Softball season under way
The softball season got under way at Surrey Park on Saturday in blustery, wet conditions, causing some games to be shifted from the lime diamonds to out on the grass.
The Major League teams had two contrasting games, with Panthers easily accounting for Tigers 10-0 in four innings, and Demons Blue upsetting last season’s champions, Forklift NZ Demons, formally known as Demons Red, 5-3.
Caleb Fetolofai pitched a steady game for Panthers, striking out nine of the 14 Tigers batters faced.
Kere Pikia was the only Tigers batter to put up some opposition with a hit in the fourth innings.
Panthers had added to their ranks a more than handy player in Steven Willis, an ex-Dodgers Major League player who had been living in Australia.
With a total of 13 hits, Panthers just could be the dark horse in the Major League this season.
Braeden Heslip hit a home run and a three bagger, Fetolofai a threebase hit, while Willis collected two two-base hits.
Willis, Tate Mulligan, Heslip, Blake Purdue, (all 2); and Kaemyn Smith, Wade McSoriley, Fetolofai, Shaun Mitchell and Cameron Ward produced the 13 hits for Panthers.
Lead-off batter for Demons Blue in the top of the first, Aaron Wakelin, had a full house when he blasted an in-the-park home run.
Not to be outdone in the bottom of the innings, Forklifts NZ batter William Campbell put the ball over the centre field fence to tie the game.
Young Josh Richardson, promoted this season to Demons Blue from last season’s winning Premier 1 Demons team, pitched a steady game, striking out 11 opposition batters, giving up only one walk.
With the bat, Richardson produced a single in the top of the second, being batted in by the second inthe-park home run to Wakelin.
Forklift NZ batters made no reply in the bottom of the second innings.
Hunter Barlow added another run for the Blues in the top of the sixth, with Daniel Perry and Tim Campbell adding another two runs for the opposition, making the score 4-3 to the Blues.
Jack Steel was walked in the top of the seventh innings, stole second, raced to third on a wild pitch and scored the last run for the Blues on an infield error.
Other results were: