Reigning premiers continue to dominate

Mount Gambier and District Baseball League was back in full action with Division I baseball at the weekend and in an exciting and action-packed encounter, Millicent triumphed over the Tigers 21-11 in a match that saw plenty of offensive firepower, especially in the later innings.

The game was a back-and-forth battle early on, but Millicent ultimately pulled away in the eighth inning.

Millicent took an early 2-1 lead in the first inning, capitalizing on a solid start from pitcher Darcy Pink. Riley Parsons, who was on the mound for the Tigers, kept things competitive, but the Tigers’ offense struggled to get going against Pink’s pitching.

In the second inning, the Tigers’ offense found some rhythm with safe hits from Jake England and Jordan Johnson, but Millicent managed to match the Tigers, keeping the game deadlocked at 2-2.

The game evened out during the third and fourth innings.

Both teams had their opportunities, but neither side could break through with a significant advantage.

Millicent’s defense, led by the steady pitching of Pink, and the Tigers’ defensive efforts from Parsons kept things tight.

The Tigers in the fifth inning, scoring three runs thanks to a big hit from Dylan Lane.

The offence was sparked by Lane’s timely hitting, and the Tigers looked to have the momentum but still couldn’t get in front leaving the game five-all Tigers in the sixth inning with an impressive offensive surge of their own.

With key safe hits from Riley Rolph and Jake England, the Tigers scored another three runs, extending their lead to 8-5.

But Millicent was not finished yet.

Millicent stormed back in the seventh, adding three more runs.

Hits from Anthony Mutton and Saxon Altschwager helped Millicent rally to tie the game at 8-8, setting the stage for a dramatic final stretch

The eighth inning turned out to be the decisive moment of the game.

Millicent exploded for 13 runs, showing their offensive power with key hits all throughout the lineup.

Despite a valiant effort from the Tigers, they could only manage three runs, ultimately falling short as Millicent took control of the game.

The win puts Millicent in a strong position moving forward as Tigers look to bounce back in their next outing.

The next match up was Central taking on South and in a commanding performance on the mound and at the plate, Central triumphed 10-0 over South in a matchup that saw stellar pitching and defensive execution.

Central star Dylan Chuck was the star of the night, showcasing his pitching dominance with eight strikeouts and contributing offensively with two hits.

The game got off to an exciting start with both teams sending up solid hitters. South’s veteran Ryan Placucci and Jett Lewis set the tone early.

However, the Central defence was up to the task as well, and the South lineup couldn’t push any runs across.

In the bottom of the first, Central’s Alex Ridding delivered a safe hit to give his team the early advantage, putting them up 4-0.

South rallied in the second with back-to-back hits from Wade Chant and Deegan Habner, but once again, they couldn’t capitalise.

Central remained defensively sharp, and Chuck’s pitching kept South from getting anything going. In response, Central pushed the lead to 5-0 when Chuck himself singled, adding another run to the scoreboard.

With Chuck continuing to impress on the mound, South struggled to find any rhythm offensively.

Jett Lewis, the up-and-coming star for South, earned a hit, but Chuck was in control, mixing pitches effectively and racking up strikeouts.

Central didn’t slow down offensively either extending the lead to 7-0 thanks to a couple of errors from South’s defence that allowed Central to score.

Errors continued to plague South, and Central capitalised with another two runs, pushing the lead to 9-0.

Despite the best efforts of South’s pitchers, including Jett Lewis and Deegan Habner, Central kept piling on the runs.

Lewis and Habner showed glimpses of their future potential, but the defense and pitching from Central were too much to overcome.

With the game firmly in hand, Central put up one more run in the final frame, extending their lead to 10-0.

South showed grit but couldn’t break through against Chuck’s dominant performance.

Central showed their depth and experience in all phases of the game – solid pitching, timely hitting, and strong defence. Dylan Chuck’s all-around performance was the highlight of the game, and veteran Kyall McClean provided consistent offensive support.

South fought hard, with young talents like Jett Lewis and Deegan Habner showing promise for the future. However, it was clear that Central’s combination of pitching and defense was too much to handle in this one.

RESULTS:

Millicent 21 (Jordan Johnson, Darcy Pink 4; Anthony Mutton, Josh Vanderhorst 2; Saxon Altschwager) d Tigers 11 (Jake England 2; Riley Rolph, Dylan Lane); Central 10 (Kyall McClean ; Dylan Chuck 2) d South 0 (Jett Lewis 2)