints were on pretty good terms with themselves early days, although no one would have predicted a 15-run avalanche in the second that sucked all oxygen from the contest as the visitors built towards a thumping final scoreline.
The second innings breakout was assisted largely by a couple of key Mounties defensive errors with two out, although the home side — which failed to record a hit — was never in the contest and wound down to a comprehensive loss that included eight unearned runs as hurlers Jedd Miller, Gavin Smith and Sean Best did their best to stem the flow.
GUILD 7 LARA 5
Despite their relative club placings on the A Grade ladder, this always shaped as a tough contest given the quality of playing personnel on both clubs — especially the starting pitching, which pitted two of the league best in Brad Egan and Cameron Forbes.
A defensive slip-up allowed the Lions to score in the top of the first, although they returned the favour with two unearned in the equaliser before the two big righties imposed their authority on the game until the top of the fifth. Responding with four timely hits of their own, the Wildcats again drew to a onerun lead before it all unravelled when a couple of passes combined with four hits to glean a match-breaking four runs for the Lions.