By Gavin Staindl
THE Springvale Division One women’s baseball team is gearing up for its grand final encounter with rivals Berwick/Springvale this Saturday at Malvern.
Springvale will prepare to play one of the strongest pitching teams in the league after Berwick/Springvale beat Doncaster in last week’s semi-final, which ended a five year tradition of grand finals being played between Springvale and Doncaster.
The pitcher who will most likely be handed the ball to start for the opposing Cougars is Risa Nakashima, one of the best pitchers in the world and the starter for Japan – the world’s best team.
“She has great control. She will not walk to many and we will have to play our best to get a few hits,” said Springvale coach Mick Wearne.
Lions pitcher Vic Brown will most likely start on the mound for the reigning premiers.
“She has had a great season and deserves the start,” Wearne said.
Wearne also has the luxury of choosing from in-form pitchers Ella Holien, Cat Rowe and Kei Matsumoto.
This depth along with the batting talent is something that Wearne hopes will get his team over the line.
“Their top five are better than our top five but our bottom four are better than their bottom four. We also have more depth coming off the bench,” Wearne said.
With a 3-0 record over their cross-town rivals this season, Wearne nevertheless knows that his team must perform at its best if it is to win.
Holding true to what many American sporting figures do in the lead up to a grand final, Wearne has also made his prediction of what the score line will be.
“It will be 8-5 and we’ll win,” Wearne laughed.
THE Springvale men continue to make progress in Division Two, this time beating Footscray 9-1 at Wearne Reserve.
With finals a slim hope for Springvale, the home side was more interested in continuing the losing streak that has plagued Footscray for three straight years and spanned more than 50 successive games.
Lions pitcher Ben Bartlett was never troubled by the Footscray hitters but did have control problems in the first two innings as he settled into the mound.
Miles Barnden and Rob Novotny both had multiple hits as the Lions clearly overpowered a weaker opponent.
