Picture: THOMAS MILES
SOUTH INDIANS 11 d TIGERS 1
THERE was little hinging on the result of Saturday’s early Division 1 baseball game between Tigers and South Indians.
Tigers had already booked a grand final berth, while a win would ensure South consolidated second place on the ladder and a home preliminary final.
The Indians left nothing to chance, with a resounding 11-1 victory.
South batted first and was immediately on board, with Ryan Placucci, Bruce Morale and Dean Hamilton all on base with a safe hit each.
Placucci scored on a wild pitch, Morale on a fielder’s choice hit from Ben Nash and Hamilton on Steve Isaccson’s hit to shortstop.
In the top of the fourth Placucci walked and scored on Hamilton’s safe hit to right-field, which then produced an error by that player.
It was not until the bottom of the fifth where Tigers produced its one and only run for the match.
Jesse Foster singled to right-field and scored on Mitch Crosbie’s sacrifice fly to right-field.
However, it did little to lessen the damage, as the Indians surged further ahead in the eighth when Placucci again found himself on base, this time from a fielder’s choice.
When Morale doubled into centre-field, then Travis Lockwood forced an error with his hit to shortstop, Placucci crossed the home plate.
Morale then scored on Nash’s safe hit to left-field.
To add salt to the wound South added a further five runs in the final inning.
Dean Lane doubled and scored on a wild throw from the pitcher, Tarkyn Morale drew a walk, Placucci found himself at first on a fielder’s choice and Bruce Morale picked up his fourth safe hit for the game.
Tarkyn Morale scored on Hamilton’s single – also his fourth hit – while Placucci and Bruce Morale both scored on Lockwood’s hit to centre-field.
They were closely followed across the plate by Hamilton, who scored on Nash’s safe hit to right-field.
South did the deed with the bat to hit safely 18 times, with seven walks, three strikeouts and just one error complimenting the impressive figures.
Tigers could only manage five hits, one base on ball and one strikeout, while it made four errors.
With the weekend off, Tigers will watch as the Indians come face to face with Federal in the preliminary final, with the winner to meet Tigers in the decider the following week.
FEDERAL 3 d CENTRAL 2
IT was truly a do-or-die effort for both Federal and Central when they locked horns in the Saturday night Division 1 baseball game, with the result undecided until the final inning.
Nathan Taylor scored first for Federal in the tight match, when he picked a base on ball then scored on Wade Chant’s hit to left-field.
Central answered in the top of second when Dylan Gull hit a long three-bagger to centre-field and scored on Lauchie Tilley’s hit back to the pitcher.
In the bottom of the fourth Chant hit safely for the second time to find himself at first and touched home plate on a wild throw from shortstop to give the Demons back the lead.
However, Central drew level again in the top of the sixth when Kyall McClean hit safely to centre-field and scored on Dylan Chuck’s single to right-field.
The final score for the match came from Chant in the bottom of the eighth, when he doubled to left-field and scored on a wild throw from shortstop after a hit from Sam Shepherd.
Central had no answer in the ninth and left Federal triumphant 3-2, to claim the Taylor/Probert Shield and a place in the preliminary final.
It was a pitchers’ game, with Federal’s Alex Reppin and Central’s Dylan Chuck fighting it out on the mound.
The even clash saw both teams with five safe hits and one base on ball each.
Federal had eight strikeouts, while Central had nine and both sides made three errors.
However, it was Federal that triumphed and it will now face South Indians for a chance to play in the best-of-three grand final series against Tigers.
