Teams tuning up ahead of finals

BANDITS V CONCORDES WHITE

Aleesha Tucker set the tone from the first pitch, driving a cracking shot to centrefield.

Dana Jones followed with patience at the plate, drawing a walk, and Sam Brown singled to left to load the bases.

Bandits pitcher MacKenzie Millard struck out Sonya Crute for the first out, but Concordes were only just getting started.

Kate Altschwager delivered a solid hit to centrefield to score Tucker.

Sarah Baird made contact but was put out at first, and Pauline Long worked a walk to bring Jones home.

Codie Jackway punched a shot through shortstop to score Brown, and Chrissie Coomber followed with a superb hit to plate Altschwager.

Back at the top of the order, Tucker struck again to bring Long home.

Then came the highlight — after getting some practice with foul balls down the left field line, Jones launched a grand slam using her sisters new bat yet again.

Brown kept the momentum rolling with another safe hit before Crute was thrown out at first by the ever-reliable Kylie Cook at shortstop to end a massive innings.

Bandits needed a response, but pitcher Jones had other ideas. Millard hit to shortstop and was thrown out by Altschwager.

Di Horbury mistimed her swing and was tagged out by Jones, and Emily Mitchell tipped the end of the bat with Jackway completing the play at first.

A sharp defensive innings kept Bandits scoreless.

Back in the box, Altschwager flied out to Deb Hicks, Baird tried to make contact but pitcher Chrystal Lock got the better of Baird for the second out.

Long reached on a fielding error but was stranded when Jackway flied out to Hicks for her second catch of the innings.

Bandits mounted a fierce comeback.

Hicks opened with a cracking double, and Kelly Millard reached after being hit by a sharp inside pitch.

Chantel MacDonald got on base, and Lock later smashed a shot to centrefield to score two. Cook followed with a sizzling triple to rightfield.

Hits continued to fall as Horbury and Mitchell drove in runs, and Hicks claimed her second double of the innings to bring more runners home.

By the time Jones recorded a strikeout to end it, Bandits had piled on eight runs and closed the gap to 9–8.

Concordes refused to let the game slip. Coomber was caught in centrefield but Tucker already three from three added another safe hit.

Jones drove to left, and heads-up running saw both Tucker and Jones cross the plate on a wild throw.

Crute singled, but Altschwager was caught in the deep to close the innings.

Bandits kept fighting as Lock and Cook both hit safely, and although Millard’s fly ball was taken by Tucker in left, Lock seized her chance to score.

Horbury and Mitchell added more runs before Hicks sent a towering shot skyward only for Tucker to settle underneath it and take a composed catch to end the threat.

With the score tight at 11–10 heading into the fourth, Concordes needed insurance runs.

Baird was put out at first, but Long cracked a shot to centrefield and Jackway reached base in a busy play.

Coomber got on through an error, and Tucker notched her fourth safe hit of the game to score two.

Jones continued her superb day with another hit, and Brown worked a full count before driving to leftfield to bring in two more.

Crute reached safely, but the innings closed with a catch in the deep.

With time running out, Bandits had one final chance.

Kelly Millard hit hard to deep shortstop, where Altschwager made a long, accurate throw to Brown for the out.

Jones then produced her third strikeout of the game.

Whitehead fired a sharp line drive toward second, but Coomber rose to the moment, taking a screamer of a catch to seal the game.

Concordes White claimed a hard-fought 15–10 victory over a determined Bandits side in an entertaining, high-scoring contest.

DEMONS V CONCORDES UNITED

The heat wasn’t enough to stop Demons and Concordes United putting on an absolute clinic on Diamond 2 on Saturday.

United started the bat with Rosie Clark who was patient in the box while Meg Merrett found her groove on the mound.

Sarah Thomson hit back to Merrett who played second for the first out.

Aimee Becks scored a safe hit to third but was tagged out on the 1-3 steal.

Bec White was the third out for the innings hitting a fly ball to shortstop which was caught out by Kezia Feast and United scored no runs.

Em Hart started Demons off with a walk and got herself around the diamond on stolen bases.

Merrett and Morale got on base with hits to the infield before Simone Little made her way to first on a hit pitched ball.

United tighten the field and Thomson caught a line drive, fly and an assisted out at third for three out as Demons scored two.

In the second, returning player Julie Beck proved that time away hadn’t weakened her strike zone and earnt herself a walk.

Tylar Kennett hit a line drive straight to Morale who thought quickly on her feet and went back to her base to score the double out.

United displayed patience and discipline with the following four batters walking to first before Little ended the innings with a fly out at third base seeing United scoring one.

Demons were a prime example in the bottom of the second that being to eager at the plate can have its downfalls, and with a K2, and caught fly at third by Dazza Wilson and a fielders choice from Thomson at short the Dees were out in five batters with no runs added to the board.

The Red and Blue held steady, knowing their defence could match United.

They hit back with three outs in five batters with a fly caught by Feast, a ground ball hit to Feast to get the out at first and a K2 from Merrett as Beck score United another run.

Demons came alive in the third and earnt themselves four walks.

Simone, Katelyn and Krissie scored safe hits to third, Tieran Vos popped one over to centre field and Demons scored nine.

However, the game was not over for United who matched energy at the plate.

United sent themselves four walks and the sister duo in Brooks and Beck hit safe to left field. Wilson and Pollard got doubles to the outfield and United were moving around bases and across home plate.

Hart who replaced Merrett on the mound got her first K2 and Burner at second played one for the second out.

Feast ended the innings with a fielders choice to second for the third out and just like the tit for tat it had been all game and United also scored nine.

It was a tied ball game as Demons went up for their last bat, with one run needed to win the game.

Thomson took a fly at shortstop for the first out.

Hart played the team game and took the walk to get on first base.

She was moved to second from Merretts safe hit to third.

Morale hit to Wilson who played her bag which saw Hart out at third.

Demons were two out, with no runs scored and the game still tied.

Little was up to bat, with Merrett sitting pretty on third base.

Coach Feast was feeling hot from either the weather or the pressure and knew big risks equal big rewards.

She put down a squeeze bunt which was executed perfectly from Little and Merrett and Merrett scored, winning Demons the game by one.

WARRIORS BLUE V WARRIORS WHITE

Warriors White was simply the best on Warriors sponsors day, honouring local businesses who had their full weight behind both teams including Sass Dergholm, Brooker Reliability Services, Second Innings, Into the Mooring, Hair by Erin, Amorism and several member sponsors.

Warriors White started strongly with four runs in the first care of several cracking shots to the outfield.

Warriors very own gun Sarah Polderman was on fire with a lead off double.

Alana Romaine grounded out to Angela Queale at third, Steph Chant launched an RBI double, Mel Chuck wasted no time dispatching one to left for a RBI, and then Jas Disselbach hit a grounder to Kel Anderson at second.

Jenna Burston, who is loving being back on the diamond, singled to left the Warriors fave Harlow Castleman sent a blinder to the outfield, scoring Burston, and finding herself on second with newfound speed.

Polderman had her radar well and truly locked on and her team backed her to the hilt despite Warriors Blue’s Taylor Pearson leading off with an infield single, Polderman snuffed out the rest of Blue’s efforts including Emma Chuck making a seasoned campaigner catch at second base and Burston showing the large crowd how it was done at third.

Polderman was at it again, squeezing a shot off a change up between Jarvo and Analeigh Anderson out to Maddy Sutherland at left for another lead off hit.

She was scored after Romaine absolutely pulverised a triple to Tash Vickers who was getting her steps up in the warm weather.

Blue then regrouped with Queale and Pearson combining for two outs and Kel Anderson got Disselbach out for the second time in the game.

Sutherland then led off for Blue’s with a scorching triple of her own but still had some oxygen in the tank to sneak home on a passed ball and her side’s first run.

Vickers put a curly one up in the air and found herself on base, moved around by a lovely shot by Analeigh Anderson who was proud as punch considering the speed of Polderman’s lasers.

Polderman had a K2 then two other plays to her name showing her dominance with her team up 5-1

Burston led off the third with a walk followed by another Castleman safe hit.

Burston glided home on an error off Emma Chuck’s bat, Queale had Polderman’s number this time and Castleman and Chuck were scored by a Romaine single.

Chant was bamboozled by a change up, Mel Chuck chimed in again on the hit fest before Pearson closed the innings after a hard fought at bat by Disselbach who faced seven pitches from the aging Blue’s veteran Leyna Bruggemann in the circle.

Bruggemann pulled her finger out and doubled to centre, scored by a Queale sac fly, Sutherland was at it again doubling to left then taking advantage of her speed, snuck two more bases.

Polderman had another strike out and Emma Chuck had another catch before the innings was done, their side up 8-3 and the large contingent of Chuck supporters in the crowd on their feet.

It was down to the last dig for Blue to show some mettle and potentially secure their last chance at finals action.

Bruggemann was starting to choke as evidenced by two walks in one innings, a rarity but also a pet peeve to the Warriors life member but thankfully her team’s defence was on and no runs were scored.

Blue’s best player Pearson led off with a single, showing she is worth her weight in gold both offensively and defensively, and was given second base on an allowed steal.

Caroline Bradshaw had battled in the heat behind the plate in Maddy Bignell’s absence but clearly had her game face on as she strode up to the plate.

Bradshaw coolly singled and then got to do her favourite thing, run, as Bruggemann thanked Polderman for a pitch central to the strike zone by lining it over her as well as Chuck scored Pearson.

Bradshaw took on Polderman’s relay throw with no third base coach and was out at home on the tag by Chant.

Bruggemannn rested at second before Queale could not dodge one of Polderman’s lasers, wearing it like a seasoned pro,

Sutherland forced an error that scored a run and the score 5-8 Blue’s down but two outs up their sleeve.

It was not to be as Polderman finished off the next two hitters.RESULTSConcordes White 15 (Aleesha Tucker 4; Dana Jones 3 (HR); Sam Brown, Codie Jackway 2; Kate Altschwager, Chrissie Coomber, Sonya Crute, Pauline Long) d Bandits 10 (Kylie Cook, Deb Hicks Di Horbury, Chystal Lock, Emilee Mitchell 2; Kelly Millard); Demons 12 (Meg Merrett, Krissie Smith, Simone Little 2; Bella Morale, Katelyn Laube, Tieran Vos) d Concordes United 11 (Aimee Brooks, Julie Beck 2; Linley Pollard, Tylar Kennett, Dianne Wilson); Warriors White 8 (Sarah Polderman, Alana Romaine, Melissa Chuck, Harlow Castleman 2; Steph Chant, Jenna Burston) d Warriors Blue 5 (ylor Pearson, Leyna Bruggemann, Maddy Sutherland 2; Caroline Bradshaw, Analeigh Anderson)