THE Mount Gambier and District Baseball League witnessed two close games in the Division 1 competition on the weekend, one which resulted in an upset.
Tigers 4 d South Indians 2
THE upset of the round saw second-placed Tigers defeat ladder-leader South Indians.
The first score of the match come from Tigers’ Brayden Morton, which saw him hit safely to leftfield before scoring on a wild throw from the Indians second baseman Ben Morale in his attempt to put Tyler Horrigan out at first.
This was replied by the Indians in the fourth inning after Jesse Balshaw picked a walk and scored on a wild throw from Horrigan.
Another score for South put them in front in the bottom of the seventh.
With two out, Tom Castleman was hit in the head by a pitched ball which subsequently took him out of the game.
His substitute runner scored on Steve Isaccson’s deep double to centrefield.
In the top of the eighth, Tigers scored two more runs, before the final run came in the ninth.
Morton picked up his second single for the night and scored on Horrigan’s missed fly ball at centrefield.
Tigers out hit South eight to three, with 10 and eight runners left on base respectively, with two and four errors for the match.
Federal 6 d Central 4
FEDERAL continued to hold sway over Central when they met in the early game of Division 1 baseball on Saturday.
Central opened the scoring in the top of the first, when Brock Keding singled to centrefield and scored on Brad Lynagh’s centrefield single.
Mark Kilpatrick then picked a walk and scored on Wade Chant’s wild throw from centrefield to give Central its second run.
Federal hit back from there.
Gavin Smith found himself at second after Lauchie Tilley missed a fly ball at leftfield, before scoring on on Shane Howard’s infield fly.
Alex Reppin walked and scored on Josh Wilsmore’s base on ball when the bases were loaded.
The third run came when Chant found himself on board from a fielder’s choice and scored on Alex Pearson’s hit to Ethan Chuck at second base.
Central retaliated with a run in the top of the fifth, which saw coach Nathan Meinck single to rightfield and score on Koby Chant’s infield hit.
However, the Demons again replied to score three more runs of their own.
Howard singled to centrefield and scored on a balk by pitcher Kilpatrick.
Clay Carpenter walked and scored on Jack Howard’s infield hit to first base, while Wilsmore also picked a walk and scored from Kane McMillan’s single base hit to rightfield.
Central’s final run came in the top of the ninth inning when Lynagh walked and scored on Jack Howard’s error at rightfield from a hit by Koby Chant.
However, despite out-hitting its opposition seven to three, Central left 10 runners on base, while Federal left only eight and claimed the honours.
The subsequent wins by Federal and Tigers make it a tight tussle at the top of the table and the final three certainly will not be set until the last game of the season.
South currently still on top by virtue of a better defensive run score with 17 points, while Tigers – also on 17 – are followed closely by Federal with 16.
