WEEK 6 SERIES  Game 36  Sat 12 Dec 2009

PATRIOTS TAKE SERIES WITH 6-5 WIN v SA!

It looked like these teams had decided to put the “Olympic” back into Blacktown Olympic Park... at times this game more resembled a track meeting instead of a regulation baseball game. For some reason both managers were intent upon utilising “small ball” tactics. The South Aussies had two runners caught stealing, one each in the first two innings, and they followed with a successful stolen base plus a couple of sacrifice bunts in later innings. New South Wales successfully swiped three bags and dropped down a sacrifice bunt of their own.

We couldn’t speculate whether the running game had induced some jitters in the field but the total of seven errors was not indicative of a slick defensive display. When the dust had finally settled on a most intriguing game the New South Welshmen had scrapped for a skinny 6-5 win to inflict the first series defeat on South Australia during this Claxton Shield competition so far. Once again the fact that SA out-hit NSW by 8-7 counted for not much.

Patriots’ newcomer Jarrett Commane might be able to dine out on the relative success of his head-to-head start against SA’s former Golden Arm winner Dushan Ruzic, but he can thank his lucky stars that he somehow minimised the potential disaster of six free passes across five innings. As mentioned, a couple of runners caught stealing helped and the proof of his pudding was that he allowed just one earned run.

Commane was tidy enough until the fifth inning saw his radar go haywire via a single, a wild pitch and three successive walks that pushed across a run. Young pro Todd Van Steensel was more accurate, but three hits saw three runs posted against his name after he handed over to rookie Lee Ingram in a protracted sixth frame. Winning pitcher Aaron Sookee teamed with Tim Atherton to polish off the last two innings without addition to the SA score.

By comparison to the fountain of youth springing from within the NSW bullpen, South Australia went for the experience of big Dushan Ruzic and American import Richard Bartlett to pitch this deciding game. Ruzic, as most often, was quite solid with a strike out per inning, but a Pat Maat two RBI double in the sixth saw the end of his tenure. A couple of errors didn’t help him to manage his pitch count either. Bartlett did little wrong aside from allowing the same Pat Maat to deliver the game winning RBI single in the top of the eighth.

‘Punishing Patrick’ Maat might have hogged the text with his three RBIs that separated the teams, yet he would have to wrestle young Red Sox hitting machine Mitchell Dening for the MVP award. Dening hammered 3-4 with two doubles, a RBI and he scored after all three times on base.

Nippy import David Washington batted 2-3 with a RBI plus a walk as the only multi-hitter for SA, while the reliable Stefan Welch joined him as the other RBI man for his team. Jeremy Cresswell must have felt like Barry Bonds after being walked four times and Michael Collins strolled twice to add to his safe hit.

This was a keenly contested series which probably proved that both teams are worthy of seeing playoff action. New South Wales will be glad to have hit back from losing the opening game of the series. South Australia has lost very few friends for taking a couple of tough one-run defeats.

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

WEEK 6 SERIES  Game 35  Sat 12 Dec 2009

WEST SWEEPS PAST QUEENSLAND 10-3!

The agony of this 2009/10 Claxton Shield campaign is becoming almost excruciating for loyal Queensland baseball devotees. After battling hard in two hotly contested games on this Perth road trip the wonky wheels, sadly, really fell off for the Rams in this third game with the 10-3 defeat consigning them to a disappointing series sweep.

It is impossible to ignore the fact that Queensland’s first two pitchers to take the mound in this game were not up to the task of pitching to hitters of this standard. The relatively inexperienced pair of Chris Lamb and Simon Morriss dished up no fewer than TEN hits, five each, by the time that Morriss was lifted with just one out in the fourth inning. And, if that was not painful enough, Morriss walked three and Lamb two as eight runs piled up on the home half of the scoreboard.

By the time that former pro Matt Timms was called upon to take the ball, too much damage had already been done and, by comparison, he pitched very well to put a halt to the torture. P.J Bevis was the last man standing on the hill for the Rams at Thornlie and even he couldn’t keep the hosts silent when four hits in the eighth inning added two more runs to the Heat’s now double-figure total.

Conversely, starter Mark Kelly banked another Claxton Shield victory with a neat effort after allowing his only two runs in a shaky opening frame. He may not have been at his most dominant best, but the generosity of Queensland’s pitching meant that he didn’t need to be. WA reliever Todd Murphy clearly enjoyed the luxury of a wide margin in the game even though he allowed one run on Alan Schoenberger’s ninth inning homer down the right field line.

Schoenberger was the undoubted star for the visitors as he continues to make his mark during this competition. His 3-5 with the long ball outshone Twins rookie pro Rory Rhodes who batted 2-4. Shayne Watson nailed a two RBI double in the first inning, while future Cleveland Indian Mitch Nilsson doubled and walked to keep the famous family name in prominence.

Nine different Heat hitters dined out on the Rams pitching with safe hits in this no-contest. Andrew Kyle was the greediest with a prolific 4-5 to just take the prize from star Luke Hughes whose 3-6 netted three RBIs. Tim Kennelly was good as usual with 2-4, while Mitch Graham contributed two RBIs. Allan de San Miguel was the other to bat in a run.

Oh yes, it was painful and ugly stuff for the travelling Queensland Rams who return home shell shocked and their competition hopes almost in tatters. No doubt they will be tougher to beat on home soil, but then they will need to pitch a whole lot better than they did in this game. The series sweep sees the WA Heat well and truly in the race for a playoff berth once again.

Our now standard recognition for umpires Kyle BYRNE, Travis HATCH and Brett ROBSON.
 

WEEK 6 SERIES  Game 34  Sat 12 Dec 2009

NSW WINS NAIL BITER 2-1 OVER SOUTH AUST!

New South Wales stalwart Jason Pospishil hadn’t played in our Claxton Shield since he provided leadership for a young Australian Provincial team at Claxton 2007 in Perth. Before that he had represented the Patriots in three Claxton Shield competitions. Although he has had some good moments at national level, I’m not sure that he would have enjoyed anything more than his starring cameo role in his team’s exciting 2-1 victory over South Australia at Blacktown.

Jason entered the game as a defensive replacement in the top of the eighth inning, but it was in the bottom of the ninth in a stalemate 1-1 ballgame that he brought his all-round skills to the fore at just the right moment. With one out he made the very most of his one and only plate appearance with a single into right field then, with everyone knowing that he was looking to run, he still managed to swipe second base to place himself into scoring position. It was probably fitting that the batting star for the hosts, Tim Auty, was able to come through to plate Pospishil with the game winning RBI single.

Underpinning this dramatic finish was a splendidly pitched game with two of Australia’s most experienced campaigners, Darren Fidge and Wayne Lundgren, going head to head in a good old-fashioned pitcher’s duel. Fidge had to battle a bit after allowing his only run in the opening frame but, typically, once he settled he applied the clamps with another mighty seven inning quality start. We must say that ‘Fidgey’ seems to be somewhat “snake bitten” when it comes to wins and losses and his fine effort here was rewarded with a no decision in a losing cause. Hayden Beard was the guy who took the loss when the pressure was applied in the bottom of the last.

On the other hand, seasoned NSW pro Wayne Lundgren was quite superb, yet the win went to reliever Mathew Rae who was also extremely effective for the hosts at the end of a tight affair. Lundgren can be as tough as anyone when the ground balls are flowing and he was near his best in this game, retiring the first ten hitters he faced and seven of those with ground outs. He also struck out six to post six sizzling scoreless innings.

Young NSW lefty Mathew Rae is a fresh new face on the national scene and he enjoyed a marvellous career moment on home soil with his composed three inning closure for the win in this tense finish. Even when the tying run scored unearned on an error in the seventh, he refused to become rattled and a hit in each of his three innings did not seem to faze him. As a credit to all the pitchers in this contest not a single walk was issued for the game.

Tim Auty has long been a top performer at this level and his 3-4 in this game ended with the major exclamation mark of the game winning RBI at the sharp end. Former pro catchers Pat Maat and Trent D’Antonio each supplied two hits for New South Wales, while young Boston pro Mitch Dening drove in the other vital run for the Patriots.

Rising Mets’ professional Stefan Welch matched Tim Auty’s 3-4 and he too is carving a fine career for himself in recent Claxton Shield history. No other South Australian could find multiple hits against the starvation of the host’s pitching but Josh Cakebread did produce their only extra base hit with his fifth inning double.

The deciding game of this series could be pivotal to the playoff hopes of New South Wales and the momentum from this uplifting victory must be some advantage. We’ll all see soon enough!

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

WEEK 6 SERIES  Game 33  Fri 11 Dec 2009

WEST SHUTS OUT QUEENSLAND IN 1-0 SCRAPE!

Not much has gone right for the proud Queensland Rams so far in this Claxton Shield competition and, just maybe, some of that frustration erupted when feisty Brad Dutton saw himself tossed in the final inning of another heartbreaking 1-0 loss for his team. With two runners aboard, nobody out and a chance to at least tie the game, Brad was controversially called out on a base running mishap at second base and his annoyance was palpable.

Before this the fans on hand at Perth’s Baseball Park had been treated to a mighty tight baseball game that sat balanced on the cliff’s edge right up until, well, the final pitch of the contest really. The tone of the battle was set up by the starting pitching of both teams. WA’s Dan Schmidt was outstanding for the home boys, while White Sox pro James Albury hurled maybe his best start at this level for the Rams.

Future Philly Schmidt was a hero for the Heat in last season’s Claxton triumph and he backed this up with a dominant performance here as the major part of a combined shutout. He wouldn’t be too upset that Cincinnati rookie league pro Nathan Driessen swooped to grab the win with his own touch of brilliance in middle relief. Driessen did not allow a single base runner during his 2.1 innings, other than one that reached on an error in the seventh. Benn Grice was the man on the hill when the controversy unfolded in the ninth and he might thank the out call at second base for him departing with the save.

Seasoned campaigner and former pro star P.J Bevis was the unfortunate Queenslander to be saddled with the loss when he couldn’t quite manage to prevent Jason Smit’s RBI single from plating what was to be the winning run in the bottom of the eighth.

Emerging Cleveland pro Jason Smit was the batting star for the West with his 2-3 plus a hit by pitch and, of course, that all important RBI when the game was still deadlocked at 0-0. Matt Kennelly wasn’t far behind with a single and a double that ultimately turned into the winning run. Nick Kimpton was somewhat subdued by being hit by a pitch and walking from another plate appearance.

Five different ‘Banana Benders’ hit safely for singles but, I’ll assume, if you can read this report, you can also read for yourself in the summary who they were… you won’t be surprised by their names.

The WA Heat have enjoyed great success in tight games over the past few Claxton Shield seasons and this was simply another example of how they have found a way to get it done again. Needless to stress that much of this hinges on their miserly pitching that usually enables them to stay within range of snatching the spoils. The Queenslanders didn’t do too much wrong in this game but losing can become a habit that is hard to break. That playoff window is creaking nearly closed for them right now.

Our now standard recognition for umpires Brett ROBSON, Kyle BYRNE and Travis HATCH.
 

WEEK 6 SERIES  Game 32  Fri 11 Dec 2009

SOUTH AUST ROLLS ON 7-2 IN NEW SOUTH!

Not that ‘Flintoff & Dunn’ would ever seriously refer to any team as a “joke” but, under the guise of of the poetic licence, the South Australian baseball team has transformed from joke to juggernaut in Claxton Shield 2010. After their big 7-2 win in Sydney they now have nine wins from twelve games and, although many things can still happen, they already look highly likely to feature in the playoffs.

Not even a pitcher of the poise and stature as dual Golden Arm winner Tim Cox could rise above the avalanche of four errors that conspired to wreck the third and fourth inning of his abbreviated start in this game. In fact, according to our correspondent at Blacktown, his own error on a pickoff throw came after a previous error allowed the base runner aboard and there did seem to be some understandable frustration in his demeanour. Some recent Claxton Shield batters may be surprised to learn that Tim Cox is only human after all!

All that having been said, seven hits from four innings was a lot for him, yet Cox still showed his potency with seven strike outs and just one of the seven runs on his scorecard was earned. On this occasion the butter-fingered Patriots did not allow him to match the sterling effort of SA’s seasoned Pittsburgh pro Paul Mildren who worked around eleven hits to produce a quality seven-plus inning winning start without allowing an earned run.

Mildren was backed up by Ryan Murphy who closed out the victory for the visitors with a crisp 1.1 innings that ended abruptly with a ground ball double-play. Significantly, the South Aussie pitchers did not offer a single free pass for the game. The NSW relievers were also very good, headlined by Todd Grattan who can be inconsistent, but he was brilliant on this occasion. Todd struck out six across his penetrating four scoreless frames to keep the home fires burning.

Grattan made way for a Claxton debutant named Lee Ingram, apparently a Sydney University player who was imported from Canada. Ingram endured a rugged initiation to Australian major league baseball when he faced stars Michael Collins and Ben Wigmore, only to walk both and to mix in a wild pitch. It was a relief to him and the Blacktown fans that he responded with a fly ball and two strike outs to finish his debut in style.

To start with the subdued New South Wales offence, it was the usual suspects who shone again for the light blues. Former professional Michael Lysaught did all that he could with three knocks, while former pro catchers Pat Maat and Trent D’Antonio each batted 2-4, while D’Antonio delivered the only run batted in for his team.

For SA, New York Mets star Stefan Welch joined Ryan Murphy with 2-5 plus a RBI each. They were overshadowed by ‘Mighty Mike’ Collins who batted just 1-2 with his big two RBI double plus he also took a hike on no less than three occasions for four times on base. Cresswell, Cakebread and Washington were the other RBI suppliers for South.

As we said in our opener, the SA juggernaut simply continues to roll on whether at home or on the road. We will be watching with interest to see how the rest of this series plays out.

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

WEEK 6 SERIES  Game 31  Thu 10 Dec 2009

WA TAKES OPENER FROM RAMS 5-2!

A quick quiz for our loyal subscribers… How on earth can you register just three hits in a nine inning game of baseball, yet still score five runs and win the game? The Queensland Rams won’t need us to help them to analyse how this horrible mess happened for them to out-hit their WA hosts by double the number and still fall 2-5 as the end result.

The good news for Queensland is that the five pitchers they sent to the hill at Thornlie allowed just three hits between them… the bad news is that they combined to walk TEN, hit a batter, issue a wild pitch and baulk twice. In addition, two fielding errors meant that only two of the WA runs to score were earned. There was a hint of “Keystone Cops” for the Rams when they were in the field and it wasn’t all precision for the Heat either with a pair of errors and some wasteful base running on offence.

The decisive factor for the WA hosts was the supreme dominance of their pitching when compared with the wayward stuff dished up by their guests. Starter Dylan Peacock allowed two base runners in each of his first two innings but, after surviving those unscathed, he settled to pitch a pearl. After Brad Dutton doubled to put two aboard with none out in the second, he retired no less than 16 Rams in sweet succession, interrupted only by an error in the fifth. Had he not run out of juice in the seventh he might well have been part of a shutout. As it was, his brilliant win was the clear highlight of an untidy affair.

Next best was his reliever for the game Warwick Saupold who walked the first batter he faced before slamming the door shut with the last seven outs in sequence for a very solid 2.1 inning save.

To finish with WA, it won’t take long to wrap up their tally of three hits. Luke Hughes, Nick Kimpton and Allan de San Miguel each batted 1-3. Kimpton also walked twice, while ‘de San’ doubled and walked. Chris House walked and was hit by a pitch. Leaving by far the best until last as the big offensive highlight for home fans was the two run bomb that Luke Hughes deposited over left field in the first inning. The senior Minnesota Twins' professional may be warming up nicely for the back half of this competition.

Young pro Justin Erasmus worked far too hard for his 3.1 inning start to take the loss, while reliever Simon Morriss was Queensland’s best pitcher with a scoreless 3.1 innings to keep the game close. Brett Montgomery was fairly tidy to end the game positively for the Rams’ bullpen. In between Chris Lamb and Nathan Crawford both failed to record an out while walking two and one batter respectively.

Former Helms Award winner Brad Dutton was the only player to find two hits for the game while emerging young Cleveland pro Trent Baker delivered their only run batted in with his rifled double into left field. Joel Naughton singled and walked for twice on base among the Queensland total of just nine who got aboard.

WA Heat will be thankful for the win no matter how it was achieved, while the Queenslanders will be feeling pretty ordinary about a shabby performance in a contest that might have been theirs for the taking if they had executed much better, especially with the ball.

Our now standard recognition for umpires Travis HATCH, Brett ROBSON and Kyle BYRNE.