Division 2 - 4ths Match Reports

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DIVISION 2 - 4ths MATCH REPORTS.

Round 13 - Berwick 2 lost to Fitzroy B10.

Our first game back for 2010, and we ventured to Fitzroy to take on Fitzroy B. Pitching – Brett Martin started and struggled for consistency, unable to contend with the conditions. Tim Evans came in to relieve and had an immediate impact. Tim had the opposition swinging and we started making the easy outs from them having to earn their bases, without doubt this was his best pitching effort for the season. Scott Simpson made his senior debut on the…rubber (no mound on the makeshift ‘2 nd diamond') and managed to get 2 strike outs from the 3 or 4 batters he faced, whilst not allowing them to score. Fielding – the infield made the most of their opportunities, making almost all the regulation outs, including a 4-6-3 double play, on a hard slightly uneven ground we did well. Unfortunately the opposition got on base with a few nice hits and a number of ‘chinkers' in between the infield/outfield, even with the outfield positioned close in. Batting/Base Running – This is the area we struggled with for consistency. We struggled to string hits together, and there were more K's than should be with the level of pitching we faced. And when we did get on base, far too many runners went out on run-down plays between 2 nd -3 rd , even the coach getting into trouble and only saved by the 3rd baseman tagging his helmet too hard and losing possession of the ball. Overall – You have to score to have a chance of winning, and we failed in that regard, add the number of walks we gave up and we were never in the running. Improve both of those things and 9 times out of 10 we'll be taking away 2 points.

Round 11 - Berwick 1 lost to St. Kilda 10.

Someone wise once said, winning isn't everything, and after 2 winters of some comprehensive floggings it is something I can agree with. Playing without heart, and just going through the motions well before the final scoreline has been determined is another matter, and something I rarely encountered in those 2 lean seasons. It is possible to have fun even when getting a lesson in playing this great game. Regardless of the level of baseball we're playing at we should train the way we want to play, and that includes the pre-game warm up. This is Senior baseball, it is up to each member of the team to prepare themselves physically and mentally for the game. St Kilda played solid baseball and were very effective in containing our batting line up, inducing easy grounders to the infield and the occasion ball down the throat of the opposition outfielders. Tim Evans started on the mound and toiled hard, managing a few strike outs but also giving some easy bases to St Kilda with a few walks. With Tim tiring, James Jackson was brought into the game and kept the Saints scoreless for two innings before tiring himself and giving a few walks. Quinny coming on late in the game before hitting the time limit. Our solitary run coming late in the game from one of only 4 or 5 hits.

Round 10 - Berwick 16 def. Werribee 7.

With our main pitcher called up to the 1s, it was time to test our reserves and see who could fill the void. Brett Martin stepped up and started on the mound for the first time in approx 8 years. After a few walks he managed to find the strike zone and gave up only 1 run in the first innings, with the team responding with 3 of our own. Some beautiful catches, including a great diving one to get a third out by Darky in the outfield and we had the game in hand. With Brett tiring, we brought out the old war horse in Quinny to relieve and he did enough to stop the Werribee team from stringing some hits together, and was backed up with our batting that saw us add an extra 7 runs in the 5th. Quinny and Brendan Robinson best with the bats, both just short of home runs. A big THANK YOU to those that helped out, and finally it is important to let your coach know if your unavailable as soon as possible, we were lucky to have an accommodating opposition coach, who let us juggle the line up around, after a late call up and an injury.

Round 9 -Bye.

Round 8 - Wash-out.

Round 7 - Berwick 9 lost to Moorabin 12.

A tighter game this week and one in which we had the chance to take the points. With Beefa in our line up, against his old club, we made use of his intimate knowledge of Moorabbin's players to set the field and it initially paid off, with the opposition unable to score in the first 2 innings, while we managed 5 runs in the same period. Unfortunately the game got away in the fourth with the Moorabbin batters finding the gaps and our infield making a few errors, giving them an eight run dig and the game was now well in their hands, we rallied hard with 3 runs in the last, but couldn't produce the 4 more runs we needed. Simon Ferris once again toiled hard on the mound and will be sorely missed next week. Jason Beck with a 2rbi triple, one of the few highlights with the bat. One positive to take from this game was how our young players (and older players, except the coach) held their heads and just played the game, showing their MUCH older opponents how to behave on the diamond.

Round 6 - Berwick 20 def. Ormond/GH 8.

Against an undermanned Ormond Glenhuntly, we continued on our winning way with some great batting in trying conditions. Simon Ferris once again threw the whole game for us managing a shade under 90 pitches, and troubling most of the opposition's batting line-up with a seemingly tighter strike zone than the veteran opposition pitcher. In the box, some standout hitting from almost everyone including an in-the-park home run to Jason Beck, and a flat hard home run to Brett Martin batting in the seven spot. Our fielding still a cause for concern allowing OGH to score a few runs that they shouldn't of, if we want to challenge some of these higher placed teams it's imperative we don't give them anything and make them work hard to get on base. Highlights in the field include a huge throw from Andrew Hemmes in deep right field that had the runner cold at homeplate only for the ball to come loose from the catchers glove, and a desperate last ditch effort from David Mulhall at first to reach the base before the runner and get the out, much to the chagrin of the opposition first base coach.

Round 5 - Berwick 18 def. Waverley 5.

It took Five Rounds but the 4ths finally stepped up and performed. Waverley scrambled across for 1 run in the first dig, with the Cougars replying with 5 runs of our own. In the second dig, the Wildcats were shut down whilst we managed to add an extra 2 runs for a lead of 6. Two walks and two hits after sending the first two batters back to the dugouts and we escaped with Waverley only scoring 1 run with 3 left on base. In reply we hit well and added another 6 runs to our score.

We gifted 3 runs to the opposition in the fourth with a few mistakes (once again with 2 outs prior to those mistakes). This time we kept our heads and matched their 3 runs to take our tally to 16. Waverley didn't score again in the remaining two innings while we added a further 2 runs in our fifth and final batted innings.

Stretched for a recognised pitcher, due to junior restrictions, Simon Ferris's cancelled South Australian weekend away was a blessing in disguise and he pitched the full game in an impressive performance whilst also managing 3 from 4 (3RBIs & 2 runs), other notable performances with the bat, Andrew Hemmes, 3 from 4 (3RBIs & 2 runs), and the ever reliable Brett Martin, 4 from 5 (2RBIs & 4 runs). A great effort all round, and hopefully the turning point for the remainder of the season.

Round 4 - Berwick 6 lost to Williamstown 20

With a decent breeze to assist the right handed batters we faced another experienced team at Williamstown. Up to bat in the first innings and we got off to a promising start with our first 2 batters scoring, Daniel Reid scoring as well as a triple on his first at-bat for the season. However Williamstown immediately struck back scoring 8 runs. Our defence has been a little sloppy all season and today it continued with too many errors and missed outs letting down the pitching of Tim Evans and Simon Ferris. Williamstown showed our players how to hit smartly, finding the gaps with guided shots and the occassional hard hit ball, whilst getting extra bases through poorly positioned cut offs, and poor throws. For the Cougars, Simon Ferris knocking in 2RBI's, with solo RBI's to Daniel Reid, Dean McCort and Scott Simpson. With Rob Printz the only player to cross homeplate more than once safely.

Round 3 - Berwick 5 lost to Fitzroy 17.

Round 3 saw us facing our first established Div 2 Fourths team of the season and an indication of what we will encounter throughout the year. A vastly experienced group of baseballers compared to our young Berwick side, with just three of our players over 18 years old.

The first innings was a tight affair with Fitzroy restricted to 2 runs, whilst we failed to score, our only runner on base getting pinged trying to steal second base with too short a lead.

Fitzroy then ran away with the game in the second innings, scoring 12 runs with some patient batting and the occasional hit. Some changes in the field and we got the outs we couldn't manage to get earlier. A tough innings on the hill for Tim Evans struggling to make the opposition swing their bats, and not getting the outs in the field when he did make them swing. A full pitch count forced the change and Simon Ferris was given the task at the top of the Third. Simon also struggled with consistency, but was well backed up in the field with some nice plays in the field, including a 1-6-3 double play that Rob Printz just managed to resurrect after a lose pick up at 1st base.

Special mention to Dean McCort who performed well at shortstop, and Alex Brett with the bat.

It's hard to win a game with 11 walks and 5 HPB, but when we got serious and showed some confidence in the field and in the box, we showed that we can be competitive if we perform that way for the WHOLE game.

Williamstown at Williamstown this week, and a reminder that traffic on the Monash and Westgate is expected to be awful with huge delays.

Round 2 - Berwick 11 lost to Springvale 0.

Our second game saw us taking on a Springvale team led by Australian rep pitcher Jacinda Barclay, who's controlled pitching effort stopped us in our tracks. With barely a safe hit produced, and some half-hearted swings we made it too easy for the opposition to get the regulation outs at first base, or forcing our lead runners into an easy out at second base. The few swings of the bat we had with any conviction seemed to find the fielders and not the gaps. Scott Carson battled it out on the mound throwing 112 pitches in his first game in over two years and Paul Chinnock chimed in with a few nice catches in rightfield. Once our young capable team can find their feet and some confidence we'll be giving the opposition teams a run for their money.

Round 1 - Berwick 15 lost to Preston 16.

With a cast of thousands listed down for the 4ths, surprisingly there was only three on the bench for our first game against Preston. We struggled with the bat early on and left runners stranded in scoring positions on a few occasions. Beefa was given the start and kept Preston to 3 runs in the first 2 innings. However a few errors on what should of been regulation outs with Preston on 2 outs with runners on base, resulted in Preston jumping out to a 10 run lead in the 3rd. A change of pitching for both teams and we got back in the game with some errant pitching from the young Preston pitchers, some disciplined batting, a little bit of luck and some slightly less rusty fielding. After getting a 2 run lead in the top of the 4th, we ran out of legs as Preston just managed to sneak home in the last.