Bellarine into grand final
WITH Lachlan Hockey and Cameron Brown playing starring roles in a pitcher-dominated affair at Wallington Reserve, Bellarine posted a superb, errorless 3-0 result over East Belmont Saints to qualify for the Geelong Baseball Association A Grade grand final in a fortnight.
Saints will have a second chance in its preliminary final showdown with Guild, which was tested mid-game by Lara in the elimination final but gathered for a frenetic last several offensive innings to emerge a 17-7 victor on the back of 19 hits against a quintet of pitchers used by the Wildcats.
The two A Grade finals could hardly have provided a more stark contrast — with one gleaning a total of just three runs in an old-fashioned pitching duel and the other morphing into a hitting smorgasbord as eight pitching arms were offered up in an entertaining 24-run contest at the stadium.
A GRADE QUALIFYING FINAL BELLARINE 3, SAINTS 0
Facing emerging Bellarine power arm Lachlan Hockey, the visiting Saints outfit found it tough going on the Bears’ home turf, with just a lead-off walk in the first and a Cody Anderson double in the second providing scoring opportunities that proved to be elusive for both clubs in this contest.
Playing just a handful of A Grade games this season, twohitter Cameron Brown opened scoring for the Bears in the bottom of the first with a solo bomb over leftfield – the first of his four hits for the game – and his side tacked on an unearned run in the second, after a muffed flyball.
Settling into his work after the early Brown blow, Josh Lee was terrific over six for Saints and he was able to escape potential scoring situations in the third, fourth and fifth as Bellarine hitters maintained the offensive pressure.
Brave as Lee may have been, his side was well and truly stifled by right-armer Hockey, who whiffed eight over six scoreless innings and conceded the solitary hit before handing the pill to Pat Brackley to close out the game with a minimum of fuss after Brown and manager Lewis Weldon had combined for a Bears insurance run in the seventh.
Anderson (two knocks) and Will Brennan were the only players to hit safely for Saints, while Brown (home run, two doubles and a single from five trips) was outstanding for Bellarine, which had other contributors in Kris Kiefel (three hits), Weldon (two hits and an RBI) and Brackley (double) in a contest that was a credit to the pitchers on both clubs.
Bellarine has qualified for the A Grade grand final, while Saints will regroup for a preliminary final stoush with Guild Lions, who have hit form at the opportune time and will be a tough ask at the stadium next Saturday.
A GRADE ELIMINATION FINAL GUILD 17, LARA 7
A free-scoring offensive combination throughout this season, Guild was well held through the first two frames — by Cameron McNish and Chris Lewis in turn — and it was the Wildcats who looked to have serious intent when Stuart Forbes laced a single up the middle to lead off the first and his side loaded the bases in the top of three.
It was the Lions who struck first, though, putting up a fourspot in the equaliser — three of those unearned — and a fifth run in the fourth off Mitch Miller, the third of five pitchers used by Lara.
After Hayden Peoples had spun four scoreless innings for the Lions, Lara applied the blowtorch to Jarryd Wood in the fifth — when a walk, a HPB, a fielder’s choice, a sacrifice and four hits produced six for a Wildcats lead that proved short-lived as Guild continued to press against Miller, Dan Anson and Cameron Forbes in turn.
While the Wildcats knocked in a run in the top of seven, the Guild offence was irrepressible in putting up crooked numbers through the last four frames for a thumping 10-run break and an early finish protected by closer Jarrod Durston.
Team leaders Stuart Forbes (three hits, two walks and two RBIs) and Ross Wilson (two and one) were terrific with the bat for Lara, although their side was comprehensively outslugged by a Guild offence that amassed 19 hits.
By any measure this was a comprehensive win that will provide a confidence boost for Guild as it prepares for a preliminary final clash with East Belmont Saints, while the Wildcats can hold their heads high in the knowledge that they had a real crack this season.