Poor inning costs Tuatara in loss to Cavalry

The Auckland Tuatara have lost the opening game of their series against Canberra Cavalry, losing 6-2 in West Auckland yesterday.

A poor fourth inning from Tuatara pitcher Jimmy Boyce was the pivotal moment in the game, giving up four runs as he struggled to get through Canberra’s batting order for a second time.

Boyce battled back and only gave up one more run in the further two innings he pitched, but the Tuatara weren’t able to build a big innings of their own to get back in the game.

Initially it did look as it could be a good day for the Tuatara as Boyce got through the top of the first inning without any damage.

Eric Jenkins was walked at the bottom of the first inning, got to second as Canberra short stop Craig Massey muffed a double play. He then stole third and with a wayward throw to pick him off, came home to put the Tuatara up 1-0.

In the top of the fourth, Craig Massey got to second leading off, for his team’s first hit of the day. He was driven in for a run by Boss Moanaroa and Robbie Perkins drove in the next run to put the Cavalry in front. Two more runs came in to put Canberra up 4-1 after 41⁄2 innings.

In the fifth, the impressive looking Taylor Snyder, in his first game for the Tuatara, got a hit and was then driven in by Kuo Chun Wei, but Canberra tagged on another at the top of the sixth.

Canadian Brandon Markland pitched for the Tuatara in the seventh and needed just seven pitches to get three outs.

However, Chen Yu-Suan, who came on in the eighth, gave up another run and although Jenkins and Max Brown got on base with hits in the bottom half of that inning they weren’t able to be driven in and that was the Tuatara’s last real chance gone.

There are two further games in the series against Canberra today with the final game tomorrow.