WINTER BASEBALL WEEK 8

[frankthefalcon]

Evening all,

Maybe the NSA has been watching Mr X's emails and can reveal who he is and why he keeps posting in my 'falcon' hole?

GMBC vs Croydon 12-4
Heathmont vs Ringwood 8-3
Knox vs Research 10-4
North Balwyn vs Greensborough 1-5
Westgarth vs Watsonia 6-4

Not sure if we will get any games in with the wild weather approaching, but MR X will still do his best to preview the games and pretend that sunny skies are on the way.

GMBC V CROYDON

Monty keep on keeping on and while the mail was Bryce was gone the other week, we can now confirm he has left the country (we think). While he has left (supposedly) crafty old vet Russell Spears is back and throwing again which will really strengthen their pitching. Monty’s hitting line up is first rate and that won’t change. Croydon keep scrapping and continue to be competitive but you couldn’t see them getting up here. Monty to get the money 12-4



HEATHMONT V RINGWOOD

Match of the round 2 v 3 with this result likely to have impact on who gets the double chance come finals time. Heathmont will likely wheel out Kennedy followed by Kerr-Chapman who is increasingly throwing more innings and got the Ringwood district the grand final win at last weekend’s championship. Heathmont’s line up which is only really matched by GMBC is likely to get stronger soon if the rumour MR X heard is true. Look out for third base coach and worlds worst motor bike rider Paul Weichard to be back in uniform before years out. Ringwood most likely to start Kingston after super coach bright pulled up sore from the carnival. Will the saints without Bright be able to outscore the big guns of Heathmont? MR X says no, Heathmont at home 8-3



KNOX V RESEARCH

Seems like a waste of time previewing this game with the rain we have had and Knox’s mud pit. There is more chance of an ALP election win this September, or more chance of tickets to the mlb in Sydney being affordable, or more chance of the Heathmont line up passing up a free all you can eat buffet than there is of this game going ahead. Knox are traveling alright and have just picked up a very handy player in Leigh Bertrand who has got midseason clearance from Forest Hill. Rice is likely to start and has a good record against the Research / Essendon line up. Research are looking like Collingwood of 04 going from 1st to last in a hurry and are now in the dreaded relegation area. All this of course could be turned around very quickly with a couple of wins. Rumour has it there is some issues down at Lower Plenty with a new recruit getting paid and older more experienced players not. If they play MR X is going with Knox 10-4



NORTH BALWYN V GREENSBROUGH

The stingers can pitch but they can’t hit. They have pitchers to burn with Wiggins, Mann, Hondo and more, but not a stick amongst them. It’s hard to see how they are going to score against Greensborough with Lethborg on the hill. The key for North Balwyn will be if they can somehow get past lethborg and take to the burras pen. Greensborough have been flying under the radar a bit but there season is building nicely. It’s hard to see them not playing finals. Blewjas, Sullivan and Hodges are potent combo and should do enough to get the birds over the line here. MR X says Burras 5-1



WESTGARTH V WATSONIA

Two young teams down the wrong end of the table. Westgarth got a nice win off Croydon last round and will fancy their chances to get another win here. Likely to start Reeves the garth will need to provide him with some run support early on. Watsonia will use Formisano to try and keep them in the game with hot and cold Abels in relief. Neither side bother the scores too much and it will be decided on pitching and defence (like pretty much every game), but MR X sees Westgarth winning this 6-4



ODDS OF WHAT YOU MIGHT SEE



Bright pitching a complete game with elbow tendinitis, shoulder soreness, DOMS, STDS, VHFS 4-1

A couple of Research players striking 13-1

Any baseball being played this weekend evens

Yours in Baseball

Mr X

[Deleted]

Nice work frankie.....

That's putting the pressure on the rest of us. And why not?

Across in the GBA there will (yes, alright, may) be no such concerns about washouts given the pristine state of most grounds.

Winless in A Grade, Corio has a tough ask at home against Lara, who should do it easily, even though a Corio win would breathe new life into the competition.

In the match of the round, Deakin plays host to Bacchus Marsh in what should be a pretty even contest. Deakin will again look to workhorse Chris Webb for a solid start (as long as he has come up OK after the Winter Championship). The Marsh has a few decent pitching options at its disposal and Trent Pantelleresco might be primed to throw a pearler after a great game in the twos last time.

Werribee at home will be no match for Guild, which has the pitching depth and the offence to make it tough for the Giants, who seem to struggle for a settled list each week.

Saints will play host to Ballarat Brewers on Sunday in a game of great import for both clubs. The Brewers are reeling from the loss of Rory Meddick and Adam Irons, although the latter will make a cameo on Sunday unless the snow starts wafting down very smartly.

Both sides will be going all out for the win. The word is that Saints will not have their full list for this one, giving the Brew Crew a serious shot (in both firsts and seconds).

Bellarine has the A Grade bye.

[thepolo]

With the weather that is expected, I wouldnt imagine many games will be able to be squeeze through the minimum game.

[doubleplay]

With OMR disappeared into cyberspace, i am now going through doubleplay.

DANDENONG v FRANKSTON
This should be a close game with both teams making improvements prior to the break. Both sides will be looking to their starting pitchers to get them a solid start. The game will comedown towho hits best and leaves the least amount runners on base. The Tomotoes have been very guilty of wasting runners on base and for that reason I will tip the Angels.

BONBEACH v DINGLEY
While the Jays continue to improve, Dingley still remains one of two sides to beat. Dingley's hitting will be the main difference in the game and should get home quite comfortably.

MORNINGTON v BERWICK

This for me will be the match of the round. The Dodger young guns versus the Pirate led pitching staff of Brendan Wilson and Josh Mulherin. The Pirates are starting to develop and allround game and should just get the lollies in a close fought game.

PAKENHAM v CHELTENHAM

The Rustlers take their first trip to Pumaland and will be met by some stiff resistance from the Pumas.
For the Pumas to keep this game in check they will rely heavily on what they get from the mound. Pakenham should be congratulated for their efforts in the top grade so far. The Rustlers however will now use the second half of the season to fine tune their game and should keep marching on to another finals campaign.

Good luck to all this weekend and don't forget your goloshes.

[Deleted]

Lowly Werribee upset double reigning premier Guild with a 4-2 win at Presidents Park today, while Deakin overcame a deficit to pinch its game 7-6 over Bacchus Marsh in the bottom of the last.

Lara scored heavily in the first three innings against Corio and was untroubled for an 11-1 win that gives the Wildcats clear ladder leadership.

Saints play host to Ballarat Brewers in a Sunday game crucial for both clubs.

Bellarine had the A Grade bye.

www.geelongassociation.baseball.com.au

[runningbunt]

Not sure why the result has not been included in the MWBL website, but GMBC defeated Croydon 12-0.

Looking at the ladder, it looks like the top 4 is almost locked in, but there are 6 or so teams in the possible relegation zone. Could be a very interesting 2nd half of the year with so many teams trying to stay in A Grade.

[Deleted]

To round out the weekend in Geelong Baseball Association, Ballarat Brewers had what was in the end a comfortable 9-3 win over East Belmont Saints, who looked a real chance when Josh Lee smashed a three-run, two-out moonshot in the third.

www.geelongassociation.baseball.com.au

[bushman]

Interesting week in the Bendigo Baseball Association, with 2 pitching duels blowing out late in the game. With both games being played at Albert Roy Reserve it was great to see 3 of the 4 teams throwing their aces on the hill.

First of all the Scots vs East match. Sean Meldrum threw for Scots, up against Aaron Sherriff for East. Both teams traded zero through 3, with both pitchers in control, until Scots were able to scrape 2 runs in the bottom of the 4th. East replied with 1 in the 5th, until Scots took control in the bottom of the 5th scoring a further 6 runs to take a 8-1 lead. From there Scots, and Meldrum, were able to cruise. Having a 8-2 lead into the 7th Scots seemed to relax, allowing East to score 3 more, but time beat them and the score reverted back for a 8-2 Scots victory.
This win for Scots keeps them on top of the ladder with a 5-3 record, their percentage keeping them well clear.
As for East they are on the bottom of the ladder with a 3-5 record, with their percentage keeping them down. But as East will get a more and more settled lineup as the season progresses it is far too early to count them out.

The other clash was between Falcons vs Dodgers. Nathan Healey went to the hill for Falcons, while Dodgers ace Geoff Holland took the ball for Dodgers. It was a classic power pitcher vs junk thrower clash, with Dodgers having the far superior pitcher.
But as the game got underway it was Falcons who were able to take the lead in the bottom of the 1st, on a RBI base hit to Jayson Strauhn. Both teams then traded zeros until the Dodgers scored 2 in the 4th, on an RBI triple to Jason Cruse, followed by a sac fly.
After the first inning Holland was able to settle down, giving up on 2 hits from inning 2 to 7.
Dodgers then padded their lead in the 8th with a 2-out RBI double to young gun Zac Cruse. Holland went back to the hill in the 8th, already having thrown over 100 pitches, but taking a 3-1 lead with him.
Falcons started the inning just as you would want, with their 1 and 2 hitters getting aboard. A wild pitch then allowed Mick Peters to drive both them in with a 2-RBI single, tying the score up at 3. A base hit followed, then a perfect sacrifice bunt by Dylan Stanyer put the winning run at 3rd with 1 out. From there the Falcons had all the confidence against a tiring Holland, with 3 hit in a row to score the winner plus 2 more to take a 6-3 victory.
Holland showed incredible guts and determination to throw the complete game, especially after the workload he had at the senior championships (3 games caught & 1 pitched), with 7 Ks over his 7 and a 1/3.
The win puts Falcons clear in 2nd spot on the ladder with a 5-3 record, only behind Scots on percentage.
Dodgers now sit 3rd, with a 3-5 record but clear percentage ahead of East.

Next week it is Scots vs Falcons, with the winner to take clear hold of top spot.
In the East vs Dodgers clash both teams will be desperate for a win, as neither wants to leave them selves too much work to do before the back-end of the season.

[durhambull]

Melb Uni downed Forest hill in both the 1's and 2's on Saturday. Both good games with the 1's game going down to the wire 2-1. Big kudos to the starting pitchers for Uni. Dan Chircop threw a complete game gem and also collected a quiet 3 hits. Very special mention to young 1st year Uni player, Peter Martinich in the reserves who was excellent in only his 2nd start in the 2's. Kept Forest hill to 1 run and their first loss for the season. We like the look of this youngster and look forward to big things from him in the future.