CENTRAL v SOUTH INDIANS
CENTRAL was no match for South Indians on Saturday afternoon, when the two teams met in the second Division 1 game of the weekend.
The Indians hit their way to a 7-2 win over the Magpies and wasted no time adding runs to the board.
In the top of the order in the opening inning, Hayden Battye and Dean Hamilton both walked.
Battye scored after an error at left-field from a safe hit by Travis Lockwood and Hamilton followed him across the plate on Damien O’Dine’s hit into an error at third base.
In the even inning, Central lead-off batter Kyall McClean sat at first after a fly ball at right-field hit the deck.
Dylan Chuck’s sacrifice bunt allowed McClean to score and brought it back to a one-run game.
In the top of the second, South youngster Tarquin Morale singled to left-field, as did Jesse Balshaw, with both batted in by Ryan Placucci’s two-bagger to the left side of the diamond.
Placucci then crossed home on Hamilton’s hit into an error at short-stop.
South added two more in the next inning when Alex Lewis, after hitting safely, scored on a wild throw from the catcher and the Indians started to break away.
Morale hit safely for the second time and crossed home plate on Balshaw’s hit to right-field and the game was in the Indians’ hands.
Central could only add one more run to its score, with a triple to left-field from McClean landing him on third base, before Nathan Meinck batted him in on his sacrifice fly ball to centre-field.
From there the runs dried up and South was left to a 7-2 victory.
The Indians had 11 safe hits for the game, as well as four walks, nine strikeouts and five RBI.
They also left nine runners on base, but only made two errors.
Central on the other hand had seven safe hits, no walks and two strikeouts, along with just two RBI, six runners left on base and six errors.
FEDERAL v TIGERS
FEDERAL picked up the win against Tigers in another close Friday night game of Mount Gambier and District baseball.
After a slow start from both teams, the Demons eventually ran away to a 6-2 victory.
The runs started to come in the bottom of the third inning, when number nine batter Roy Hutchesson hit safely to centre-field, followed closely by Darcy Pink’s single to left-field.
Hutchesson scored on Wade Chant’s deep flyball to right-field which was grassed and Pink followed him home on Nathan Taylor’s sacrifice fly to centre-field.
Chant crossed the home plate on a wild throw created from Tom Rundle’s hit to short-stop and Federal held a 3-0 lead.
Tigers hit back in the top of the fourth when Ben Marcus hit safely to centre-field and Karl Ransom hit into an error at third base.
Marcus was batted in by Jacob English’s safe hit and Ransom soon followed on Joe Sims’ fielder’s choice.
However, the Demons upped the intensity in the bottom of the fifth dig and added two more runs to their total.
Alex Reppin was on board from an error at short-stop and Chant hit safely.
Both runners scored on Clay Carpenter’s hit which was chased down by the Tigers short-stop.
Federal sealed the game in the seventh inning when Taylor singled to left-field and scored on Carpenter’s hit into an error at second base.
Tigers had no answers which left Federal to a 6-2 win, with all six runs unearned.
Federal had seven safe hits, two base on ball, 11 strikeouts and four RBI.
It left 10 runners on base and made four errors.
Tigers had eight safe hits, two base on ball, six strikeouts and two RBI, while left 11 runners on base and also made four errors, but they proved more costly in the end.
