Pictures: THOMAS MILES
TIGERS 13 d FEDERAL 2
SENIOR baseball resumed on the weekend following the Christmas break and Tigers consolidated their position at the top of the ladder with a convincing win over Federal.
Tigers scored its first run in the top of the second inning when Jesse Foster crossed the plate on Ben Marcus’ safe hit to left-field.
They added four more in the fourth dig with a two out rally.
Marcus singled, as did Mitch Crosbie and Riley Rolph, whose hit saw Marcus cross the plate.
Brayden Morton arrived at first on a strikeout passed ball to load the bases.
Alex Harkness then walked and scored Crosbie, while Rolph crossed the plate on Brodie Foster’s fielder’s choice to shortstop, whose throw to the catcher resulted in an error which saw Morton home.
In the fifth Jesse Foster picked a base on ball and scored on Rolph’s second single to right-field to give Tigers a 6-0 lead.
Federal finally hit the scoreboard in the bottom of the seventh when Sam Shepherd singled to right-field and scored on Clay Carpenter’s hit to an error at third base.
But Tigers answered to extend its lead in the top of the eighth inning.
Rolph and Morton both walked, with Rolph scoring on Brodie Foster’s hit to an error at second base, which saw Morton also cross for a run.
Brodie Foster scored on Karl Ransom’s double into left-field.
The Demons pulled back another run in the bottom half of the eighth after Nathan Taylor walked and scored on Wade Chant’s two-bagger to left-field.
But it did little to lessen the damage as Tigers piled on more runs in the top of the ninth.
Crosbie was hit by a pitched ball, Rolph walked, Morton picked another base on ball, while Harkness doubled to score Crosbie, Jacob English – who had replaced Rolph as a pinch runner – and Morton.
Harkness then scored on Dyllan Lane’s fielder’s choice hit back to the pitcher.
Batting last, Federal had no answers and left Tigers to claim a 13-2 run victory.
Tigers out hit Federal nine to four, while the Demons pitching gave up 10 base on ball and one hit batter compared to Tigers single walk.
SOUTH INDIANS 5 d CENTRAL 4
IT was a closer affair in the late game when South Indians managed a one-run win over Central.
The Indians drew first blood when Ryan Placucci doubled to left-field and scored on Bruce Morale’s single.
Not to be outdone, Central’s Kyall McClean walked and scored on Nathan Meinck’s double.
Central then doubled its score in the bottom of the second when Brad Lynagh tripled to left-field and crossed the plate on Colby Muller’s double to centre-field.
Morale tied the game up in the top of the third when he made it to first on a fielder’s choice play and while attempting to steal third the Central catcher’s throw went wild and he crossed the home plate.
The Indians went ahead in the fifth when Jesse Balshaw singled to centre-field and scored on Dean Hamilton’s two-bagger to left-field.
But Central did not back down and Dylan Chuck tied the game when he crossed the home plate.
He walked and when attempting to steal third the catcher’s throw went wild in a replay of the previous South innings.
South scored two more in the top of the seventh, when Balshaw and Hamilton singled, before they both scored on Morale’s double deep into centre-field.
Central clawed one back in the bottom of the ninth when Chuck’s hit drew an error at third base and he scored on Mark Kilpatrick’s safe hit to right-field.
But South shut the inning down and the result was a narrow 5-4 run win for the Indians.
Central left 12 runners on base to South’s seven, while the hitting was pretty even with Central out-hitting South 11-10.
