Springvale pitcher Ella Holien was in action for the Lions against Port Melbourne on Saturday. Picture: Stewart Chambers.By Paul Pickering
SPRINGVALE resumed its procession towards the finals in the Baseball Victoria Women’s Division One competition last week, recording two wins in three days to reignite the Lions’ tilt at a fourth straight title.
Returning from a well-earned holiday, the Springvale ladies put lowly Werribee to the sword 17-10 last Wednesday, before seeing off Port Melbourne 12-5 at home on Saturday.
Having given up nine runs in their final innings against Werribee, the ladder-leading Lions were keen to start well at Keysborough’s K.H. Wearne Field on the weekend.
Conceding four runs in the first innings went against the script, but head coach Mick Wearne was quietly pleased to see his team put under pressure.
As Wearne and Port Melbourne could have predicted, the Lions responded with some accurate pitching and consistent hitting to systematically overhaul their opponents during the afternoon.
After a shaky opening, starting pitcher Ella Holien regained her composure and authority at the mound, strangling the Mariners hitters before deferring to Kelly Manzie to ice the game.
While the affable Wearne was happy to consolidate Springvale’s impressive record, he said the wins were far from spectacular.
“I thought the girls appeared to be a bit jaded,” he said, explaining that some of his players had subjected themselves to long practice sessions during the break.
“Sometimes I have trouble slowing them down,” he laughed.
Another enviable dilemma faced by Wearne is how to rotate his embarrassment of riches in the bull pen.
While regular pitcher Vic Brown is expected to be unavailable for the next month because of an ankle strain, Wearne must still ensure that Holien, Manzie and Cat Rowe get enough time at the mound in the run towards the finals.
“You’ve got to try and get them all a bit of work so that they’re ready when you need them,” he said.
“It’s tough because they’re all doing quite well and any one of them can get the job done, so it’s just a matter of choosing the right one on the right day.”
The pitching trio will suit up for the Lions as they host third-placed Malvern this Saturday afternoon.
Meanwhile, Springvale’s Division Three men will be tipped to demolish cellar-dweller Footscray on the road this Sunday.
The Lions will be high on confidence, having shut out Chelsea 5-0 on Sunday.
The win hinged on the deadly accurate arm of Rob Hogan, who made a rare start in place of regular pitcher Glen Richards.
Hogan threw 13 strike outs and just 20 balls in his 90 pitches for the afternoon, while also contributing with the bat alongside prolific hitters Ben Bartlett, Darren Hughes and Richards.
