CONTRASTING Division 1 baseball games played out at Blue Lake Sports Park Saturday, with Central holding on against a determined Tigers outfit, while South Indians dominated over Federal.
In the early between Tigers and Central it was not until the third inning before the first runs were scored.
Central batted at the top of the inning with lead-off batter Koby Chant on board after his infield hit resulted in an error and Kyall McLean also on base from a fielder’s choice.
They were both batted in by Nathan Meinck who hit safely to centre-field.
Tigers tied the game up in the bottom half of the inning, as Levi Morton punched a hit into left-field, followed by a base on ball to Matt Thompson.
Brayden Morton’s long hit to centre-field scored Morton and Jesse Foster’s Texas-leaguer to left-field helped Thompson home.
In the top of the sixth Dylan Chuck picked a walk for Central and made it across the plate on Alex Ridding’s infield hit which resulted in a wild throw.
Then in the top of the eighth Central put the game beyond doubt when Dylan Gull clubbed a two-bagger to centre-field, while Ridding drew a walk.
Koby Chant’s thumping hit to deep centre-field allowed both runners to add to the score.
Tigers remained scoreless from that point giving Central a 5-2 win.
The late game was a one-sided affair, as an Indians’ win was never in doubt.
South batted first and Damien O’Dine singled and scored on Dean Hamilton’s infield hit which attracted a wild throw.
Hamilton then scored on Ben Morale’s hit to centre-field which resulted in error.
The Indians added five runs in the top of the third when consecutive safe-hits from Bruce Morale, Dean Hamilton, Ben Morale, Alex Lewis and Jesse Balshaw saw all runners batted in, with Balshaw batted in by Travis Lockwood who was the sixth batter in a row to hit safely before the inning came to an end.
The Demons only reply came in the bottom of the third when they scored their only run for the game.
Alex Pearson hit safely to centre-field and scored on Alex Reppin’s safe-hit to the outfield.
From then on the game was all South.
Two more hits in the next inning from Bruce Morale and Hamilton saw both batted in.
Three more in the sixth after Alex Lewis drew a walk and then safe-hits to Balshaw and Travis Lockwood saw all three cross the plate, with only Lewis batted in and the other two crossing the plate on an error.
South finished off the game in the seventh by scoring a further five runs, all unearned.
Hayden Battye took a liking to the pitching and singled followed by Lewis, Balshaw and Tarkyn Morale, who all ended up on the diamond due to infield errors and Ryan Placucci was hit by the pitcher.
Only Balshaw, Morale and Placucci were batted in from a huge hit by O’Dine.
The mercy rule was invoked when Federal failed to close the gap in the even inning, with South runaway 17-1 victors.
