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WEEK 1 SERIES  Game 6  Sat 7 NOV 2009

NSW CLINCHES HOME SERIES 4-3 v QUEENSLAND!

Normal service was resumed in the northern states series between New South Wales and the visiting Queenslanders when a blowout in game two of the series was followed by a much more typical dog-fight in the deciding game three.. and the size of the dogs in this fight was about the same. Quite typically these two proud states could only be separated by one run scored in the final inning as the series result went right down to the wire.

Although he ended on the losing team in the game, I’ll start with the remarkable performance of Queensland’s Chris Lamb who had endured one brief and painful outing in Claxton 2008, but he looked more like Sandy Koufax in this game with EIGHT strike outs from his first three scoreless innings. Unfortunately at all went a little pear-shaped for him in the fourth when a one out single, an error and a walk saw him at the end of his rope and two runs were subsequently loaded onto his stats line. Among the committee of arms who ran out the game for the Rams, Justin Erasmus allowed one more run, while Jarrod Bruce and Brett Montgomery were quite solid. Former pro Matt Timms struggled under the pressure at the pointy end when a one out walk was converted into the winning run.

Former journeyman professional Wayne Lundgren was a valuable starter for NSW in the deciding game and he lived up to his billing with five shutout innings that paved the way for the Patriots’ victory. New boy Mathew Rae hurled a solid sixth and future LA Angel Aaron Sookee got the last Queensland out but, in between them, part-time pitcher Tim Atherton nearly let the game slip in the top of the seventh. He allowed three game-tying runs on three hits and two walks in a performance he will want to forget quickly. Thankfully for him, it did not cost his team the win.

For the Patriots former Marlins’ pro Trent D’Antonio seemed to be on base all weekend and he was again in this game three times, including two base knocks. The reliable Mark Holland also had two more hits to continue his recent good form from the past couple of Claxton Shields. Tim Atherton somewhat made up for his pitching adventures with a RBI, while Kandilas and Auty also grilled and served one “steak” each.

Queensland's Steve Greer finished off a decent weekend at the plate with another two hits as the only man in his dugout to hit twice. He supplied one of the runs batted in, along with Trent Baker and Alan Schoenberger.

So, much like the battle at Geelong this weekend, the home team emerged as 2-1 victors in the series but, we have to suggest, this is just about a par score for this Claxton Shield format. In the end it may well come down to the successful teams needing to win an away series or two, or to dominate their own home series with 3-0 sweeps. It will be most enthralling if every home series is won 2-1… don’t bet on that!

Our now standard recognition for umpires Matt CARTER, Iain ROUSE, Paul HYHAM and Trent THOMAS.
 

WEEK 1 SERIES  Game 5  Sat 7 NOV 2009

HEAT CLAIMS CONSOLATION 11-1 v VICTORIA!

I have used the word “consolation” in the headline but, really, every single game in these Claxton Shield home and away series could be vital when the race for the finals comes closer into view. Sure, the Victorian Aces were entitled to enjoy their series clinching 2-0 position after game two, but they would have been equally intent on a sweep... something that the WA Heat were determined to avoid. There is no denying the massive difference between a 3-0 series and 2-1.

Taking the mound for the hosts was one of the great warriors of national level baseball, Greg Wiltshire, who owns a record worthy of respect, however, this would turn into a sombre memory for him. Unfortunately, ‘Wilt’ had not even had an outing in club baseball coming into this game and, aside from bullpen practice, he had not thrown a pitch in serious competition for many weeks. Suffice to say that he was as rusty as the oldest nail in your garden fence. WHOA! Hold on, before anyone starts questioning the wisdom of sending Wiltshire out to pitch in this game, one must consider the availability of other (starting) pitchers and the lack of alternative options.

It was a nightmare of the most horrible proportions for Wiltshire that he could only manage one out while conceding four hits, a walk, two hit batters and a wild pitch to make him responsible for the five run start gleefully grasped by the West Aussies. ‘Flintoff & Dunn’ will choose not to criticise Greg Wiltshire for having the guts and the loyalty to take the ball, but we will point our fingers towards other Victorian players who were better prepared to pitch but did not make themselves available to represent their state.

Shifting to the WA perspective, the five run start was a godsend in a seven inning game. Well performed Dylan Peacock pretty much cruised through five innings while allowing just one run before giving over to Benn Grice and Dean White who would have enjoyed their inning each of low pressure work. They each saw one hit from the Victorians, but little threat to the scoreboard which had tilted dramatically after the Heat posted another five runs in the top of the seventh.

Back to round off the Aces pitching, youngster Blake Cunningham was very good under difficult circumstances to tidy up the wreckage early in the game and it was no disgrace to him that he struggled to deal with reigning Helms Award slugger Nick Kimpton... join the club! Newcomer Matt Prior picked a tough time to make his Claxton debut and, although he was characteristically tidy, he will need to reduce the number of hits he allowed to be effective at this standard. Last, and probably best, was the unfamiliar sight of slugger ‘Rusty’ Russell who tidied up the final two outs in pretty impressive style. Russell has pitched a bit in club ball and this year he has tinkered with a “Moylan-like” side arm action which seems to give his powerful arm more penetration against good hitters.

Sticking with Andrew Russell for a moment, he hammered two of the hardest hits in this game, one which bounced against the fence for a double and another that flew to right field on a frozen rope and resulted in a double-play out at home plate. Aces Weichard, Lawman and Dingle added two more hits each in this game to finish with very good series numbers.

Nine different WA players had success with the bat in this contest, but it was very ominous for all teams in Claxton 2010 that ‘Nitro’ Nick Kimpton found his stroke again with 3-4 and the increasingly dangerous Tim Kennelly also batted 3-5 to finish a good series on a high. Underrated Aaron Ottoway showed his worth again with his 2-4 that comprised two RBI doubles.

In the end there was not too much decided in this series. Victoria should be quite content with their 2-1 series result that came with a below-strength roster, while WA won’t be discouraged by their 1-2 result from the away series, especially after facing a potential sweep.

Our now standard recognition for umpires David MILTON, Greg HOWARD and Stewart HOWE.
 

WEEK 1 SERIES  Game 4  Sat 7 NOV 2009

PATRIOTS PUMMEL QUEENSLAND 10-1!

I guess if you ever wanted to call upon someone to reverse a previous game defeat for you, one of the first Claxton Shield pitchers you would think of would have to be ‘Terrible Tim’ Cox... ah, yes, the winner of the past two Golden Arm Awards for Claxton Shield pitching excellence. Partly because of Cox, the Rams had little time to bask in the glory of their opening game win. It was a narrow first round victory for the visitors, but NSW rebounded hard to give Queensland a savage belting in the second stanza.

This time Tim Cox may not have been as overwhelming as he has often been in recent years, however, it is only by his standards that you might criticise his major seven inning part of a combined shutout victory. The fact that he struck out eight over those seven innings was very familiar, even if the seven hits he allowed was not his normal issue. Then, if the maroons had seen enough of Cox, things did not improve for them after the arrival of impressive young Phillies’ rookie Todd Van Steensel who allowed only one walk over two innings while screwing the lid very tightly on the shutout... we’ll be keeping an eye on him this summer.

For the Rams, starter James Albury wasn’t nearly as bad as his pitching line might suggest. The 2009 Independent League and Chicago White Sox pro had allowed only one unearned run after five innings to have the game deadlocked at 1-1 but, sadly for him, it unravelled pretty quickly in the sixth when a couple of walks and a wild pitch hinted at tiredness. None of Queensland’s relievers Aaron Thompson, Rod Wodson or Brett Mongomery was really able to stem the tide once Albury departed as the Patriots poured on the runs with the benefit of eight more hits over the remaining 2.1 innings.

Former Detroit professional and AROOS star Andrew Graham did most of the damage for the blues with his sturdy 3-4 that delivered three RBIs, just ahead of former pro catcher Trent D’Antonio who batted 3-4 plus a walk to really hog the bases. The familiar names of Holland, Kandilas (two), Auty and Dening each joined the RBI riot for New South Wales.

It was much slimmer pickings for the Queenslanders whose seven safe hits were spread thin and the zeroes were identical for each box across the top of the scoreboard. Only newcomer Aven Fletcher nailed two hits for the second successive game to signal his arrival in Australian Major League Baseball. None of his team mates could boast two hits, but Phillies pro Alan Schoenberger singled and walked to maintain his bulging on base percentage for the competition so far.

As usual, this opening Claxton Shield series between NSW and Queensland will have to go to a decider before the initial bragging rights are allocated.

Our now standard recognition for umpires Trent THOMAS, Bob CRAWFORD, Iain ROUSE and Paul HYHAM.
 

WEEK 1 SERIES  Game 3  Sat 7 NOV 2009

ACES RALLY LATE TO FOIL WEST 8-3!

Certainly over their past two Championship campaigns, the WA Heat have had the wood on the Victorians, and most other teams, and it has been WA who has most often snatched the close games from the fire. To the relief of the home standing Victorian Aces, the wheel has finally turned as it was the Aces on this occasion who pounced late to stun WA with a six-spot in the bottom of the eighth.

Up until then West Australia had held sway after taking the lead in the third and then breaking a tie with two runs in the fifth. In the meantime we had been treated to some solid pitching from starters Donavon Hendricks for Victoria and Daniel Schmidt for WA. Both of these young guys toiled manfully in the very warm and sunny afternoon conditions and, while both allowed more than a hit per inning, they each refused to give an inch. Former pro Hendricks was particularly tidy with nary a walk in sight and it was unfortunate for him that a pair of unearned runs excluded him from featuring in the decision. Phillies signee Schmidt called upon some timely double-plays to keep himself largely out of trouble and he too was unfortunate that his bullpen could not preserve his lead.

Possibly the difference in the game was the fact that the Aces could call upon the crafty Matt Blackmore to finish off Hendricks' good work. Now in his fourth Claxton Shield competition, Blackmore has now added his sixth win, along with four saves, to bolster an already remarkable career at this level. His four scoreless innings were critical here to say the very least.

Losing pitcher Travis Murphy ran into a somewhat unexpected tidal wave in the eighth after finishing off the seventh, while impressive Cincinnati rookie Nathan Driessen really couldn’t do too much after most of WA’s resistance had been washed away during that stunning eighth inning rally. We will look forward to seeing more of him later during Claxton 2010.

Former Minnesota pro Matt Lawman hasn’t been known primarily for his batting strength over the years, but he broke out big time in this game with 4-4 plus a RBI to shade local star Scotty Wearne who is just starting to show his real quality at national level with 3-5, two doubles and two RBIs as a major contribution to this win. Former professional infielder and pitcher Josh Davies was back where he started in the infield and his solid bat produced a vital 2-5 with two RBIs. Weichard, Harman and Biddle were the other important run drivers for the Aces on this occasion.

Another current Minnesota Twin not noted for his hitting is Allan de San Miguel who also broke out here with 3-5 that drove in two runs, perhaps to take some spotlight away from Mitch Graham’s 2-5 that included a booming home run over deep left centre at Geelong.

We don’t often mention defensive highlights in these reports, but this time we would be remiss not to note the moment of ultra-important brilliance from Victoria’s reigning Gold Glove catcher Grant Karlsen. After two leadoff singles saw his club mate Donnie Hendricks in a spot of bother starting the second inning, Grant de-fused a popped up bunt attempt when he spun around with his back to the diamond and then dived full-length to cradle a mighty catch inches from the ground. The huge out allowed Hendricks to work his way out of the inning and it might very well have changed the course of the result. Karlsen was yet to make an error after three Claxton Shield tours and the passed ball scored against him in this game was very, very tough indeed.

Our now standard recognition for umpires Stewart HOWE, Mark GOODING and Greg HOWARD
 

WEEK 1 SERIES  Game 2  Fri 6 NOV 2009

QUEENSLAND GRABS 4-3 OPENER v NSW!

It would be a bit like informing you that the sun comes up in the morning and sets in the evening to tell you that those great northern rivals Queensland and NSW played another barn-burner to open their 2010 Claxton Shield hostilities. In the end it took a run scored on a fielding error for the Rams to snatch the points with the go ahead run in the top of the ninth. How often do these games go right down to the wire… answer: very often!

Queensland starter Simon Morriss was a lot more effective than his New South Wales counterpart Todd Grattan who somehow managed to keep the scoring under wraps in the wake of seven hits and five walks across his 4.1 inning adventure. Morriss, who has been pretty good out of the bullpen for Queensland in the past two Claxton competitions, was making his first start at national level and he should be well pleased with his quality start that left him with a no decision even though he set up the victory for his team.

Red Sox rookie professional Justin Erasmus was the man to claim the win for the Rams with a couple of solid late relief innings, while former Atlanta pro Matt Timms chimed in for the save by striking out two in the bottom of the ninth to make sure that the one run lead was preserved. On the flip side, maybe stalwart Vaughan Harris was a tad unlucky to cop the loss after striking out five during his three-plus innings of valuable middle relief work. Previously unknown Mathew Rae could also count himself unlucky when his first Claxton shield action saw the go ahead run score on an error that he could do nothing about before he tidied up his first big league inning quite impressively.

Phillies ‘A’ leaguer Alan Schoenberger hasn’t demonstrated much authority with the bat here or in the US, but he broke out in this game like a hitting machine. Not only did he produce a massive 4-5 while driving in a vital run, but the icing on his cake was his leadoff double in the top of the ninth that saw him later cross for the game winning run. You could say that he was probably the difference between the two teams.

Steven Greer built upon his useful .333 Claxton average with 2-5 and a RBI, while newcomer Aven Fletcher’s 2-5 included a decisive single in the ninth inning with the game on a knife edge. The other guy to own a two hit game was a lad with the unfamiliar name NILSSON. Cleveland Indians signing Mitch Nilsson became the SIXTH player from that most famous of Australian baseball families to play at national level and, clearly, he has already provided a glimpse of the family pedigree here. Another unknown, Shayne Watson made a handy debut with a single and two walks.

The Patriots offence was headlined by 2009 Claxton finals star Shannon Pender who kept his career at this level sizzling with 2-4 that included a two RBI triple. Reliable performers Mark Holland and Tim Auty each batted 2-4, while experienced former pro Andrew Graham supplied their other RBI for the game.

Well folks, the sun had come up in the morning, as it always does, and these famous rivals once again put on a thrilling contest for their supporters. Nothing new there!

Our now standard recognition for umpires Paul HYHAM, Matt CARTER, Bob CRAWFORD and Ian ROUSE.
 

WEEK 1 SERIES  Game 1  Fri 6 NOV 2009

VICTORIA HOLD OUT WA 9-8!

The Claxton Shield seemed to arrive upon us prematurely this season and, to apologise to ‘Flintoff & Dunn’ subscribers who might have expected the usual previews, we just didn’t get to see the various rosters early enough to do it again this year. And, to get the apologies out of the way all at once, we won’t be able to post all of the game reports as promptly as we have in the past. I will be attending all of the Victorian fixtures across the southern states but, because Victoria’s home games are all scheduled for the fair (or is that FAR?) city of Geelong, instead of Melbourne, we face a nearly four hour round trip by car each day and this soaks up plenty of usual “writing time”… sorry about that folks!

I can’t say that there was too much optimism among the Aces' fans with a roster for this series that was almost devoid of professional stars, most of whom are still resting. On paper at least the Victorians seemed to be facing a tough task to take on the might of the dual Claxton champions from WA. There was also the daunting thought of facing 2008 Championship MVP and recent pitching star Mark Kelly who was the game one starter for the Heat.

Well, it always pays to expect the unexpected from our game of baseball. The hardy gathering of baseball tragics at Geelong had barely settled after the “novel” introductions when the Aces burst from their stools in the blue corner with a flurry of punches that had Kelly immediately on the ropes and battling to survive an early knockout! Two leadoff doubles to Wearne and Weichard were eventually cashed in via a two out RBI single to former pro Josh Davies, followed by a three run blast from Hayden Dingle. The powerful Dingle is sometimes known as “Dinger” in club baseball but few had seen him hammer an opposite field 'Dinger' like this one as he is a renowned pull hitter.

Two more doubles and three singles doubled Victoria’s lead to eight in the second inning and, when a ninth run scored unearned in the third, Kelly was required to hand the baseball to a rookie whose surname would be very familiar to any of the more senior Australian baseball fans. We must assume that Richard Michell is a relative of the great Ray Michell who was a star in WA before hanging on to play in the first year of the ABL with the 1990 Perth Heat. Anyway, the pedigree was evident when Michell not only stopped the bleeding, but he dried up the Victorian offence completely with 5.2 scoreless innings. He retired his first ten hitters in impressive succession before hitting Dingle with a pitch to leadoff the seventh. It was almost incredible that he came so close to collecting a win by the time the game ended.

Ah yes, with the home half of the scoreboard stalled, the West Aussies were provided a breath of life and, allied by some sloppy Victorian defence, they showed their Championship quality by chipping away to ultimately sneak within one run of a really remarkable comeback.

Home team starter Casey Jones had been a gallant performer through three shield campaigns with the Aussie Provincials and he didn’t disappoint in his long awaited debut for the Victorian team. Only Tim Kennelly’s majestic three run bomb in the fourth saddled him with two earned runs from his quality winning start. Local Geelong lefty Elliot Biddle did his job nicely with three valuable innings of relief and he was unfortunate to allow two runs, both unearned. Former Colorado rookie league pro Ross Hipke wobbled a bit in the eighth as his defence continued to be charitable to their guests, but he did just enough to make sure that WA remained one run short of tying the game.

I’ve mentioned Dingle’s big home run, but it was the “W-Men” Weichard 3-5 with two RBIs and Wearne 2-4 plus a RBI who got the ball rolling for the Aces, along with former LA Angels pro Josh Davies who returned to his original infield role with a tidy 2-4 that included a RBI. The other run producers for Victoria were Brad Harman and Andrew Russell, who was unfortunate not to be scored with a hit.

Talented professionals Jason Smit, Tim Kennelly and Matt Kennelly enjoyed two hit games for the visitors, as did the solid bat of Aaron Ottoway. They were also the RBI men for WA, along with Andrew Kyle as the Heat from the west finished the game with an equal tally of eleven hits for the game.

I’m not convinced that the sporting mystery of “momentum” applies too much in baseball where different pitchers provide different outcomes, however, if there is such a thing, the Victorian Aces will not be feeling too comfortable about their 1-0 advantage in this series when it resumes tomorrow!

Our now standard recognition for umpires Mark GOODING, Stewart HOWE and David MILTON