WEEK 4 SERIES  Game 24  Sat 28 NOV 2009

QUEENSLAND AVOIDS BROOMS 9-7 v SA!

Our reporter couldn’t help us with answers to any of those questions just yet, or with any reason why this game was such an ugly affair in so many ways. Through seven and one half innings he witnessed, no endured, a total of no less than eleven walks, four wild pitches, a passed ball, a baulk and three hit batters. This was not a game for the baseball purist folks, but it did produce an interesting contest and, thankfully for the hosts, a much needed win for the Rams.

We have mentioned many times what a wonderful warrior Darren Fidge has been for SA over nearly two decades, however; this was far from his finest outing on the hill. You can trawl through the statistics at your own leisure, but these were an aberration for him. Losing pitcher Chris Lawson was only a fraction better even though the Queensland hits kept flowing far too freely. Late inning relievers Wayne Ough and Jackson Lodge were OK, but too late to have much influence on the result.

The Queensland pitching was far from perfect either but current pros James Albury and Justin Erasmus proved just a bit harder to hit than their SA counterparts, even though they walked three each. Chris Lamb hit the only batter he faced with a pitched ball before handing the win to PJ. Bevis who was backing up from starting the first game of the twin bill. Bevis was the best of the pitchers on this untidy occasion while Matt Timms allowed one run while closing out the save.

Just when the South Aussies looked on track for a sweep with a four run lead after the top of the third, the big move was made when the Rams struck for a six spot in the equalising half of the third. Hot hitting pro Alan Schoenberger went deep for the second time in two games with his two run bomb over centre, followed by another pro Joel Naughton who went back-to-back with his solo shot over left field. Atlanta’s young pro James Linger completed the third inning carnage with his two run double. Yet, they were far from alone as offensive contributors for the home boys.

Former Baltimore pro Andy Utting capped another terrific game with 3-3 plus a walk, while Steve Greer batted 2-3 plus a walk of his own. Schoenberger has been mentioned often enough and fellow pro Trent Baker joined him with two hits, along with solid prospect Shayne Watson. Wade Dutton and Aven Fletcher were the other RBI men not yet mentioned.

Of SA’s eight players with safe hits, only Michael Collins managed to hit twice. Our new ‘Flintoff & Dunn HALL OF FAMER’ Ben Wigmore wasn’t given much chance to challenge him when his first two plate appearances saw a walk and, yet another, hit by pitch... his third yielded a RBI single. Apart from those big guns Wilson, Child and Roeger all drove in runs for the ladder leaders.

Yes, South Australia emerges from week four still high atop the Claxton Shield table. Queensland remains anchored to the bottom but at least they may have started lifting that anchor with this welcome success.

Our now standard recognition for umpires Mal MACKAY, Mark BRAMWELL and Paul LATTA.
 

WEEK 4 SERIES  Game 23  Sat 28 NOV 2009

NEW SOUTH SNEAKS SERIES WITH 2-1 WIN v ACES!

To follow on from our last report of this series, it turned out to be a decent effort by the hot and hampered visitors to re-group for this nightcap deciding game ay Blacktown. Of course just the very thought of a New South Wales versus Victoria confrontation in any sport is enough to stir the competitive juices and these great rivals didn’t disappoint anyone once again. As briefly mentioned in our last game report from the Queensland series, it was a real pity that this game was short-changed of two innings when it finished mid-way through the seventh with a knife edged 2-1 result. The over-heated players might not have complained too much, but the hardy fans deserved nine innings!

Seasoned former professional Wayne Lundgren has been a real thorn in the side for the Aces over the last couple of seasons and he maintained that reputation by minimising any potential damage to post another valuable win for his team. Lundgren doesn’t always dominate hitters but he usually finds a way to do his job and that is a mighty comforting thought for manager Shane Barclay.

We have to be honest enough to say that we have found out little about Mathew Rae just yet, however; we have to be impressed by what he has produced here in a game that allowed precious little “wriggle room” for anyone at the end of a one run result. Rae called upon three strike outs to keep the pressing Aces from getting back into the deciding game.

Having dealt with the positive angle of the Patriots’ pitching, we must now move on to the negative of the Victorian defence that, OUCH, gifted FOUR decisive errors to their hosts across just six fielding innings. These errors set the tone for a painful defeat for Victoria, yet one aspect of their defence was a highlight, even for the opposing fans. I did mention last time that Aces' right fielder Andrew Russell is renowned for his throwing arm in Victorian State League baseball but, apparently, the NSW coaching staff didn’t have time to visit our humble web site. Oh yes, 'Rusty’ Russell hosed out another TWO unwary Patriots before they could find home base safely. We told you... this guy is a NO GO ZONE!

If that makes frustrated Victorian fans feel any better, which I very much doubt, then there isn’t much more good news to follow. Victoria out-hit the New South Welshman by the hefty ratio of 2:1, yet the Aces could only scramble one run on ten hits, compared with the Patriots two runs on five hits. Errors really do hurt very badly at any level of baseball but, the higher the level, the more it can hurt.

Victoria’s pitching depth has been sorely tested in the early rounds of this Claxton Shield with several leading players unavailable so, much like we said about Greg Wiltshire previously, we won’t be too hard on lefty Dean Barker for taking the ball even if he may have been somewhat underdone. Barker’s effort wasn’t too bad, but his own throwing error in the first inning commenced the Aces defensive woes. Only one of the runs he allowed was earned and, as we said, at least he turned up to do his best for his state. Former Colorado pro and Aussie Provincial Ross Ripke hasn’t had a lot of opportunity at this level but he looked the part for the Aces here with four strike outs cancelling three hits during his effective outing. Most importantly, he gave his team a chance to win and you can ask no more than that.

Five different Patriots produced one hit each, with Mark Holland supplying their lone earned run on a ground out, plus he later singled. Mitch Dening singled and walked, while Trent D’Antonio singled and was hit by a pitch.

Pugnacious Paul Weichard led the Victorian offence with his 3-4 that included a double. He just edged series stars Josh Davies and Scott Wearne who each contributed 2-4 as extremely reliable and consistent players for the Aces... what a "gamer" Wearne is to play with a nasty toe injury. Unselfish slugger Andrew Russell plated Victoria’s only run with his deep sacrifice fly RBI and he later singled to keep the Aces hopes alive... it was not to be.

New South Wales took the home series 2-1 with that ultra-tight 2-1 victory in the deciding game. This leaves Victoria needing to at least reciprocate when the Patriots travel south for week five. It promises to be another enthralling series between these respected rivals.

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

WEEK 4 SERIES  Game 22  Sat 28 NOV 2009

SA SNEAKS PAST QUEENSLAND 3-2!

Big Ruzic was just one batter short of posting a seven inning complete game victory while striking out seven Rams through those quality 6.2 innings. It was a flashback to the 2007 Claxton Shield when the lanky right hander dominated the teams he faced in the competition to win the Golden Arm Award. After issuing a two out walk in the seventh he left just one out for former pro Wayne Ough to polish off for the easiest of saves.

While unconfirmed, it seems that P.J Bevis might be on a short pitch count because he was lifted after finishing his best inning for the game at the end of the third. Once again he was a smidgeon unlucky to depart with his second loss for the competition strapped to his back.  Queensland relievers Nathan Crawford, Chris lamb and Matt Timms all threw efficiently to keep the game well within reach for the hosts, but it just never quite materialised for them.

SA backbone ‘Bashing Ben’ Wigmore headlined the offence for the victors with his 3-4 game, while SA newcomer ‘Mighty Mike’ Collins did it again for his latest adopted state with another home run over right field to supply his two RBIs. Philadelphia signing Angus Roeger singled and walked, while current New York Mets pro Stefan Welch took a pair of free trots down to first base.

Unfortunately for the Rams, not one of their batters could mount any sustained offence against the SA pitching in a game that was always within their reach. One young guy who hasn’t failed to warrant some print during this Claxton Shield campaign is rising Phillies’ short stop Alan Schoenberger, who hasn’t yet shown a lot of batting power at professional level. He may be breaking out with the wood this summer and his long ball over straight away centre field is just his latest contribution to Queensland’s batting this season. Schoenberger added a walk to his ”dinger”, while Shayne Watson, no, not the Aussie cricketer also from the sunshine state, singled and walked. Aven Fletcher was the Rams’ other RBI man with his sacrifice fly.

The 2009/10 South Australians are playing like they have some demons to exorcise in this Claxton Shield campaign and they are definitely helping their loyal home fans to forget a couple of really awful seasons by their proud standards. The bullpen that has been their “Achilles heel” most often recently hasn’t been stretched this summer and strong starting pitching obviously helps.

The Queensland team hasn’t been far off the pace in most of their games, although they wouldn’t need ‘Flintoff & Dunn’ to spell out the fact that their win/loss record is becoming more precarious now.

Just by the way, it continues to interest us that some centres have “reversed” the double-header format by playing the seven inning game in the afternoon and the nine inning game at night. This would seem to us to be the ideal approach but it is not consistent with the fixture or what is happening elsewhere. We might find out about the reasons for this eventually?

Our now standard recognition for umpires Paul LATTA, Mal MACKAY and Craig BIENKE.
 

WEEK 4 SERIES  Game 21  Sat 28 NOV 2009

PATRIOTS PUNISH VICTORIAN PITCHING 18-5!

I am assured by our reporters in Sydney that the weather was as hot and steamy as a Singapore sweat shop and that gripping the baseball was something akin to grasping the proverbial bar of soap. Perhaps it’s just as well that the pitchers could point to some rational excuse for being hit hard to the tune of 21 total hits across six and one half innings. It was not quite as bad as that “monster bash” turned on by SA and Queensland yesterday, but it wasn’t far from it.

Unlike the Queensland hosts yesterday, it was the Victorian visitors today that were pretty much put to the sword by their ungracious NSW hosts who bounced back from their opening night defeat. This game really turned ugly for the Aces at the end when the Patriots piled on 15 runs in their last three innings but, up until then, the Victorians actually led and they had plenty of opportunities to apply some more very rare pressure onto top starter ‘Terrible Tim’ Cox. Tim wasn’t actually terrible in this game, yet it was as close as he’s come to looking vulnerable for a very long time in the Claxton Shield.

On this very rare occasion Cox really struggled and you won’t often find him dishing up an average of two hits per inning. If hurling the greasy, perspiration coated baseball was difficult enough to make this fellow struggle, then the Victorian pitchers can take a modicum of heart from a quite miserable game. With a massive lead to work with Phillies rookie league pro Todd Van Steensel enjoyed the opportunity to showcase his quality for New South Wales and he restored some degree of sanity on behalf of the pitching fraternity at the end.

Victoria's ‘Donnie’ Hendricks is a bit low on confidence after a rugged outing last time and he was finding the fat part of the bat too often again here. Even so, he was the best of a sorry trio of Aces and, in hindsight, it might have been better to let him go deeper, especially as he still owned the lead in the game when he departed. Youngster Blake Cunningham doesn’t yet have the experience to handle this type of situation while Matt Prior has found the step up to Claxton level too large for him at this stage.

Former pro star Andrew Graham possibly stole the show offensively with a rainbow home run over left field headlining his 4-5 game; however, he couldn’t have been much better than another former pro catcher Trent D’Antonio who doubled three times for four RBIs and he also walked for a perfect on base percentage.

Young Boston hopeful Mitch Dening also “went yard” to right field as the big part of his 2-5 with three RBIs and former Twins pro Michael Lysaught was a constant contributor with his 3-4 plus a run driven in. Another one time pro catcher, Pat Maat batted 2-3 with a pair of “ribbies” coming from two doubles and a free stroll. I’m not going to rattle off the rest of the Patriots team offence, except to mention Shannon Pender’s three RBIs.

Middle infielders Scotty Wearne and Matt Lawman both hit three times for Victoria, while Grant Karlsen and the red-hot Josh Davies nailed two hits apiece. The ever consistent ‘Rusty’ Russell hit and walked for his two RBIs.

I have saved this space to make special mention of Grant Karlsen’s home run ball over centre field that, I’m told, was possibly just as long as Andy Graham’s moon shot. I mentioned that Scott Wearne batted 3-5 and this was made more remarkable by the fact that he has a suspected broken toe! Wearne may have been the option for backup catcher in this team but, as we were to find out in game three of this series, Karlsen would handle all three games for the Aces. It was a magnificently gutsy effort in sweltering conditions and his home run was a worthy reward. (Footnote: Karlsen also caught a full game of club ball the previous Wednesday night and again on Sunday after arriving home!)

The travelling Aces were a fairly disconsolate bunch after their capitulation in this game and, in these conditions, it would be a huge challenge for them to re-group for the nightcap series decider.

Our now standard recognition for umpires Iain ROUSE, Trent THOMAS, Matt CARTER and Bob CRAWFORD.
 

WEEK 4 SERIES  Game 20  Fri 27 NOV 2009

SOUTH AUSTRALIA RAVAGES RAMS 15-5!

If you prefer action on the bases better than a low scoring pitching duel, then this was the game for you! For a seven inning game the combined total of 23 hits, ten extra base hits and four home runs was more than enough fireworks and, we have to say, it was not particularly flattering to the pitchers. In these days where obesity is a focus, walking is looked upon as a healthy thing to do, however, the additional eight walks served up by the gracious hosts was a terrible baseball sin.

Yep, there was plenty of action on the basepaths but, sadly for the home team Rams, the majority of this action belonged to the visiting team from SA who romped away to a lop-sided 15-5 mercy-rule massacre at the end of the minimum seven completed innings. The way the game seemed to be heading it surely was a mercy for the Queenslanders who had seen enough of red shirts crossing the plate like migrating herds in those African nature programs on television.

Established professional Paul Mildren wasn’t especially miserly while collecting the win, even though he struck out one per inning. He could thank the rampaging run support that glossed over his own inability to dominate the bat with the ball. Former ACT Provincial Hayden Beard was the best of the pitchers on display in this game, allowing just one base runner on a walk from his two innings... but then he wasn’t under a lot of pressure in his final inning after SA added a “crooked number seven” in the top half of the seventh.

To quickly rake over the ashes of the Queensland throwing, Simon Morriss was terrific last time, but the rooster turned into a feather duster here in a manner that baseball so often does to young players. Middle relievers Nathan Crawford and Chris Lamb each failed to secure an out, while 39yo veteran Brett Montgomery was left hung out to dry at the end with further serious damage to his Claxton Shield statistics.

The South Aussies may not have carried as many “imports” into this game, but one very significant one was quality professional ‘Mighty Mike’ Collins who played ‘AA’ and ‘AAA’ with San Diego last season. The former ACT Provincial star represented the opposition of Queensland as a “drafted import” for Claxton 2009 but he was here to haunt them from the opposing dugout this time. Collins batted 2-3 with a home run and three RBIs.

On most occasions this would be a clear MVP performance but there were team mates pressing hard for the same reward. Dan Wilson went yard with 2-3 and two RBIs, Stefan Welch homered as part of his 2-4 with three RBIs and Benny Wigmore, not to be outdone, also went deep while batting 2-5 with the RBI. Just to put an offensive flourish on this game Welch, Wigmore and Collins went deep back-to-back-to-back with bombs in the top of the seventh to really make a mess of Queensland’s hospitality. Angus Roeger chimed in with a pair of “steaks’, while Cresswell, Cakebread and Talbot each plated one.

Polished catcher Joel Naughton homered and doubled for two RBIs to just overshadow impressive young Phillies pro Alan Schoenberger who maintains his marvellous consistency in this competition with another 3-4. Trent Baker enjoyed another two knocks, while newcomer Aven Fletcher contributed two RBIs via a single and a walk as he grows in stature on this testing stage.

This big win keeps the “Cinderella” South Australians on the top of the Claxton Shield heap and, to be honest, they are showing no sign of falling away as this summer gets warmer. The Queensland Rams are at the opposite end of the table and their window of opportunity is now starting to close a bit more with each loss. This one certainly wasn’t pretty!

Our now standard recognition for umpires Mark BRAMWELL, Craig BEINKE and Mal MACKAY.
 

WEEK 4 SERIES  Game 19  Fri 27 NOV 2009

VICTORIA STRIKES EARLY FOR 6-3 WIN IN NSW!

Victorian pitcher Casey Jones has probably, at times, regretted the fact that his parents bestowed him with the same name as a somewhat popular character from an ancient US television series. I’m not sure that this Casey Jones would ever have seen his namesake because, even for someone of my experienced years, my recollection of him is hazy. I know that he was a highly respected train driver and a local hero of sorts. Victoria’s Casey Jones is taking on hero status for the Claxton Shield Aces in 2009/10 with his third win from as many super starts.

I seem to recall that the old Casey Jones was in control of a train called the “Cannonball Express” and, while Jones the pitcher is certainly not a cannonball-type guy, he is a pitcher of canny intelligence, good control and terrific skill. He is also a fierce competitor who very rarely fails to produce a quality start at whatever level he is playing. Typically, he managed to spread the hits thinly enough to stay out of trouble in this game and seven ground outs is a familiar weapon for him. He may have gone beyond the seventh inning at Blacktown had it not been for a couple of errors that cost him a third run, unearned.

Also close to hero status for the Aces is unassuming reliever Matt Blackmore who threw 13 of his 20 pitches for strikes while he erased the last eight NSW outs in neat succession. His first act was to induce a big inning ending double play in the seventh, then he rolled four more ground balls while closing out the last two innings for another impressive save.

If Victoria’s pitching was the story of this game, then the pitchers were definitely assisted by the batters who gifted them a five run opening frame as a very cosy cushion for their confidence. Only a wild pitch and a walk to Hayden Dingle separated five successive Victorian hits while not one out had been recorded. On the receiving end was Todd Grattan who, well, let’s just say “struggled”. After finally getting two outs another hit and another walk saw him given the hook without him getting through the five-run first frame.

It had been a horror start on the mound for the Patriots, but the gloom would soon turn to a glow of real pride with the arrival of 19yo rookie right-hander Jarrett Commane who navigated through to the end of the eighth inning like a seasoned veteran. Commane not only righted the floundering ship, but he also did it in style with nine strike outs applying some soothing ice to the red-hot Victorian bats. The only run he allowed was in the fourth when, uncharacteristically, he walked the first two hitters for his only two free passes of the game.

Even though the hosts were unable to rally against the strong Victorian pitching, Commane handed a much better situation to future Los Angeles Angels’ pro Aaron Sookee who looked quite competent while closing out the last opposition inning.

The top of the Victorian batting lineup set the tone for this victory right from that opening “five spot” in the first. The heavy bats of Dingle, Russell, Davies and Wearne produced two hits each and three of the team runs batted in, while Dingle, Russell and Wearne also walked during the game. Biddle and McIntyre were other two run suppliers for the Vics.

Former pro Trent D’Antonio hit safely twice and was hit by a pitch, while current Red Sox pro Mitch Dening also singled twice as they both continue to be offensive stars for the Patriots. Mark Holland’s two RBI double in the third was the one blow of genuine hope for his team and it plated their only two earned runs for the game.

I don't think that we'll see the New South Wales team taking any more risks on the arm of right fielder 'Rusty' Russell who all Victorian players know is a "NO GO ZONE"! This guy has a laser gun of a right arm as one tagging runner found out in this game when he was doubled-up at home plate on a fly ball to right. Apparently it wasn't even very close!

We await chapters two and three of this series where the visiting Victorians will hope for the same standard of pitching as they enjoyed in this game. New South Wales will have a couple of high quality arms waiting in reserve to turn the tables.

Our now standard recognition for umpires Bob CRAWFORD, Paul HYHAM, Trent THOMAS and Matt CARTER.