West Torrens Baseball Club

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 R H E
West Torrens Div 1
0 3 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 2 7 8 3
Woodville Div 1
0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 1 6 8 3

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 R H E
West Torrens Div 1
0 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 5 10 1
Port Adelaide Div 1
0 1 0 2 4 0 0 1 8 11 1

Another split weekend has made the Div 1 side’s chances of reaching the playoffs remote at best. Along with winning both games this weekend, several other results now have to go our way for the Eagles to advance.

Saturday’s game vs Woodville was a thriller, a tenth inning win courtesy of a clutch 2rbi base knock from Jesse Duval – his 4th hit of the day in an outstanding performance. Daniel Redden threw masterfully for 7 innings leaving the game holding a 4 run lead. Rexy hit a speed bump relieving giving up a 3 run bomb, but showed character to steady and see things out bottom 10. Good hitting contributions across the board from Moose Falls, A Lewis, A Spence and T Fiebig to name a few.

Sunday versus Port was another close affair, but this time the cards did not fall our way. The tying run at the plate top 9 was as close as we got, going down by three runs in the end. Earlier fireballer Mitch Fienemann got us off to a good start, leaving the game after 3 innings due to his pitch count, holding a 2 run lead. Good luck to Mitchell who has now returned to the States to persue his professional career.

From then we were unfortunately unable to keep the Port bats quiet, diverting from our intended game plan against their stronger hitters. 6 runs were recorded against us in the next 2 frames, a 3 run home run adding to the damage. Another solo shot against us bottom 8 made it a tough ask, but showing spirit top 9 we rallied to get close, but not close enough. Solid hitting contributions from Jesse Duval and Moose Falls again were highlights.

We still have 2 games to win this weekend against what would seem much weaker opponents on paper – Henley and Grange at H&G on Saturday and Norths at home on Sunday. Even though our chances of advancing are slim, expect the boys to come out all guns blazing to prove a point. Hang around the club for a drink after the game on Sunday in what will be Div 1’s final home game irrespective of results. Hope to see you there.

Sam Tibbits

The Minor Round of Junior Baseball concluded on Sunday in another emphatic display of team baseball from the Junior Eagles that featured two complete game shut outs from our starting pitchers in both the Under 16’s and Under 18’s. The Under 18’s blanked fellow aspirants Woodville, the Under 16’s repeated the dose against the Red Sox, the Under 14 Green Machine was too strong for the same club also blanking them. The Under 14 Dineen Machine were too strong for the Rams and the Little League Major outfit had too many guns for South. Our only reversal for the weekend came at Flinders dust bowl against rivals Sturt.
This means that the Under 18, 16, 14/1 and Little League were all top ranked teams after the minor round. The 14/2’s are ranked third, so they will have an elimination first final at home against Golden Grove starting at 12.30 on the Junior Diamond at the Nest. All other teams face qualifying finals against the respective second ranked teams to secure a home Grand Final should they make it through in three weeks time. The 18’s face Glenelg at 10am, the 16’s unfortunately have to play at a neutral venue due to the A & B Grade last minor round game being a home game. This match is a 2pm start at Glenelg against rivals Sturt. The 14/1’s face their nemesis Golden Grove in a return bout against the only team that has beaten us this year. This game goes at 3pm on the Junior Diamond at the Nest. Our Little League Majors kick off the dew with a 10am start against Sturt on the Junior Diamond

The club scoreboard for this week reads as follows:

WT Result Opponent Season Ladder
Division 1 7 defeated Woodville 6 11 – 10 (8th)
Division 1 5 lost to Port Adelaide 8 11 – 11 (8th)
Division 2 2 lost to Woodville 7 12 – 6 – 2 (3rd)
Division 2 3 defeated Port Adelaide 2 13 – 6 – 2 (3rd)
Division 3 1 lost to Goodwood 4 13 – 3 – 2 (2nd)
Division 4 8 defeated Goodwood 6 7 – 9 – 1 (7th)
Division 5 11 defeated Flinders Uni 6 6 – 12 (10th)
Division 6 8 defeated Adelaide 5 12 – 4 – 2 (3rd)
Under 18 8 defeated Woodville 0 14 – 1 (1st)
Under 16 5 defeated East Torrens 0 13 – 1 (1st)
Under 14 (1) 20 defeated East Torrens 0 14 – 1 (1st)
Under 14 (2) 15 defeated Henley & Grange 3 10 – 4 – 1 (3rd)
LL Major 12 defeated Southern Districts 6 12 – 1 – 1 (1st)
LL Minor 5 lost to Sturt 12 9 – 6 (4th)

Vanderlinden throws a complete game shut out

With the Senators calling an early start so that their players could leave earlier for higher grades, it was a bleary eyed bunch that presented for warm up. However, by the end of the game, the Eagles had left nobody in any doubt about their credibility as a genuine finals contender and that Nathan Vanderlinden had thrown a complete game without allowing a run. Starting with a very strong lineup, the Eagles stated their intentions very early making life very difficult for the Senators starter. Woodville boasted players that had played A grade this season and were not to be taken lightly, particularly with the power hitting in their team. Vanderlinden cleverly mixed his pitches up and was able to keep the Woodville bats off balance for most of the day, allowing a couple of scattered hits, and none in bunches. The Senators went to one of their state players to come on in relief, but he was greeted with a stand up triple to deep right and two more runs batted in. So the match progressed , with the set up pitcher relieved, and the closer doing his best to quell the Eagle bats to no avail. By the time game was called, Nathan Vanderlinden was still on the mound and the Eagles had opened up an 8 run lead.

Fulton throws a complete game shut out

Bryce Fulton achieved a milestone on Sunday when he took to the mound for the entire Under 16 game against East Torrens and managed to keep them scoreless in the process. Bryce threw with magnificent control and his fastball was almost untouchable. Backing him up behind the dish was Tom McGarry who must have had sore hands by the time Bryce was done. Initially, the Eagle bats were held in check by James Snelgrove from East Torrens, who also has impressive pitching credentials. It took some team batting to move the first run across the plate, and eventually a hard hit ground ball to the right side sent the runner at third home on the sacrifice. From there the Eagle bats gradually wore the Sox down and some featured hitting by Thomas Dunn, whose drive to deep right centre picked up an RBI. Alister Fogarty twice roped balls down the left field line for safe hits. Todd Dunstall was not to be outdone, and he too hit long. With Fulton in such magnificent command and the Eagle bats working as a team, the Sox were always facing an uphill battle. As Bryce left the mound after the seventh and final dig and the umpire was convinced that the required number of innings had been completed and called time, his coaches and team-mates gathered with him to celebrate his achievement. A good day at the office, a tremendous pitching effort backed up by excellent fielding and comic relief provided by James Batty in staggering three steps to take a regulation fly ball at centre (having completed a trial match for the Eagles football club earlier in the day). Now for the real business against Sturt next weekend.

Green Machine in Over Drive

The Under 14 Green Machine completed their final minor round assignment against an inexperienced, but brave opponent in East Torrens. Starting with Lucas Hunter on the mound throwing to Ethan Haylock behind the dish, the Red Sox had difficulty getting out of the infield and a pair of three up, three down innings saw Lucas’ work for the day complete. Jack Hambly duly stepped up to continue where Lucas had left off, and he too showed good command of his pitches as the Red Sox bats continued to try hard but to no avail. Connor Foley stepped to the plate to complete an inning before Mitch Duval came on to close out the match and hold the opposing bats in check for good. Offensively the Eagles were very strong posting runs at every opportunity on the back of hitting solidly and placing the ball advantageously to advance the runner. The highlight was once again Brad Dedrick who smote the ball long and deep over right centre to push over a couple of runs, but this is not to denigrate the consistency and power of the team hitting that saw us post a win of such magnitude. Golden Grove now lay around the corner, and boasting a fine record as they do, we will certainly have to be at our very best if we are to reverse the only loss we have suffered to date at their hands.

Dineen Machine hold out the Rams

Needing to post a 30 run win to jump into the second semi final spot, the Under 14 Dineen Machine made a tremendous fist of doing just that. Unfortunately time and luck were not on our side and though our win was emphatic, it fell a few runs shy of what we needed. Nevertheless, an outstanding effort from all the boys in this team and they have deservedly qualified for the first semi-final to be played at the Nest at 12.30pm this Sunday against the Dodgers from Golden Grove. Let’s all be there and support the boys and see them get over the line.

Little League Major hold on to top spot

With rivals Sturt still breathing down our necks, it was pleasing to post a win and ensure that we hold on to top spot in our own right, thus ensuring a home final this weekend. The team traveled down to Hawk country and posted a 12 – 6 win against a fellow finals aspirant.

Now the real work begins boys as the finals begin.

Little League Minors slip at Flinders’ Dust bowl

Ron Paulus’ Little League Minor boys were on the wrong end of things this weekend, when playing Sturt at a dry and dusty Flinders University. These boys have had a tremendous season and currently sit in fourth spot. They will continue to play games whilst the finals are on, as there are no finals in this grade. The premier is decided by the ladder position. Ronnie has worked tremendously well with this group, teaching them the game and developing their skills. These guys have Goodwood this weekend.

Final Minor Round

The Division 1 and 2 teams complete their minor round at home this Sunday, and with so many finals programmed at West Torrens it promises to be a great day for baseball at this club. The A grade are still in mathematical contention to make the playoffs, albeit with a series of circumstances having to occur for this to happen, including winning both games this weekend. However, stranger things have happened!. The Division 2 boys on the other hand are in the top four but MUST post wins to ensure that they don’t get pipped at the post by teams breathing down our necks hoping we lose. After Game activities this Sunday include:
Chicken Burgers and chips $5
Juke Box
$5 frozen cocktails
Dinners available 6 to 7.30pm.
So given that the next day is a holiday, why not come down and celebrate with the senior club.

SABL Presentations

All players who represented South Australia this year are reminded that they should attend the annual Junior presentation night on Friday 19 March to be held at the Olympic Hall on West Terrace, Adelaide. Players whose names appear in the top ten will be sent a separate invitation. West Torrens will be presented with the Junior Club Championship for the fourth time in succession.

March 7th First Round of Finals

Little League Minor: Coach: Ron Paulus
Goodwood, Away at Glenelg on Diamond 2
Starting at 9.30am (report 8.30am)

Little League Major: Coaches: Jamie Boydon and Tim Mead
Sturt, Home on the Junior Diamond Qualifying Final
Starting at 10.00am (report 9.00am)

Under 14 (2): Coach: Rob Dineen
Golden Grove, Home on the Junior Diamond 1st Semi-Final (Elimination)
Starting at 12.30pm (report at 11.30am)

Under 14 (1): Coach: David Green
Golden Grove, Home on the Junior Diamond Qualifying Final
Starting at 3.00pm (report at 2.30pm)

Under 16: Coach: Rick Mead
Sturt, @Glenelg on the Main Diamond Qualifying Final
Starting at 2.00pm (report at 1.00pm)

Under 18: Coach: Brett Ettridge
Glenelg, Home on the Main Diamond Qualifying Final
Starting at 10.00am (report 9.00am)

Finals Selection Policy

During the regular season, we expect our coaches to rotate their squads through different positions, infield, outfield, pitching, catching and whatever their skill and experience allows. They also shuffle the batting order to make sure that players are given a fair opportunity at bat. When we enter the finals race, coaches are allowed to choose what they consider to be the line-up that best suits the team’s positional needs. They will endeavour to include all of the squad, but cannot guarantee that every player will see game time.

Junior Presentation Night

For your calendar, the wind up for the 2009/10 season will be Friday 26 March 2010 at the Club Rooms. Players in all Grades are eligible for awards. Coaches are asked to choose three players to receive awards recognising excellence, improvement, or persistence or any combination that they see fit. Our younger players will also receive special recognition fro playing and this year will include the Teeball All Stars that debuted under the tutelage of Andrew Scott and Robert Baker. Please keep this date free as it is our final function for the 09/10 season and we’d love to see you there.

Good luck to all this weekend as we embark another finals campaign

See you at the Ball Park.

Yours in Baseball
Mark McGarry
Junior Chairman
West Torrens Baseball Club

With 1 round remaining in the Junior Baseball Minor Round, I am delighted to report that West Torrens Junior teams will win the Junior Club of the Year for the fourth consecutive year. This is a remarkable tribute to the work done with your sons and daughters by an experienced and dedicated band of teaching coaches whose focus is on developing every player to his best ability. It is easy to suggest that we have the best players, and we do, but other clubs also have good players and the difference between the Eagles programme and others is this teaching and insistence of doing the basics well. Hence, when our teams are challenged, most often they can respond with the drills that they have been taught.

For the record, the Under 18’s coached by Brett Ettridge are in first place, two games clear on top. The Rick Mead mentored Under 16’s are in first place three games clear, the David Green Machine Under 14/1’s are first, two games clear and the Jamie Boydon/Tim Mead lead Little League Majors are first, one game clear. Whilst their ladder positions don’t count toward the Championship, we are also extremely proud of the Rob Dineen Machine Under 14/2’s, currently sitting fourth and our Little League Minor team under Ron Paulus who are also sitting in fourth place.

We can proudly proclaim that every Junior team at West Torrens will be playing finals Baseball.

So now the real work begins as we try to position ourselves to win the title.

The club scoreboard for this week reads as follows:

WT Result Opponent Season Ladder
Division 1 9 defeated Southern Districts 8 10 – 10 (9th)
Division 2 5 lost to Southern Districts 7 13 – 5 – 2 (3rd)
Division 3 5 drew with Kensington 5 13 – 2 – 2 (1st)
Division 4 14 defeated Kensington 1 6 – 9 – 1 (7th)
Division 5 4 lost to Goodwood 8 5 – 12 (10th)
Division 6 6 lost to Sturt 7 11 – 4 – 2 (4th)
Under 18 10 defeated Adelaide 1 13 – 1 (1st)
Under 16 12 defeated Kensington 8 12 – 1 (1st)
Under 14 (1) 15 defeated Woodville 1 13 – 1 (1st)
Under 14 (2) 2 lost to Northern Districts 18 9 – 4 – 1 (4th)
LL Major 12 defeated Kensington 8 11 – 1 – 1 (1st)
LL Minor 10 defeated Saints 9 9 – 5 (4th)

February 28 our games are as follows:

Little League Minor: Coach: Ron Paulus
Sturt, Away at Flinders University on the Main Diamond
Starting at 10.00am (report 9.00am)

Little League Major: Coaches: Jamie Boydon and Tim Mead
Southern Districts, Away on the Junior Diamond
Starting at 12.00pm (report 11.00am)

Under 14 (2): Coach: Rob Dineen
Henley & Grange, Home on the Main Diamond
Starting at 10.00am (report at 9.00am)

Under 14 (1): Coach: David Green
East Torrens, Home on the Main Diamond
Starting at 12.30pm (report at 11.30am)

Under 16: Coach: Rick Mead
East Torrens, Home on the Main Diamond
Starting at 3.00pm (report at 2.00pm)

Under 18: Coach: Brett Ettridge
Woodville, Away on the Main Diamond
Starting at 10.00am (report 9.00am)

Fees: NO PAY NO PLAY

All outstanding amounts MUST BE PAID by this Sunday February 28 or those concerned WILL NOT be selected to play in any finals games.

Finals Selection Policy

During the regular season, we expect our coaches to rotate their squads through different positions, infield, outfield, pitching, catching and whatever their skill and experience allows. They also shuffle the batting order to make sure that players are given a fair opportunity at bat. When we enter the finals race, coaches are allowed to choose what they consider to be the line-up that best suits the team’s positional needs. They will endeavour to include all of the squad, but cannot guarantee that every player will see game time.

Quiz Night

A terrific night (albeit a hot one!!) had by all. Great to see so many supporters of the club bring along friends and family. A HUGE THANK YOU to Rick Mead for his eloquent performance as quiz master. Well done to the organising group for their hard work in getting the evening happening.

A reminder that funds from these occasions go directly back into your club to maintain and improve the amenity. So please continue to support the club as often as you can.

Junior Presentation Night

For your calendar, the wind up for the 2009/10 season will be Friday 26 March 2010 at the Club Rooms.

Good luck this weekend.

See you at the Ball Park.

Yours in Baseball
Mark McGarry
Junior Chairman
West Torrens Baseball Club

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10		R	H	E
Southern Dist Div 1	0	0	0	7	0	1	0	0	0			8		2
West Torrens Div 1	2	0	0	6	0	1	0	0				9
Details

A gritty come from behind win against Souths on Sunday has kept the gate open for a berth in this year’s finals.

The Eagles responded magnificently to a 5 run deficit mid way through the game to run out eventual winners 9-8.

With Steve-O starting in command, the Eagles hitters got on the scoreboard immediately bottom 1 courtesy of a hit to ‘pinch’ leadoff Chris Henry, a HPB to Moose Falls, a laced LD to T Fiebig and a base hit to S Tibbits on his return from injury. 2-0 to the Eagles.

The scoreboard then stayed stagnant until the fourth, where after a strong start Steve-O lost the lower part of the zone to be stung by 4 consecutive base hits, the final hit a 3 run HR effectively ending his outing. Steve-O was replaced by Div 1 debutant Sam Bawden who, after recording a PO3 was unable to find command of the zone and left the game same inning, albeit on a higher note, recording a strikeout.  Enter the 3rd pitcher of the innings D Redden who retired the next hitter to end the innings, but 7 runs later the damage was done.

However, the boys responded immediately bottom 4 knowing the season was on the line. A leadoff base knock to Nathan Vanderlinden, a HPB to A Lewis and a liner to RF courtesy of Moose loaded the bags. A picked BB to T Fiebig gave him a RBI and a double down the LF line to Tibbits plated another 2. D Forbes added another with a RF base hit which ended the South’s starters day. A wild throw recorded against the Souths receiver saw the go ahead run cross before the inning was done.

After a fourth inning that took close to an hour Reds took charge to establish an excellent rhythm. He was able to scatter hits, keeping a dangerous hitting team off balance with good location and effective use of both fastballs and offspeed. However the Souths hitters were not to give up, plating another in the 6th to tie the game after a hit, a walk and another safe hit.

Showing determination the Eagles responded again with a smoked leadoff double to T Fiebig. A groundball with eyes to Tibbits and smart, aggressive baserunning by Fiebig saw him get over to third and after a pass ball the Eagles were in the lead again. 

Reds sat them down in order in the 7th and 8th, continuing his great day out. The boys were unable to score in the bottom half of both digs and therefore entered top 9 holding a 1 run lead and needing three outs for the game.  After recording the first out, a base knock and a walk left runners at 1st and 2nd. But Reds stayed firm to induce a hopper up the middle that was calmly scooped by Vanderlinden for a PO6, 6-3 double play to end the game. An exciting finish to great team effort.

The feeling amongst the boys is positive and the team will be ready to take on Woodville away and Port away this weekend to keep our finals aspirations alive. Get down and help us over the line.

A game against second placed Sturt was always going to be a test but the boys stood up to the challenge with no fear.

Jordan Warman leading the challenge in testing circumstances, walking the first two batters with both moving to second and third. Jordan then dug himself out, striking out the next three with out a score. Awesome job!

The boys followed up with the bats scoring five runs Jordan again picking up 2 RBI’s with a stand up double, Nathan Valentini forcing an error in the field and Luke Houston with a single RBI to finish the innings.

Jacob Scott stood up on the mound and demanded the opposition to swing the bat and earned a strike out with his first batter and apart from a hit to centre his good mate Nathan Collins at third picked up a couple of ground balls and gunned them out at first to finish the dig with class. great job by both.

A young tough pitcher stood up against us striking the first two out, but not for Kyle Nicol forcing an error with his speed to get on base and stealing to second. Followed by another stand up double by Jordan to score another run.

Patrick McKone came in and struggled but never gave up and it’s efforts like these that will make him stronger and stronger.

He came out For Darragh Kearns who proved just how much he wants to play baseball getting on base with his only at bat.

A nice hit to Mario Casazza and a great double to Nathan Valentini and another hit to Kyle Nicol scored some more very valuable runs to be up 10-5.

I showed BIG Nath (Big as in big hearted) the ball and there was no one else was going to pitch. Nath struggled but never gave in managing a strike out. With three runs scored it was time for a change. Josh Lee walked onto the mound with bases loaded and one out (no pressure) he walked the first batter scoring another run but that was the last Josh struck out the next two batters holding a 10 – 9 victory.

Alex Morgan is starting to swing the bat nicely and it won’t be long before he starts making some green marks on the score book.

Kyle was solid behind the plate and shared the duties with Luke who also showed some handy glove work and once again, the work of Darren Warman, Andrew Scott and Andrew Morgan have created a good team atmosphere add one Dave Nicol and it is a very handy team.

 

Victorious Valentine’s Day

 Happy Valentine’s Day to all.  This weekend saw us go head to head with some of the clubs that are contending with us to be the top dogs in the Division. It is pleasing to report that we were up to the standard by which we measure ourselves and came out on top in every junior division having only to split the points in one contest.

 Under 18’s wring out Red Sox

 The Under 18 side faced off against the only side to beat them so far this year and came up trumps on the back of another fine pitching performance from Bryce Fulton and backed up by the ubiquitous talents of Joel Chapman behind the dish. Coach Ettridge, whilst pleased with the outing acknowledged that the Red Sox lineup was missing a few from the first game, but nevertheless, was pleased with the Eagles execution and discipline in posting an impressive 8 – 3 win.

 Under 16’s shut out Dodgers

 The Under 16’s faced up to Golden Grove at the nest and eventually posted an 11- 0 win. This might suggest that the match was very one-sided, but in everything but the score line, this was not the case, the Dodgers always provide a stiff contest, holding our hitters in four out of six innings, only to be over run by the ever present hitting power that eventually surfaces and allows us to put enough runs on the board. Matt Scharenberg started on the hill to Tom McGarry, and Matt duly posted a couple of goose eggs before making way for Dylan Duval to finish proceedings in the same manner. The hitting of Scott Miller was especially remarkable, as this talented athlete had already completed an AFL fitness assessment at AAMI Stadium that included a beep test. That he was able to go three for three at the plate and remain perfect in the field is a tribute to his fitness and concentration. Other hits were scattered about regularly by James Batty, whose pace on the base paths is electrifying, Tom McGarry, Nico Vanderlinden, Todd Dunstall (whose game at second base was immaculate) and Matt Scharenberg. To shut out a solid opposition offense was outstanding defense by Rick Mead’s team.

 Green Machine holds halos

The Under 14 Green Machine faced up to the middle of the table Angels after handing the bottom placed Magpies a shellacking last outing and had to be wary of over confidence. Duly, super coach Green exhorted his charges and the lads rose to the challenge, eventually running out 14 – 3 winners, Again, we were challenged along the way and had to pull out some impressive defense before our potent offense took over. Jack Hambly lead off on the mound to Nathan Byrnes behind the plate and some positive offense from our opponents saw them threaten to score, but our defense was too strong and we held them out. Not to be outdone, the Eagle bats came right back in the bottom of the frame and took a lead that was never headed. Lucas Hunter relieved Hambly on the hill and the positive approach at the plate by Adelaide eventually paid off and they were able to put a couple across the plate before Big Bad Brad Dedrick once again put the ball into orbit for a second home run in consecutive weeks. Job done. Finals in sight.

 Dineen Machine thriller

 It was always going to be a tough game against Sturt. The Sturt coach had been talking it up all week how the Eagles wings would be clipped at the nest. Both teams looked focused and ready to play ball. James Appleton took to the mound and provided some excellent pitching to Jack Scheer that managed to keep the Saints to zero runs for the first 2 innings. The Saints pitcher kept the Eagles to zero runs for the 1^st innings however the boys regrouped and in the 2^nd innings the bats started to make contact with the ball and some excellent hitting took place. James Appleton hit a double through centre field leaving the Saints outfield scrambling to get the ball to home. The end of the 2^nd inning saw the Eagles put 4 runs on the board.

 The top of the 3^rd inning and the Saints were determined to get bat on ball and make some runs. James remained calm and steady at the mound, Nat Sage ran full bore to make a fantastic catch at centre field preventing a double and by the end of the inning, the Saints had scored 2 runs and managed to keep the Eagles from scoring.

In the top of the 4^th some excellent fielding, pitching and catching saw the Eagles keep the Saints to 1 run. A change of pitcher from the Saints and some swift changes to the outfield saw some good catching from the Saints which was unfortunate for our boys and kept the Eagles from scoring.

The top of the 5^th saw Dylan Warman take to the mound, the Saints bats started to make contact with the ball with a double through left field bringing 2 runners home giving the Saints 3 runs and the lead. The next batter stepped up to the plate with runners on 2^nd & 3^rd a fly ball hit just past 1^st base saw Rhys Nicol take off like a rabbit to take the catch for the out with right field running in to back up, Rhys drilled the ball into home to keep the runners on base great work boys!!!!

Next batter up saw bases loaded. The Eagles were out to protect the home plate, next batter up with a hit to 1^st base saw the runner heading for home, a quick throw from 3 – 2 saw the catcher make the tag at home plate for the 2^nd out and prevent scoring. Dylan refocused and found his rhythm with the 3^rd out being struck out.

The Eagles headed out to bat trailing by 2 runs Michael Donaldson hit which saw left field launch themselves in the air to dive for the ball and roll to the ground but somehow he managed to hold on to the ball our 1^st out. Rhys managed a safe hit to get to 1^st base. Nat Sage hit a 2 bagger through centre field with Rhys flying round the bases to make it to home plate. Tom Dineen got a safe hit to get on base. Will Lampard made the hit past short stop and saw Nat take off from 2^nd base to make it to home, Tom kept running and headed for home the ball was coming in fast from outfield to home plate and Saints had their 2^nd out. The Saints coach called time and a change of pitcher, the next batter got a safe hit on base, next batter up and some constant coaching from the Saints coach saw our 3^rd out and game over.

 The Eagles certainly worked hard with Tyler, Liam and Thomas contributing to the result with their fielding and batting. Well done to all the boys.

Final score:     Eagles 6  Saints 6

 Little League Majors scrape home

 The Little League Major boys got out of jail by heading up Adelaide 11 – 10 in a close encounter at the nest. Good hitting allowed us to post enough runs to hold on for the win and congratulations to Brodie Nicol who threw three innings from the mound and provided excellent defensive leadership for the team. With two weeks to go now before finals, you can sense the excitement as the team hones its skills under pressure.

 Little League Minors win again

 In site of losing lead off pitcher Brodie Nicol to the Major team, Ron Paulus young team has stuck to their guns and come up with some good wins. This was the case again on Sunday against Southern Districts with the team posting an excellent 13 – 6 result.

 The club scoreboard for this week reads as follows:

                                             

WT                               Result              Opponent                                Season             Ladder

Division 1        20       defeated          Adelaide                      10          9 – 9              (8^th)

Division 1           5       lost to              Glenelg                        15          9 – 10                        (9^th)

Division 2           6       defeated          Adelaide                        5        13 – 3 – 2                    (2^nd)

Division 2           6       lost to              Glenelg                          7        13 – 4 – 2                    (2^nd)

Division 3           4       drew with        Woodville                      4        13 – 2  – 1                   (1^st)

Division 4           3       lost to              Woodville                    13          5 – 9 – 1                    (7^th)

Division 5           2       lost to              Golden Grove  15          5 – 11                        (10^th)

Division 6           7       lost to              Glenelg                          3        11 – 3 – 2                    (3^rd)

Under 18            8       defeated          East Torrens                  3        12 – 1                          (1^st)

Under 16         11       defeated          Golden Grove    0        11 – 1                          (1^st)

Under 14 (1)    14       defeated          Adelaide                        3        12 – 1                          (1^st)

Under 14 (2)       6       drew with        Sturt                              6          9 – 3 – 1                    (3^rd)

LL Major           11       defeated          Adelaide                      10        11 – 1 – 1                    (1^st)

LL Minor          13       defeated          Southern Districts         6          8 – 5                          (4^th)

 February 21 our games are as follows:

 Little League Minor: Coach: Ron Paulus

Saints, Home on the Junior Diamond

Starting at 10.00am (report 9.00am)

 Little League Major:  Coaches:          Jamie Boydon and Tim Mead

Kensington, Home on the Junior Diamond

Starting at 12.00pm (report 11.00am)

 

Under 14 (2):             Coach: Rob Dineen

Northern Districts, Away on the Main Diamond

Starting at 12.30pm (report at 11.30am)

 

Under 14 (1):              Coach:            David Green

Woodville, Away on the Main Diamond

Starting at 10.00am (report at 9.00am)

 

Under 16:                                Coach: Rick Mead

Kensington, Away on the Main Diamond

Starting at 12.30pm (report at 11.00am)

 

Under 18:                                Coach: Brett Ettridge

Adelaide, Home on the Main Diamond

Starting at 10.00am (report 9.00am)

 

Fees: NO PAY NO PLAY

 Thank you for the tremendous response in finalising your child’s fees for 2009/10. For a variety of reasons, the club’s income has been lower than forecast and your committee needs all subscriptions fulfilled to meet our obligations to Baseball SA. We are a fiscally sound club, but we need to make operating surpluses if we are continue to add to the amenity of our club environment. To this end, can I urge you all to make the effort to support one of our last fundraising opportunities for the season and attend the ‘Quiz Night” to be held at the clubrooms on Friday night February 19.

It is also regrettable that in spite of many entreaties, a couple of families have still not completed their financial obligations for the season and have not contacted the club asking for an extension. The final date for Payment was extended from January 24 to February 2 for families that were paying off fees in installments. All outstanding amounts MUST BE PAID by February 28 or those concerned WILL NOT be selected to play in any finals games.

 Finals Selection Policy

 During the regular season, we expect our coaches to rotate their squads through different positions, infield, outfield, pitching, catching and whatever their skill and experience allows. They also shuffle the batting order to make sure that players are given a fair opportunity at bat. When we enter the finals race, coaches are allowed to choose what they consider to be the line-up that best suits the team’s positional needs. They will endeavour to include all of the squad, but cannot guarantee that every player will see game time.

 Quiz Night

 As mentioned previously, the club is holding its final fund raising function for the year this Friday night at the clubrooms. Please make every endeavour to get along and support your club, there have been a number of emails regarding requests to donate prizes. Please bring donations to training this Wednesday and pass them to your team manager so that they can be given to the organizers in preparation for Friday night.

FRIDAY NIGHT MEALS ARE STILL ON.

 

Canteen rosters 

Thanks to all families that have honoured the roster and turned up to assist in serving at the canteen. Again, this is a valuable source of income for the club and your help is imperative if we are to continue to improve the club and its environs. We still have a coupleof weeks left on the roster.

 See you at the Ball Park.

 Yours in Baseball       

Mark McGarry

Junior Chairman

West Torrens Baseball Club

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10		R	H	E
Adelaide Div 1	1	1	0	0	0	3	5					10	13	5
West Torrens Div 1	0	0	3	7	4	0	6					20	15	0
Details

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10   R H E West Torrens Div 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 2 0     5 8 3 Glenelg Div 1 2 2 2 0 1 0 4 4 0     15 14 2 Details  ”Progress always involves risks.  You can’t steal second base and keep your foot on first.”  ~Frederick B. Wilcox  A split weekend has made our equation of making the finals simple. Win our five remaining games and hope the cards fall in our favour in regard to the teams currently above us.  In another topsy-turvy 2 games we scored 25 runs and gave up 25.  On Saturday Tom Fiebig recovered well after giving up 2 early home runs to get stronger as the outing went on. He delivered 3 consecutive donuts to finish his first start of the season.  On our side it took our hitters 2 innings to adjust to the Adelaide pitching, after which we poured on 14 runs over the next 3 innings. Some good execution and patient hitting were the highlights.  Adelaide re-entered the game in the 6th and seventh scoring 8 runs, 5 of which were unearned in a disappointing blow to our much needed percentage.  In the 8th we put the game beyond doubt to mercy with 6 further runs, albeit helped along by some poor opposition fielding.  Although the game went longer than expected the positives included a perfect day in the field with no errors and several multi-hit games. The standout was the veteran David Forbes delivering his second consecutive 3 hit game.  On Sunday we travelled to Glenelg determined to take a win and keep our momentum going.  However the Glenelg bats had other ideas, the Tigers scoring twice in the first, second and third frames.  Steve-O appeared to be pitching well, but the scoreboard told another story.  Even slight mistakes against better hitting sides are more often capitalised on and this was the case here.  Whilst Steve-O continued to toil, our bats gave us some hope top 3 with a second base hit to Moose Falls followed by an RBI double to Tom Fiebig, and in the next dig a leadoff solo moonshot to Tim Holland.  But the Glenelg bats were not to tire adding another in the fifth and then breaking the game open in the 7th and 8th to extinguish all hope of an Eagle come from behind win.  In a credit to our boys, the final score did not reflect the game situation.   In the 7th and 8th good hitting including a ground rule double from Adam Lewis kept our hopes alive. As late as top 8 with runners on we were only 2 or 3 good hits from being right in it.  Another pleasing aspect of the game was aggressive baserunning with 4 stolen bags putting runners in scoring position on different occasions.  Although the result was disappointing we remain positive and will look to keep our hopes alive against Souths this weekend at home, starting at 3pm.  In an aside, as we have the bye this coming Saturday, all Div 1 and 2 players are required to come down to the club Saturday afternoon to support the Div 3 and Div 4 boys, starting at 12:30pm. The club will be putting on a BBQ for us, so get down and show some voice for the teams that have supported us during the year.

After a forfeit and a loss to the top team which could have easily gone our way the boys are still battling on.

Brodie has been a solid pitcher averaging around 15 to 20 pitches an innings.

Jordan has been struggling to find his confidence on the mound and proven with some hard work during the week can make a huge difference.

More work from this guy and he’ll setting himself up for some enjoyable baseball now and next year.

Patrick also followed up with an excellent effort on the mound he is really enjoying his baseball and it’s showing with his consistent improvement.

Making his pitching debut was Ethan and it won’t certainly be his last a great effort especially when thrown in the deep end.

Kyle enjoyed his chance with gear on behind the plate. It has given him a break from pitching and proven his versatility.

There were many hits the best coming from Jordan and Kyle though if we put the ball in play the way the whole team did we are going enjoy our remaining games that’s for sure.

Darragh, Jacob, Alex, Josh, Luke and Nathan are all putting in at training and not far off making their mark on the diamond.

Also thanks to the two Andrews Scott and Morgan for giving me great assistance and giving the boys encouragement and confidence with sound advise.,

In the end a win 11 – 6 against the Hawks but more importantly more steps in the right direction.

1 2 3 4 5 6 R H E
Sturt Div 1
2 0 0 0 0 0 2 4 3
West Torrens Div 1
4 0 2 2 9 2 19 19 2
Details

The Eagles put on a hitting display in a comprehensive trouncing of Sturt on Sunday. The 4th placed Saints were no match for a superior offence that combined for 19 hits against 3 different pitchers. Multiple hit games abounded with Moose Falls, Jesse Duval, David Forbes and Adam Spencer all recording 3 hits apiece. A-Spence sprayed line drives to all parts of the field and with a single, double and triple was literally a few feet short of hitting for the cycle in a great day out.

After Sturt scored twice in the top of the first from an unlucky helmet ricochet and then an error, Reds combined well with A-Chap to settle into a commanding rhythm to never give the Sturt hitters a chance. Getting ahead early by establishing his fastball and keeping hitters off balance with good location and offspeed was the key to his dominating performance.

The Eagles responded magnificently in the bottom of the first frame by scoring 4, clutch hitting with 2 out bringing in 3 runs. Effectively this run support gave Reds the confidence he needed to pitch to his strengths thus shutting down the Sturt hitters for the next 5 innings.

After 2 run 3rd and 4th digs established a commanding lead, the Eagle hitters could have been forgiven for taking their foot off the pedal somewhat. But they did exactly the opposite busting out a 9 run 5th and a 2 run sixth, the game called under the mercy rule mid-inning with more runners in scoring position. The run production from a collectively aggressive approach is sure to give our hitters a confidence boost heading into a big double header this weekend. Saturday we take on 12th placed Adelaide at home starting at 4:30pm. Sunday we take on 2nd placed Glenelg at Glenelg at 3pm. 2 wins will keep our finals hopes well and truly alive.

Congratulations to Nathan Van der Linden who displayed composure and maturity beyond his years in his first Div 1 start on Sunday. He never looked daunted making every play that came his way at shortstop, including a great play up the middle. At the plate he made solid contact several times and got on base twice, including his first Division 1 hit in his final at bat of the game. Well done Nathan, you are player of the future who no doubt has many more Division 1 games to play for West Torrens Baseball Club.

Sam Tibbits

Junior Eagles put the pedal to the metal

 This weekend the brooms were out again as the Junior Eagles swept all comers posting six wins from six games, scored 90 runs offensively and conceded 20 runs in defense!!

In the process, 3 home runs were hit, a triple, several doubles and many, many singles. It is fair to say that WT had a day out offensively! Just as impressive in defense, were the pitching stats where the K’s were racked up in earnest, the double plays were turned, and the number in the ‘E’ column was very low indeed. The only pity is that our Claxton Shield team didn’t have quite as much success. Congratulations to Nathan Vanderlinden who made his run on debut for the Division 1’s on Sunday in a team that posted a win against high-flying Sturt. Nathan played Short Stop and posted his maiden hit in A-grade. At 15 years of age, this is a meteoric rise for a talented, yet modest young man.

 The finishing post is in sight

 I am delighted to report that the response to my entreaty to pick up the intensity at training was met with overwhelming enthusiasm by our dedicated coaching staff who also recognise the imperative of being ready to play finals baseball. To whit, training was sharp, intense and focused and didn’t it show on the diamond with all of our teams playing to their full potential. It was also fantastic to see the impact the likes of Bob Baker make on our pitchers as they fine-tune their technique to add strength to their body and speed to their fast ball. We are extremely lucky to have a dedicated pitching coach with Bob’s passion and knowledge for the game. Bob is running bull pens on Wednesday and Friday nights from 4.30 for Little League and 5.30 for U/14 and 16 pitchers.

 It is now more important than ever that you attend training

 As we enter the final phase of the Minor Round, I am delighted to report that ALL of our Junior teams are going to play in the finals. (LL Minors excepted because there are no finals in this Division)

 It is our goal now to finish as high as possible on the ladder, as we have many clubs breathing down our necks hoping that we slip up and give up our top spots. We must work hard to make sure we succeed. We face some challenges in the last few games by some talented ball clubs. We cannot assume success. We must earn it.

 Finals Baseball

 During the regular season, we expect our coaches to rotate their squads through different positions, infield, outfield, pitching, catching and whatever their skill and experience allows. They also shuffle the batting order to make sure that players are given a fair opportunity at bat. When we enter the finals race, coaches are allowed to choose what they consider to be the line-up that best suits the team’s positional needs. They will endeavour to include all of the squad, but cannot guarantee that every player will see game time.

The club scoreboard for this week reads as follows:    

          WT                              Result                        Opponent                              Season                      Ladder

Division 1      19        defeated        Sturt                            2            8 – 9                         (9^th)

Division 2      6         lost to             Sturt                            9          12 – 3 – 2                   (2^nd)   

Division 3      13        defeated        East Torrens             2          13 – 2                         (1^st)

Division 4      7         lost to              Henley & Grange     9            5 – 8 – 1                   (7^th)

Division 5      5         lost to              Adelaide                    10          5 – 10                       (9^th)

Division 6      14       defeated        East Torrens             4          11 – 2 – 2                   (3^rd)

Under 18       7         defeated        Golden Grove           2          11 – 1                         (1^st)

Under 16       25       defeated        Glenelg                      1          10 – 1                         (1^st)

Under 14 (1)  23       defeated        Port Adelaide            0          11 – 1                         (1^st)

Under 14 (2)  13       defeated        Kensington               7            9 – 3                         (3^rd)

LL Major          8         defeated        Sturt                            2            10 – 1 – 1                 (1^st)

LL Minor        11       defeated        Hawks                        6            7 – 5                         (4^th)

 Under 18’s continue Dodgers’ Dodgy record at the nest

 The Under 18’s flew back to the nest this week to resume hostilities with a feisty Dodgers outfit whose finals aspirations were on the line. They are now all but extinguished. With Sam Bawden on the mound returning from injury, the Eagles coughed up an early run and trailed into the third dig before the bats exploded with power and purpose to post a five spot featuring a powerhouse triple from Mitch Harvey and some consistent hitting through the order with Alex McDonald, Tom McGarry, Dylan Chuck and Joel Ettridge carving shots into the outfield and pushing around runners. After 4 innings of 1 run ball, Bawden came out for Dylan Chuck, and he and McGarry behind the plate combined to render the Dodger bats ineffective. Chucky’s curve ball danced its way through a bemused batting line up. The Eagle bats followed up with a further 2 runs in the 4^th dig before  giving up a late run in the 5^th  that brought some respectability to the margin. As time expired, Chucky posted another goose egg and the Eagles continued to shore up their position at the top of the ladder. A much more consistent performance than previous weeks and an ominous warning to rival clubs.

 Under 16’s cage tame Tigers

 Rick Mead’s team made a confident start against the Tigers at the Den, and with a 2 – 1 score line after the first, the game was shaping as a tight affair. At the top of the second, the Eagle bats exploded and the constant pressure of putting the ball in play, running the bases hard and threatening every pitch we maxed out at 9 for an 11 – 1 spread at the change. Bryce Fulton was on the mound to Todd Dunstall and the pair combined to shut the Tigers down and leave the second frame with a ten run lead. The subsequent innings saw the same sort of results with our sustained aggression eroding our opponents’ confidence. The highlight of the day in offense was Bryce Fulton’s in the park home run, hit to deep centre, turning the fielder around and bouncing off the fence. Defensively, Fulton came out after three innings and was replaced on the mound by Matt Scharenberg who threw a nasty screwball, completely shutting down the opposition offense. Coach Mead made numerous positional and personnel changes through the game, but by the time game was called, the Eagles had posted two maximum innings and a 25-1 spread. A good effort with bigger fish to fry in weeks to come.

 Green Machine flex their muscles

 The Under 14 Green Machine ventured down to the Port to face the Magpies after having been stretched to the limit last week. Sam McGarry was given his first assignment for the season on the mound and his two innings saw him throw 27 pitches for 4 strikeouts, two hits and no runs. Mason Pickard, also throwing for the first time this season, replaced him, and his two innings of work featured a strikeout and a double play by a hard working infield. Brad Dedrick assumed the closing duties and his speed and accuracy were too much for the deflated Magpie hitters. A powerhouse performance from the Eagle pitchers. Just as impressive were the monster Eagle bats that showed great discipline at the plate, discretion, technique and power, getting the ball into play, hitting with 2 strikes on the batter, scoring runs with 2 out and swinging hard. The outstanding moment was Brad Dedrick’s 3 run homer deep over left field, but there were a number of fantastic performances including Lucas Hunter going 3 for 4 including two doubles and a single, Ethan Haylock hit a double, Brad Dedrick was 4 for 4 (including the HR) and his day was a triple short of the cycle, posting  two doubles and a single to go along with the bomb. William Bourchier had his best day for the season going 2 for 3 with a pair of well-struck singles to centre. Altogether, an imposing performance from the league leaders.

 Dineen Machine building momentum

 The Under 14 Dineen machine continued to consolidate their position on the table with another solid win against the Cardies at home. This team is now assured of playing in the finals and it is their goal to finish as high as possible on the ladder. It is impressive to watch this team improve behind the pitching of William Lampard as the starting pitcher. Will’s numbers each week make favourable reading. The support in the field has improved tremendously and the offense has given the defense enough lead to hold on to. The challenge is to be as good as we can be in preparation for playing the League Leading Norths whose talents are formidable.

 Little League Majors make sinners of Saints

 The battle of the Titans took place down at Flinders on Sunday afternoon when the top two teams squared off with both teams boasting identical records, but head-to-head the Sturt boys had our number. This didn’t faze the Boydon/Mead led Eagles who squared that ledger up in emphatic fashion and took the lead in the Division with a couple of rounds remaining in the season. If we can maintain our consistency, we will be a chance to host a home final.

 Little League Minors swoop the Hawks

 Ronnie Paulus’ Little League Minor team took on the Hawks from Southern Districts on Sunday and posted a solid 11 – 6 win in a game featuring a couple of our younger Eagles taking their first steps on the mound. It is always an exciting time for these youngsters and is vital in the preparation and development of the young players that are the future of our club. It may not always be so for the coach, but Ronnie’s work in getting this team ready has been tremendous and this team refuses to stop trying and keeps holding their own against teams with older players. A great job by all.

 

 February 14 our games are as follows:

 Little League Minor:           Coach:           Ron Paulus

Southern Districts, Home on the Junior Diamond

Starting at 10.00am (report 9.00am)

 Little League Major:           Coaches:       Jamie Boydon and Tim Mead

Adelaide, Home on the Junior Diamond

Starting at 12.00pm (report 11.00am)

 Under 14 (2):                       Coach:           Rob Dineen

Sturt, Home on the Junior Diamond

Starting at 2.30pm (report at 1.30pm)

 Under 14 (1):                        Coach:          David Green

Adelaide, Home on the Main Diamond

Starting at 10.00am (report at 9.00am)

 Under 16:                              Coach:           Rick Mead

Golden Grove, Home on the Main Diamond

Starting at 12.30pm (report at 11.00am)

 Under 18:                              Coach:           Brett Ettridge

East Torrens, Away on the Main Diamond

Starting at 10.00am (report 9.00am)

 Fees and Quiz Night

 Thank you for the tremendous response in finalising your child’s fees for 2009/10. For a variety of reasons, the club’s income has been lower than forecast and your committee needs all subscriptions fulfilled to meet our obligations to Baseball SA. We are a fiscally sound club, but we need to make operating surpluses if we are continue to add to the amenity of our club environment. To this end, can I urge you all to make the effort to support one of our last fundraising opportunities for the season and attend the ‘Quiz Night” to be held at the clubrooms on Friday night February 19.

 See you at the Ball Park.

 Yours in Baseball   

Mark McGarry

Junior Chairman

West Torrens Baseball Club