By Sean Talbot
In a game they must’ve hoped was taking place in a nightmare, the Williamstown Wolves travelled to Kings Park in Upper Ferntree Gully and were defeated in resounding fashion off the back of an 11-run first inning by the Tigers that led the way to an eventual 17-0 shellacking in a game that saw four of Williamstown’s starting nine not get a chance at a second at-bat during the game whilst their Tiger counterparts batted around in an inning…twice!
With staff ace Jarrod Turner getting the start in hot yet still conditions, the Wolves were sat down in order in the top of the first inning, however nothing could prepare anyone for what was about to take place in the bottom half of the inning. Beginning at 6.35pm and not ending until a little after 7.05pm, the Tigers sent 14 hitters to the plate, saw 60 pitches in the inning from two pitchers (starter Jason Lester and reliever Brandon Bebee), hit safely five times, drew five walks, saw one batter hit and ensured Ryder Wilson was not able to leave his seat on the bench for more than 30 minutes in an inning that well and truly put the game beyond doubt.
Pete Schroeders and Wade McConnon each picked up a single and a walk in the inning, Jordan Elliott recorded three RBI’s on a double and a groundout while the Big Puma himself Josh Hendricks continued his purple patch of form, picking up four RBI’s on a single and a three-run home run that was last seen landing somewhere near Lysterfield as the Tigers took a struggling Lester to task before ensuring Bebee copped some of the same for good measure.
With Turner more than rested after the offensive onslaught, he made quick work of the Wolves in the top half of the inning, needing just 11 pitches to get Yo Takehara to fly out, Jason McDonald to strike out and Dennis Neal to ground out to quickly put the Tigers back in to bat as they looked to blow their lead out further. Bebee however had other ideas, getting Jack Ratcliffe to ground out before striking out Staci Rogers and Harvey Chinn, the latter of which was making his first start of the season in the Tigers line-up from what has been an incredible comeback from an ACL tear during the winter. Turner ensured the Wolves would not generate any momentum though, as he worked around a one-out error off the bat of Hiroshi Narasaki to induce a ground ball from Cooper Carrison while striking out both Nick Gray and Rolando Curiel.
Williamstown manager Chris Rickard turned to his bullpen again in the bottom half of the third, calling on veteran Aaron Green to try and keep the Tigers in check and give his side a chance to get on the board, however the Tigers again had other ideas. Nice Rice led off with a sharp single to left field before moving to second on Pete Schroeders single. McConnon was unable to advance the runners as he flew out to second base, however Elliott reached on an error by Narasaki that saw all runners advance safely, loading the bases with one out. J Hendricks picked up his fifth RBI of the game on a single to left field before giving way to pinch runner Flynn Morrison. Donavon Hendricks singled to centerfield to run the score to 13-0 before giving way to Wilson as a pinch runner. Ratcliffe doubles to left field to score Elliott and Morrison as the score ballooned to 15-0 before Rogers also doubled to left to score Wilson and Ratcliffe and the Wolves found themselves in a massive 17-0 deficit. Chinn sharply grounded out to first base and Rice was robbed of another hit by a terrific running catch by Gray in left field to send the game to the fourth inning with it all said and done besides the shouting.
Wes de Jong took the ball from Turner as he looked to get more work in, surrendering the Wolves’ first hit of the game, a single by Sam Reale, before getting Takehara to ground out and McDonald to pop out in foul territory to end the frame. The Tigers were unable to run the score further in the bottom half of the inning despite McConnon picking up another hit and Elliott being drilled by a Green off-speed offering as Morrison fouled out and Wilson grounded into a fielder’s choice, also signaling time and game as the sun was almost set and the umpires deemed insufficient light to continue to play in.
It was truly a massive offensive effort for the Tigers as every starter reached base safely at least once, all starters save for Schroeders and McConnon picked up an RBI and the Tigers brass able to use their bench to get multiple players game time in the blowout. Josh Hendricks (3 hits incl. home run, 5 RBI) was the pick of the Upwey hitters on the night, but he has plenty of support from Schroeders (2 hits), McConnon (2 hits), Elliott (one hit, three RBI), D Hendricks (one hit, RBI) Ratcliffe (one hit, 2 RBI), Rogers (one hit, three RBI) and Rice (one hit, RBI) in a team effort that sees the Upwey hitters getting hot at the right time, whilst coaches Donavon Hendricks, Stuart Chinn and Dan McConnon have done a terrific job of managing their pitchers to ensure Turner has been rested whilst de Jong, D Hendricks and Wilson have all continued to get work in to be right come finals.
The win sees Upwey in a two-way tie for second place with Blackburn (behind only on head-to-head) as they now sport a 17-8-1 record, looking ahead to this weekend where they will take on first placed Waverley (18-5-1) in a game that could go a long way to determining who will finish in first place come seasons end, and will be sure to continue on the storied rivalry these two powerhouse clubs of the east have had for a number of years.
