Young shooters make Pakenham Pumas proud

PAKENHAM PUMAS BASEBALL

While the Under 14 competition had a bye, three of the Under-14 Pakenham Pumas – Coadhey Rebecchi, Logan Chambers and Oliver Corrigan – were selected for the Dandenong Baseball Association (DBA) Rep Team and travelled to Bendigo to compete in the State Winter Championships. The first day saw tough conditions as our team played in the persistent rain, winning against Diamond Valley Black (6-7) and then losing twice to Diamond Valley Red (1-8) and Ringwood (15-0). Highlights included Logan showing off his pitching skills and Coadhey demonstrating his blocking skills by saving many runs in his catcher’s position and hitting a great hit in the first game. The second day saw the ice thaw and the sun shine as the DBA team recorded a win against City West (0-6) and a loss to Geelong Baseball Club (7-10). A final game was played against Ringwood, where they went on to outperform Saturday’s game against Ringwood, finishing with a final score of (2-6). Highlights of the day were Logan in his role as Short Stop getting two outs against City West and pitching against Geelong Baseball Club; Coadhey catching against Ringwood and Oliver hitting against a tough pitcher, throwing to home from center field to get an out at home and scoring a double against Geelong Baseball Club. A big thank you to Head Coach Marshall, Coach Andrew, Executive Officer Cameron and Scorer Ian who, as a strong leadership team, not only coached the team expertly but also fostered a strong camaraderie that was evident both on and off the field. Many memories were created over the weekend that will last the team a lifetime.

JUNIORS

UNDER 12: Pumas 2 v Chelsea 1

In the drizzly cold conditions the Under-12 Pumas were in good spirits. With the pitchers regularly peppering the strike zone, the bats backed up the defensive efforts with some of the hardest hits so far this season, resulting in two runs. In the top of the last inning Chelsea loaded the bases and then hit a triple to put them ahead, time was against them and Pakenham were unable to bat, so the score returned to 2-1 in a thrilling end to the game.

UNDER 16: Pumas 14 v Frankston 1

Pumas went to Frankston to take on Frankston Black. We played with eight and went out with great discipline from the players, we loaded our basses but unfortunately we could not score with three strikes out, so we had to change the field to defend. Lachlan Collier started on the mound and pitched well but Frankston managed to score one. On the second attempt we regrouped and put seven on the board. We stopped them in the second inning without allowing a single run. In the third inning we registered another seven and with three outs against Frankston we decided the game with a 14-1 win in pretty miserable conditions. A couple of special mentions. Lachlan Collier (starting pitcher) threw a no-hitter and Conner McKenzie hit an inside-the-park homerun.

SENIORS

A1: Pumas 0 v Dandenong 13

Pumas hosted Dandenong and despite the bad weather the Pumas got the chance to play. Unfortunately for the Pumas Dandenong came out with hot bats from the first inning and scored the whole game leading to a 13-0 victory.

A2: Pumas 0 v Dandenong 2

Pumas took on Dandenong at home on Saturday in true baseball winter conditions. With the game shortened to 75 minutes due to rain, the Pumas threatened first but were unable to capitalize on the scoreboard, leading to a tight battle in the first few innings. With the game on the line, the Angels were able to apply some pressure, resulting in a two-run fourth inning that ultimately proved to be the difference between the two teams.

D BLACK: Chelsea 14 v Pumas 9

The Pumas faced league leaders Chelsea and put in a valiant performance against the best team in the competition. Despite losing 14-9, the Pumas will be feeling very confident going into their next match against Berwick at Toomuc Reserve on Saturday 13th July.

WOMEN: Berwick 14 v Pumas 2

The Pumas were outclassed in the greasy conditions by a strong Berwick team who claimed their fifth win of the season. However, the Pumas went down hard, with hits to Felicity, Carni, Olivia and Christine.

C1, C2 and D White have all been washed away this week.

All Pakenham Pumas teams have a day off on Saturday 6th July, before returning to action on Saturday 13th July.

-Jessica Moulding-