DOUBLE DOSE OF CANTERBURY CLUB ACTION AFTER NFC BREAK

Canterbury Premier Softball Report – February 23-24, 2019.

Twelve games were played between Mizuno Ballpark and Papanui Domain as Canterbury club teams played catch-up following a week’s hiatus as Christchurch hosted the National Fastpitch Championships.

MEN’S PREMIERSHIP

SATURDAY

PAPANUI 8 KAIAPOI 0 (5 innings) Black Sox sluggers Tyron Bartorillo and Jackson Watt had homes and 1.000 averages as the Papanui Tigers toppled the Kaiapoi Kings. They both blasted automatics in the first inning to set up an early 3-0 lead. Watt went three from three ( home run, double, single) while Bartorillo hammered a home run and a double. Second baseman Jayden Britt clouted an automatic home run in the second inning and Ash Reihana batted two from two. Papanui pitcher Ben Watts fanned nine of 16 batters, allowing only one hit - an infield single to Kaiapoi catcher Ben Lubiejewski.

PCU DEVILS 10 HALSWELL 3 Black Sox world champ Josh Harbrow continued his rich hitting form with two home runs as the Devils dominated the Hornets. Harbrow had been in top nick at the TAB Challenge Cup international tournament and the National Fastpitch Championships in Christchurch. He was no less explosive in the Halswell game where he and Bailey Hamilton banged back-to-back home runs in the first inning. Former Black Sox outfielder Josh Thomson also homered for the Devils and Grayson Keepa went two from four. Catcher Marty Warren smacked two doubles for the Hornets and Isaac Nation batted two from three.

KAIAPOI 3 ALBION 2 Leadoff Josh Lubijewski starred with the bat as the Kaiapoi Kings edged the Albion Anteaters. The Kings catcher had three hits from four at-bats for a .750 average and scored two of Kaiapoi's runs. Albion grabbed a 2-0 lead after Connor Bensley batted in Corey Durham and Dylan Potts in the top of the third inning. Kaiapoi equalised immediately when Lubijewski scored after a sacrifice hit by pitcher Ethan Johnston, and a bases-loaded walk yielded by Albion pitcher Kev Papuni. Colin Sutherland's Kaiapoi tied it up at 2-2 in the sixth after Craig Higgs doubled to leftfield, advanced on Liam Hughes' hit and scored on an error. Luke Sutherland batted in Lubiejewski for the winning run in the seventh. Papuni - back in club ball after a heavy pitching workload for Counties Manukau-Waikato in the NFC - totalled 10 strikeouts for nine hits and three walks. Johnston also took 10Ks for four hits and two walks. Jamie Holmes hit a two-bagger for Albion.

SUNDAY

PAPANUI 2 KAIAPOI 0 Jackson Watt starred with the bat on Saturday, but his pitching prowess carried the Papanui Tigers to victory over Kaiapoi. The left-hander struck out 12 Kaiapoi batters and gave up just one hit – a double to former Papanui catcher Josh Lubiejewski. Both Papanui runs came in the top of the first inning when Will MacDonald tripled to score Josh Dickson and followed him home on a Kaiapoi fielding error. Callum Muir, one of the longest serving Tigers, had two hits from three at-bats. Kaiapoi’s Black Sox B pitcher Ethan Johnston whiffed 10 Tigers for five hits and two walks.

PCU DEVILS 1 PAPANUI 0 Versatile Canterbury Red Sox player Bailey Hamilton batted in the only run and held Papanui to two hits in a fine all-round performance. Hamilton drove in leadoff Anaru Anderson in the tiop ofthe first inning and then shut up shop on the mound, taking six strikeouts. Callum Muir (single) and Jayden Britt (safe bunt) were the only Tigers to record hits. Papanui spelled pitching ace Ben Watts, using former Marlburian Will MacDonald on the mound. He held the Devils to two hits (to Hamilton and Quinn Wickens) and three walks while tallying seven strikeouts.

WOMEN’S PREMIERSHIP

SATURDAY

PCU ANGELS 3 SYDENHAM KERERU 2 (8 INNINGS) Paige Crawford (PCU prevailed in the clash of the American pitchers against SK opposite Kaycee Prevedel. But the Angels needed a tiebreaker before securing their win in a tight tussle. Catcher Allyne Clark led off for PCU with a sigle in the top oft he first inning. She advanced after hits by Canterbury Red Sox infielders Leah Stockford and Carley Ratu and scored when Prevedel delivered a bases-loaded walk. Chyna Keen struck back for SK with a rightfield home run in the bottom of the fourth inning and the score remained 1-1 after seven regulation innings. PCU grabbed a two-run buffer at the top of the eighth when Stockford scooted home on Ratu's second hit of the game and Lillie Simcott batted in Crawford with a centrefield single. Needing to score twice, SK made a positive start when Shania Bryse scored after Cheyann Whyte's safe bunt and a fielder's choice. But Crawford showed her steel, producing stand-up strikeouts on SK sisters Carly and Krystle Werahiko to end the gmae. Crawford finished with 10 strikeouts and gave up four hits and two walks. Stockford had three hits up the middle (including a double) for a .750 average. Clark went two from four and Ratu two from five. Prevedel - back after pitching for Wellington in the NFC - conceded 11 hits and took 11 Ks.

KAIAPOI 8 HALSWELL 1 (6 INNINGS) Kaiapoi embellished their reputation as one of the competition’s strongest batting teams by slugging 23 runs in two games at Papanui Domain on Saturday. They began with a 8-1 win over Halswell, taking eight safe hits off the Hornets’ White Sox pitcher Amy Begg. Kaiapoi leapt ahead 3-0 in the first ining after runs to Arnora Hesp, Jess Mehr and Nerissa McDowell. They ended the game early with a five-run spree in the sixth to get Layla Bailey-McDowell, Teagan Maxted, Lauren Sutherland, Hesp and Nicole Thomas across the plate. Nerissa McDowell – the competition’s top batter after the first two rounds and joint RBIs leader – batted three from four and drove in the final run. Sutherland threw a good game on the Kaiapoi mound, taking eight strikeouts and giving up just four safe hits – two to Halswell leadoff Liyah Faga-Leti, who scored the Hornets’ only run in the top of the first inning.

KAIAPOI 15 PAPANUI 0 (3 INNINGS) Kaiapoi were even more devastating in the second leg of the doubleheader, crushing a young Papanui team with 15 unanswered runs off 11 safe hits. American pitcher Nicole Thomas was Kaiapoi’s star, hurling a one-hitter and batting 1.000 with a triple and two singles in the No 3 slot. Thomas’ compatriot, shortstop Jessica Mehr, went two from two with a single and triple and Teagan Maxted also had two hits from two tripls to the plate. Elizabeth Rice got Papanui’s only hit (an infield single) off Thomas, who snared six strikeouts and allowed only one walk.

SUNDAY

PAPANUI 4 SYDENHAM KERERU 3 (8 innings) Czech Republic import Martina Vicenova starred with bat and ball as Richie Allison's Papanui notched up their first win of the season in a tense tiebreaker. It looked like SK would steal the show on the back of Cassandra McLeod's fine batting form. The former Canterbury Red Hawks infielder scored after smiting a two-bagger in the top of the third inning and crossed again in the fifth after slamming a triple. But Vicenova pulled a run back for Pap in the after she singled in the bottom of the third, advanced on Karen Calder's sacrifice and scored on a wild pitch. SK edged out to a 3-1 lead aftr Cheyann Whyte singled in the sixth and came in on McLeod's third hit of the game. But Vicenova, the Papanui pitcher, was not about to take defeat lying down. She played a pivotal part in a seventh inning comeback. Pinch hitter Melissa Chapman led off with a leaguer to rightfield and Mya Pouaka cracked a double. Martin scored on Vicenova's second hit of the ball game, and the Czech ambled in on Simone Salter's leftfield single. Papanui looked to have blown their chance in the top of the eighth after going two-down when automatic runner Salter was icked off in a tag play and Iris Taramai was taken out at third base. But NZ Under 18 tournament All-Star outfielder Elizabeth Rice sparked a rally with a single. She advanced on a fielder's choice and plated on former Canterbury captain Lani Stead's safe hit. Vicenova dug deep on the pitching mound to take two strikeouts in the bottom of the eighth as Papanui celebrated a hard-fought win. Vicenova had two hit from three at-bats and Allison also got good value from an experienced recruit. 'Snuff' Calder - Papanui's long-standing secretary-treasurer and a premier stalwart in the 1990s - batted 1.000 with a hit, a sacrifice and the ultimate compliment - an intentional walk.

PCU ANGELS 2 KAIAPOI 0 Kaiapoi would have been kicking themselves after leaving 10 runners stranded on base in a shutout loss to champions PCU. The deep Kaiapoi's batting combined for nine hits off Paige Crawford, but could not string enough together to get a run. Both PCU runs came in the top of the third. Samantha Henderson scored after Kaiapoi errors and Leah Stockford, who had picked a walk, was batted in by a Carley Ratu single. Lauren Sutherland had two safe hits from four at-bats and Canterbury under-15 rep McKenzie BaileyMcDowell picked up a premier grade single. PCU had four hits - to Crawford, Ratu, Lillie Simcott and Allyne Clark. Kaiapoi finished the weekend with 28 hits across three matches, but coach Mike McDowell would have been rueing the game that got away.

SYDENHAM KERERU 2 HALSWELL 0 Cassandra McLeod did the damage agan for SK with two hits and a RBI in a tight win over Halwell. McLeod batted in Krystal Werahiko, who had singled int he top of the fifth and Chyna Keen doubled SK’s lead in the sixth after making base on a hit, stealing second, advancing on Aaria Rolleston’s infield single and strolling in on a bases-loaded walk. SK pitcher Kaycee Prevedel racked up nine 9Ks for 3 hits. HALSWELL 5 PCU 4 Hornets coach Carl Tuinenga had lamented his side’s lack of batting action on Saturday, but his big guns fired in Sunday’s upset win over the Angels. PCU made a bright start with three runs in the first inning after consecutive hits by Allyne Clark, Leah Stockford and Paige Crawford. Halswell hit back with three runs in the bottom of the fourth after hits by Isabella Waterman and Amy Begg. Crawford singled and scored on errors in the fifth for a 4-3 lead to the Angels. Halswell clinched the win with two runs in the top of the seventh after back-to-back doubles by White Sox international Lucy McIntyre and veteran Bev Lethlean, and a pinch hit single from Jenni Mumm. McIntyre was the game’s top batter with three hits from four for Halswell, while Clark and Crawford had two hits apiece for PCU.

Tony Smith