Big batting in opening round - Mt Gambier Times

Mount Gambier and District Baseball League kicked off its 2024/2025 season at the weekend at the Blue Lake Sports Park diamonds,

Division 1 is looking a little bit different this season with Division 1 and 2 joining into one division to give more players the opportunity to play baseball at the highest level and fast track the development of the junior players allowing them to play with some of the best players on the field.

South and Millicent faced off in the first game of the season with some very good baseball played.

Starting on the mound for both clubs were two young up and coming baseballers in Deegan Hubner for the Indians and Saxon Altschwager for the Bandits.

Millicent started of with the bat first of with two strikeouts and two safe hits but unable to score.

South on the other hand started their first bat with four safe hits from their batters with Travis Lockwood showing age was no problem with a two runs batted in single to left lield.

In the third innings Millicent put South on the back foot scoring six runs with a Josh Winkley hit to left field scoring three of those runs.

Some wild pitching from Altschwager gave South some more runs to close the innings.

Still trailing by two runs, Millicent moved Darcy Pink onto the mound and South put the foot down scoring six runs with frustrating little hits just outside the infield.

Millicent finally closed out the innings but the damage was done.

They dug deep in their next at bat when safe hits to Mutton, Pink and Cory saw Tom Winkley joining the runs batted in show with two runs and an Altschwager sac fly to centre field scored Cory making the score 9-14 still in favour of South.

Pink got the next three batters out with some good pitching to get some ground ball outs and then Millicent again got to work with the bat with hits to Mutton, Pink and Cory allowed Tom Winkley, who again hit safely, to take his total to five runs batted in for the game but South Indians holding on when the time ran out for 3 hour game 15 runs to Millicent 12.

Opening round continued with Magpies v Tigers in the next Division 1 game with both side fielding young players meaning this was always going to be a game filled with hits and errors as both side start to play with there line ups for the season ahead.

Riley Rolph started on the mound for Tigers struggling with his direction early but only giving the Magpies two runs coming back with two strike out to start the game.

Blade Sturges also found his problems with throwing strikes giving up two walks and a wild throw from short stop to also give Tiger two runs to start the game.

Both pitchers controlled the next innings but the Magpies started to get some hits in the third a big double hit to Jake Turner and singles to Mitch Cutting, Blade Sturges and Liam McDonald saw Magpies score five runs.

Tigers found some hits in the next with singles to Riley Parsons and Toby McKinnon allowing Tigers to get another three runs.

Magpies rallied thanks to another double from Turner and Elletson also hitting a double to score Turner.

Tigers in the sixth innings were still in the fight and a hit pitch ball and walk and then a wild throw saw four runs score thanks, also, to some big clutch hitting doubles from Patty Kermond and Koby Stratman.

Magpies fought back with some more power hitting from Brad Lynagh and a double from Jordan Carrison which saw the game going down to the last innings with time almost up.

Tigers scored eight runs in the last courtesy of a double to Alex Lynch and singles to Rolph, Matt Thompson, Kermond and Stratman meaning the Magpies were behind by two going into their last bat.

A single to Daniel Ferguson led the comeback and after a walk and then a Brad Lynagh fly to centre field to score Ferguson, the Magpies were on the way back.

Tigers then allowed another run to score due to error another walk and a Mitch Cutting single had scores level before Jake Turner then hit his third double of the match to score two runs and another walk saw the Magpies secure their first win of the season.

RESULTS:

Division 1

Magpies 19 (Jake Turner 4, Blade Sturges 2, Mitch Cutting 2, Brad Lynagh 2, Mitch Ruwoldt 1, Jordan Carrison 1, Harrison Elletson 1, Liam McDonald 1 and Daniel Ferguson 1) d Tigers 17 (Koby Stratman 3, Patty Kermond 2, Matt Thompson 2, Riley Parsons 1, Toby McKinnon 1, Riley Rolph 1 and Alex Lynch 1)

South 15 (Ryan Walter 3, Ryan Whitwell 3, Zac Ratcliffe 1, Ryan Placucci 1, Travis Lockwood 1, Blake McAdam 1 and Brent Masterman 1) d Millicent 12 (Darcy Pink 4, Anthony Mutton 3, Nick Cory 3, Elijah Mutton 2, Tom Winkley 1, Saxon Altschwager 1 and Josh Winkley 1)