QUICK SCORE SUMMARY - CLAXTON SHIELD 2006

5

NSW TURNS OUT THE LIGHTS FOR SA 9-0!

On the negative side, and there is a chance that we are completely wrong here, the traditionally feisty and highly competitive South Australians had little to play for and, according to our reporters at the game, they certainly looked like a team that would rather be heading back home to watch the Australia Day cricket at Adelaide Oval than playing another game of baseball last night! They were playing for pride and they would have found it hard to come to terms with their already condemned fate of finishing below the Australian Provincials in last place... just ask Queensland last year! I doubt that this would be in any way true, but I will suggest FOR AMUSEMENT ONLY, that the South Australians were so lacking in enthusiasm for this game that "not even Ben Wigmore could bother to hit the ball"... I mean this with the highest respect for Ben... those with a sense of humour will get the drift! 

With this backdrop, let's get the SA summary out of the way quickly so that they can concentrate on the cricket. Seasoned Adam Widdison was immediately under pressure and he could not get out of the third inning in taking the loss. Danny Page was only reasonable, but then he did come on when the horse had bolted. Closer Tyler Green can be very, very proud of his debut tournament and he also finished it off well on this occasion to take home a PERFECT 0.00ERA, we should not have seen the last of him at this level. On a three-hit night for the SA team only Wilson, Galpin and Burrows could put the ball safely into play. As we suggested, perhaps the most remarkable thing about this was that it became one of the rare historic fixtures when 'Bashing Ben' Wigmore did not register a hit... you could count these on one hand! 

It turned out to be a dream game for the NSW bullpen when five of their pitchers lined up for a confidence boosting turn on the mound at Blacktown. The barrage of Lundgren, Hill, Cox and Harris threw a combined NO-HITTER... what a pity that the highly experienced Craig Anderson spoiled the party with three hits... just kidding Craig! It's hard to know how significant their performances were under these circumstances, but you can only pitch your best I suppose!

The offensive story was similar for the Patriots when most of their consistent hitters kept their swings nicely in the groove and this is all that you could ask. The versatile Craig Lewis, who really loves these "dead games" dined out with 4-5 while the emerging star Andrew Graham added three to his tally. The consistent Auty and Fingleson both recorded two hits. 

So, in the end, forget the drama, the NSW Patriots will take on Victoria in the nightcap semi-final... what was all the fuss about? It is the same situation that they have been in over the last few years and they have gone on to win the past two Claxton Shields... it all starts again from scratch on Friday. But, if anyone else thinks that there is something that has a "funny smell" about this situation, we will produce a special comment above about the finals situation in general! 

Alright, the time has come... YES, we did correctly identify the teams that would miss the playoffs and we even got them in the correct order. But, if you really think that 'Flintoff & Dunn' take any great pride from this, apart from the pure accuracy of the analysis, then you are sadly mistaken. We do not delight in the misfortune of teams that might have struggled during a short tournament when literally ANYTHING can happen... Australia Provincial did themselves really proud once again and you can bet your lives that South Australian baseball will re-group for Claxton 2007... tough luck to both teams!

ACES ALIVE AFTER 11-6 WIN v PROVINCIALS!

But, this Provincial team is loaded with Victorians and ex-Victorians both young and old... and the thing that would motivate them most is the opportunity to score some bragging rights against their club mates, opponents and the selectors who may not have selected them for the Victorian team... or all of the above! And, this Provincial team, unlike their ancestors, also has the motivation of knowing that a win would secure them an historic playoff berth. It was a scenario that would have most Aces fans shifting nervously in their seats before the game.

The nervous shifting wasn't to last too long today after the Aces leapt out of the traps with runs in the first three frames and a six-run lead after the bottom of the third. On the mound for the Aces was seasoned lefty and former Baltimore Orioles minor league pitcher Cameron Forbes. This, perhaps unfairly, would not necessarily bring too much comfort to Victorian supporters who have often seen Forbes pitch brilliantly, at least for a few innings, but he has rarely come out on the winning side in his AMLB career. There's no point hiding from a 1-5, 7.35ERA career record at this level, even if most agree that he is a whole lot better than that!

Anyway, today was to be Cameron's day when he collected the second win of his AMLB career with a terrific 6.1 innings start in an important game for Victoria. 'Forbesy' typically allowed only five hits and he struck out five to demonstrate once again that he has plenty of weapons but, he also had familiar moments when people who have followed his career would have been forgiven for expecting a melt-down! He only walked four, but he also hit three batters and, when he began to falter in the sixth and seventh, Victoria's seemingly unassailable lead had shrunk to an uncomfortable 7-6!

Aces manager David White was in no mood to wait for lightning to strike and he called upon young Adam Bonaddio to strike out the dangerous Saunderson... it would have revived Provincial nightmares of 2005 when young rookie Adam tormented them with a superb complete game victory in the corresponding fixture. After getting the vital out 'Bonnas' was replaced by his young Waverley team mate Donavon Hendricks who had been a close as anyone to "untouchable" at Claxton Shield 2006. He would have been stunned when the first batter he faced, Victorian native Matt Ryan, went yard to cost him the first hit and the first run he had allowed at this carnival. There would be no more damage done to Hendricks when he returned for the eighth inning to make short work of the top of the Provincials lineup.

Versatile power-hitting first baseman and closing pitcher Peter Moylan continues to be a wildcard in the pack for the Aces, doing a fine job both offensively and defensively, batting 2-3 with a RBI in this game, then taking the mound in the last innings to make sure that the Victorians would be taking part in the weekend finals action. He is an underrated Ace!

We feel a little sorry for young NSW prospect Luke Acret who took some lumps from the hot-hitting Queensland in the opening game of the carnival, then he had to return to face a hard-edged and perhaps awakening Victoria today. Our reporter said that the lad was tidy enough and "around the strike zone" but this may have suited the Victorian hitters who teed off on him for nine knocks before he was lifted after four innings. Matt Williams and Glen Richards were also okay, but neither could put a complete halt on Victoria's hitters who were suddenly finding confidence. Casey Jones got the last out. 

In baseball, as much as any serious sport, we usually find that the cream rises to the top... eventually. This must be said for Victorian professional Brad Harman who is a young Philadelphia Phillies pro rated as highly as anyone among the emerging baseball talent in Australia. Harman started the tournament as the reigning Helms Award winner but a horror, error-ridden night with the glove on opening day was received with disbelief in Victoria. Slowly, but ever so surely, young Brad has been gaining momentum in this tournament and his perseverance paid off today with a breakout game of near "Ben Wigmore like" proportions. No, he didn't quite smash three balls out of the park, but he did bat 4-5 with three ringing doubles and a home run while batting in two. He has picked a very good time to find his best form!

Surprise packet Cameron Clarke has proven to be no "flash in the pan" with another 3-4 game and he will not sneak up on anyone in Australian baseball again... including us! US college and Waverley team mates Danny Berg and 'Rusty' Russell are also starting to enjoy life in AMLB, both had two hits today and drove in a run as they continue to be leading contributors to the Victorian cause. We mentioned that young pro Paul Rutgers was starting to "feel it" yesterday and he added two more hits today, as did the aforementioned Moylan. Suddenly a dormant Aces offence has taken on a rather dangerous appearance coming into the weekend.

Tom Vincent was "at it again" for the Provincials today with 2-5, while newcomer Justin Humphries has started to build himself a dangerous reputation with 2-5 today, including his slugging two run homer... way to go Justin! Young Matt Ryan also signalled his prospects for the future with a two-run homer today.

While we stuck our necks out to select the Aces to win the tournament, there have been moments when we really felt that they were "under the pump" to even make the final stages. However, one thing that has always been true in the Claxton Shield is that you would rather be the team that is "peaking" at the business end of the competition than the one that flew out of the blocks too early. It certainly looks like the Victorian Aces are finding good form at just the right time!

QUEENSLAND SHOWS NO MERCY FOR WA; 8-7!

Of course the Queenslanders took some advantage of their well earned situation by allowing their important stars Trent Durrington and Brett Roneberg to platoon as the DH and this type of thing is perfectly acceptable, as is playing any of their squad players who may not have had much game time. What really annoyed us previously was when teams disrespected the game and the famous competition by pitching "non-pitchers" and playing players completely out of position so that hitters on both teams could rack up ridiculous statistics that tarnished the history and records from that competition! We have been critical in the past so, on this occasion, we must be fair enough to provide equally positive comment. Perhaps most importantly in this situation, they have produced a most interesting and genuine contest for the spectators who can be too often forgotten when teams take a narrow-minded and selfish view of these situations... enough said!

Of course one of the most obvious measures of a team that is not "tanking" is when they WIN!... our hearty congratulations to the 2006 Queensland Rams who have successfully climbed out of the basement from 2005 to become one of the very rare teams to complete the preliminary rounds undefeated. Another thing that may have been at the forefront of the Queensland outlook for this game is the undeniable fact that it can be dangerous to flirt with player's form in these types of situations and that winning form is certainly good form. 

For one thing, you can bet that young pitching prospect Luke Thwaites would have enjoyed the opportunity to somewhat erase the horror memory of his AMLB debut in this tournament when he was roughed up in relief by Australia Provincial. On this occasion he produced a pretty good start for his team and this outing should put him in better stead for the future. Rams' relievers Gahan, Kearney and Loetzsch each did little wrong, even if Kearney was greeted rudely by a triple and a home run immediately upon his arrival. These guys got a nice little tune-up for the finals and they will have more to offer. 

Young Los Angeles Angels pro Dylan Peacock would have also enjoyed getting the opportunity for his AMLB debut and he could be quite satisfied with a most promising performance against a red-hot Queensland hitting lineup. The youngster showed his composure at this level by maintaining his reputation for good control, even when he was under attack from a few more hits that he'd have preferred. The usually solid Bradley Thomas was smacked around in this game and that can happen... relief pitching is quite often a test of character and every day is a new one!

Offensively, all of WA statistical leaders delivered for them again in this game, apart from Clint Balgera who was walked three times! The Dale boys had two hits each, as did the consistent Mitch Graham and Dan Floyd. Brandon Dale lifted his slugging percentage to .708 with his second 'big fly' of the carnival.

Importantly for Queensland, by playing the game seriously, most of their key hitters kept themselves locked-in, with the reliable and dangerous Foster having three knocks while Sutherland, Utting and Nilsson each added two more to their very good tournament statistics. Josh Roberts and David Sutherland both left the yard at Aquatic Reserve, Manly.

In case we don't get another opportunity, we simply must mention the debut Claxton Shield performance of Jay Nilsson who may not have burst onto the scene with the eye-opening power of his 18yo uncle David when he won the Helms Award in 1987, but he has shown himself to be a remarkably consistent natural hitting talent and the prolific Nilsson family would be justifiably proud of his AMLB debut... the name Nilsson will be around for a while more! 

As it turns out these teams will meet again in the semi-final and, regardless of what has happened so far, we can usually expect that baseball will dish up something unexpected and interesting. Good luck to both teams! 

PROVINCIALS PUT PATRIOTS ON THIN ICE 6-5!

Making the victory more meritorious was the fact that they were up against the (as always) home-standing Patriots and a Patriots team that knew the importance of winning the game themselves... and, just to add one last sprinkling of spice, the win came with a "typical Provincial" fighting effort when they needed two runs in the bottom of the eighth to square the game, then another run in the ninth to win it... it doesn't come much better than that!

We noted earlier in the tournament what an effective performer ACT's Cameron Hardy has been over the journey for the Provincials. He picked up the win as a closer in their earlier success over SA and he wasn't too far away from earning a second win today with a splendid start against the might and experience of the NSW team. To allow the Patriots only two runs over 6.2innings is a performance that most pitchers in Australia would take any day of the week. It certainly gave his young Victorian pro team mate Adam Blackley the chance to pick up a somewhat fortunate victory for himself. Young Adam looked like being the "heel" after NSW nailed him for three runs in the top of the eighth to grab the lead in the game, but then he did his job with a zero in the ninth and he became the winning pitcher of record... baseball is a funny old game!

The NSW pitching trio of Bennett, Thompson and Lewis each did a serviceable rather that brilliant job for their team today to limit the Provincials hitters to what might normally be a losing score, but in the end it was one run more than the 'AP' pitchers allowed their own offence. I guess that although none of the Patriots pitchers were really dreadful, they did serve up a combined 14 hits and none of them escaped unscathed. The reliable Craig Lewis was the unlikely loser when he, for once, failed to close down the opposition at the end of a close ballgame... it had to happen some day!

However, Lewis could not be blamed for the defeat as he was the Patriots best performer with the "stick" batting 2-4 with two RBI's coming via his eighth innings homer... what the baseball gods gave him with the bat in one inning, they taketh away in the next with the ball... baseball, don't you just love it!?! Prolific 'Flintoff & Dunn AMLB Hall-Of-Fame' veteran Brendan Kingman and emerging professional catcher Andrew Graham were the only other NSW two-hit men on a relatively quiet night for the defending champions.

Young San Diego Padres professional Tom Vincent has been sneaking up on the AMLB scene with his excellent .324 avg from 10 Claxton Shield games and he looks set to even improve on that with his statistics from this year! He certainly went a long way towards doing that with a scorching 4-4 in this showcase game to stamp himself in the minds of Australian big league baseball fans. Recent 'AP' stars from Claxton 2005 Mark Saunderson and Michael Collins each added to their consistent records with multi-hit games today.

I've deliberately left until last 12-year AMLB stalwart Michael Wells who we are unashamed to say is one of our favourite players. We don't mention our personal "favouritism" of individual players too often, but I must admit that we do keep a special eye out for anything that 'Wellsy' does! You see, Michael's father Graeme was our FIRST EVER Subscriber to our books and he buys a couple every year so that he can send one to Michael... we also received a pile of help from Michael in the early days when we asked him for information about Hunter Eagles, NSW Country and Provincial players... he always gave us as much as he could and he never had an unkind word to say about anyone. Not only is Michael one of the most universally liked and respected players in Australian baseball, but he can also PLAY!! You'll understand why we enjoyed finding out that he was one of the stars of AP's win last night... 2-4 with two RBI's... not bad old fella!

STILL UNDEFEATED RAMS WIN 9-5 OVER SA!

We usually start by discussing the pitching, but this game was more about offence. We may have been guilty of forgetting about Brad Dutton who batted .333 at Claxton 2003 as a 20yo but his absence from the Australian big league has not dulled his skills or his hunger. In an incredibly consistent tournament Dutton batted 5-5 today to take his tournament average to a meagre .700... the only way from here is surely down, but what a glittering star he has been!

On the subject of AMLB stars, we did mention yesterday our instinct that Brett Roneberg might be getting himself into the kind of groove we have all seen before from the talented left-hander. He provided further evidence of that today with a big team contribution of 3-5 and two RBI's. What GREAT news it is for Australian baseball to see this still-young star on his way back from a very nasty shoulder injury and seemingly ready to pick up the reins on a promising but interrupted career. If he gets on a roll coming into the finals, his history would suggest that he'll be a major factor for the Rams.

David Sutherland (who has been a Claxton Shield hit machine during his short career), Jay Nilsson (there's that name again!), Josh Roberts (an impressive youngster) and Michael Simpson (who is having a terrific tournament) also added two more hits each from today's action. As we said, the Queenslanders have many ways to hurt the opposition!

How would you expect 'Bashing Ben' Wigmore to follow-up his historic three-jack day yesterday?... with a bit of a let-down like anyone else might?... nope, not him!... Wigmore once again carried the SA offence on his talented back with yet another stellar performance of 3-4 with a RBI... this fellow is incredible!! Dan Wilson was replaced as DH in the game after batting a miserable 2-2... go figure that one! Another consistent performer at AMLB level Sam Tibbitts simply continues to produce for his team with another creditable 2-5 effort today.

Philadelphia Phillies signing Drew Naylor gave Australian fans a glimpse of his potential with an excellent pitching debut at Claxton Shield 2006 against a very dangerous opponent. 19yo Naylor did very little wrong with a polished display to enable his team to maintain its undefeated record... while he was not untouchable, his debut win will be a great career start! Fellow 19yo AMLB rookie James Albury also got a taste of Claxton action to carry on a great family tradition and, while he allowed a few too many hits on this occasion, he also showed that he had the kind of stuff that could minimise the damage... he is one to keep a watchful eye on. Tristan Loetzsch carried out the last inning mop-up mission. 

Former Australian Provincial player Dushan Ruzic simply could not find the stunning form that he produced for SA at the 2005 Claxton Shield when he was pummelled by the "Battering Rams" to the tune of eleven hits from just 3.2 innings and he had to be replaced on the mound before his team bled to death... it happens at this level and we don't jump to conclusions after just one shaky outing... he'll be back! Jay Ziersch wasn't quite able to stamp out the blaze of Rams' hits either, although little-known closer Tyler Green looked pretty useful again. 

DETERMINED ACES TAKE THE HEAT OUT OF WA!

With due respect to the AMLB rookie WA pitchers Ryan Kelly and Travis Murphy, they have clearly struggled at the National level and both would be low on confidence after their debuts against NSW a few days earlier. Things did not improve for them much here when the combination of Kelly and Murphy (a fine pair of Irish names if ever we've heard them!) allowed nine hits and they coughed up eight walks during their combined 8.0 innings. The experienced and proven Bradley Thomas was much better in trying to secure the game at the end, but his effort was torpedoed by the game winning home run.

So, if the WA pitching was so generous, how is it that the Victorians made such hard work of stitching up the victory? The answer is that this Victorian Aces team have also shown themselves to have a very generous nature during this tournament and, although they have been presented with lots of run scoring opportunities, they have refused to cash them in by leaving men stranded on base. This situation was magnified in this game to the tune of 14 versus 6 by WA!! It is usually a recipe for disaster in Claxton Shield competition, or any baseball at this level, where situational hitting and batting with runners in scoring position is very often the primary key to success. If the Aces are to progress at Claxton Shield 2006 they will need to find the keys to unlock this problem or it will surely bite them in a tight game.

On the plus side for Victoria was a tremendous pitching performance against a dangerous WA batting lineup who had scored more runs than any team to date... to contain them to a total of just six hits and two walks over ten innings is the sort of effort that Kelly and Murphy could not match, but then they could not boast the type of experience and credentials of the Victorian pitchers. 28yo former San Diego Padres minor leaguer Russell Spear had probably the finest hour of his Claxton Shield career when he showed the benefit of 45 AMLB appearances, dating back to his debut with the Melbourne Monarchs in 1995. While he has always been rated as a gifted pitcher, he has not always produced his best at this level but, today was his day in the sun! Even on this occasion his effort nearly unravelled when he led off the third innings with a hit batter and two walks to allow four runs and to surrender a hard-earned three run lead. Thankfully, he had the talent and experience to re-group and to supply an outstanding start for his team under immense pressure. 

Emerging young Colorado Rockies pro Adam Bright also continues to impress at Claxton 2006 with his canny left-arm relief efforts, while versatile veteran Peter Moylan is always tough to hit at the pointy end of a tight game!

Offensively only two players, one from each team, had more than one hit in this game. For WA Brandon Dale continued his productive tournament with a lone handed effort for his team. Dale supplied three of WA's six hits for the game and he also batted in four of their five runs. His eighth inning home run ensured that the West stayed alive in the game and forced the extra inning.

In a similar vein for Victoria was young Minnesota Twins professional Paul Rutgers who has been a standout performer at previous Claxton Shield carnivals but he had been slow to get going so far at Blacktown this year. All this changed for Paul today when he batted an explosive 4-6 with two RBI's, including the big game winning home run in the top of the tenth! Danny Berg continued his hot-hitting with a booming triple and he was matched on this occasion by his close Waverley team mate Andrew Russell whose two RBI triple was a vital blow in the game.

Victoria lives again after a narrow and harrowing win but, we sense, they will need to lift further to lift the trophy! 

UNDEFEATED QLD ROLLS OVER NSW 5-2!

However, we will take credit for identifying that the Queensland team had been given a significant upgrade, especially offensively and defensively, from last year's campaign. It is very noticeable that the offensive players you would expect to see to the fore for the Rams are all contributing here and there and they certainly ALL produced a worthy contribution in the big contest against the Patriots.

Brad Dutton continues his fine "career best" form while Brett Roneberg has been doing his bit and his two hits in this game are a warning sign for future opponents that he could be ready to crank into top gear. A star of recent tournaments David Sutherland had an important hit in this game and the young fellow with the "Nilsson name" seems capable of living up to some lofty expectations... in all, things are looking good for the Rams right now. 

I know it sounds gratuitous, but how delighted we were to see Australia's major league star TRENT DURRINGTON show us a few glimpses of his undoubted talents at Blacktown. We were happy to sing our praises of 'Durro' before the tournament regardless of his statistics out here in his off-season, but we are even happier to say that he is also enjoying considerable success at Claxton 2006. Just to repeat our sentiments about Trent, and not to denigrate other major league / pros who rarely choose to play these tournaments... it is a HUGE ASK to expect these guys, who play baseball almost every day and almost all-year round to give up what amounts to their "holiday break" to play more baseball for little or no financial reward. The fact that Trent Durrington does so EVERY year makes him a pretty special person in Australian baseball. You have our gratitude and respect... and now you can add to that our congratulations on a BIG 4-4 night at the plate!!

The Queensland hitters feasted on Patriots starter Ben Williams who had owned a pretty decent AMLB record until now, but he would be first to agree that eleven hits from his 6.1 innings is a good few too many, especially when it is mixed with three free-passes to first base, a hit batter and a wild pitch. Young Tim Cox did his short relief job without too much drama and Vaughan Harris had a much better time in this game than on opening night against Victoria... nice comeback!

Cleveland Indians professional pitcher Matt Haynes had his "breakout game" in Australia's big league with a very solid game against the very experienced and dangerous NSW offence, allowing them only four hits from his 5.0 innings quality start. He pitched with a poise and confidence that we had not seen from him previously on Australian soil. However, Haynes may have even been slightly upstaged by AMLB rookie Mark Kearney who faced only two hitters above the minimum with three terrific innings of middle-relief. It was a "doddle" for the talented Phil Stockman to put a lid on the deal for the Rams and I'm not sure why he wasn't credited with a save after preserving the three-run lead?

Similar to rivals Victoria, the NSW Patriots suddenly find themselves in a rather delicate position and they too cannot afford any further slip-ups or their tournament might finish for them much earlier than expected. However, they would not be complaining about losing this game after being out-hit 13-5 and comprehensively outplayed. For the Rams it is "all systems GO" and the finals can't come quickly enough for them!

'AP' RUNS OUT OF PLUCK IN 16-10 LOSS TO WA!