By Sean Talbot
With their place on the ladder locked in tightly and a finals campaign guaranteed, the Upwey Ferntree Gully Tigers were playing for momentum, pride and the chance to secure their second consecutive Club Championship on Saturday afternoon in hot and uncomfortable conditions at Kings Park, Ferntree Gully as the Tigers hosted Blackburn.
With staff ace Jarrod Turner getting the afternoon off after his complete game shutout on Tuesday night against Sandringham, Wes de Jong was handed the ball in his fifth start of the season and was simply outstanding, throwing six of the seven innings played in what was easily his finest start of the season, showing more than a couple of flashes of what is known as “Classic de Jong” by those who have seen the crafty lefty over the course of his career.
Using the dead rubber as a chance to give a start to several of their seconds players, the Orioles got on the board in the top of the first inning, as Koetsu Sakamoto reached base on an error by first baseman Josh Hendricks, advanced to third base on a Ben Leslie single and scored on a deep Hayden Dingle sacrifice fly to right field that almost escaped the yard before Nick Rossell flied out to end the inning. Answering right back in the bottom half of the inning after Pete Schroeders grounded out and Wade McConnon flew out, Jordan Elliott and Josh Hendricks singled and Harvey Chinn walked to load the bases, before Jack Ratcliffe (entering the game fighting the Tigers batting title with Elliott) singled to right field to score Elliott and Hendricks before Staci Rogers popped out to third base, ending the inning with the Tigers now leading 2-1.
de Jong was able to work around a lead off double and a one-out single in the top of the second to escape the two-on jam with a strike out and a groundout, managing to end the inning without conceding another run, however Upwey were sat down 1-2-3 in the bottom half to quickly put the Orioles back on offense. Making quick work of Ryan Berg with a groundball and Leslie fly ball, de Jong surrendered a missile of a single to Dingle before inducing a ground out off the bat of Rossell. Upwey extended their lead in the bottom of the 3rd, as McConnon was drilled with a fastball, Elliott singled and Chinn singled to again load the bases, this time with one out. Ratcliffe capitalized again on his situation, lining a single to left field to score McConnon and Elliott and pushing the score to 4-1 Upwey before Rogers grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.
Now backed by a comfortable lead, de Jong went on the attack, recording a weak infield flyball and two ground outs to sit the Orioles down in order in the top half of the 4th inning, quickly allowing the Tigers a chance to use their momentum to widen the gap on the visitors even further. After Andy Kane grounded out, Nick Rice singled, Schroeders and McConnon walked, Elliott lifted a sacrifice flyball to centerfield that scores Rice and advanced Schroeders to third base and the game threatening to blow out at any minute. Pinch hitting for Hendricks, Flynn Morrison got a fastball down in the zone and promptly drove it over the left field wall for a three-run home run and an 8-1 Tigers lead, ending Orioles starter Sam Bucello’s day and summoning Aiden Patterson from the bullpen. Chinn greeted Patterson with a frozen rope, however the ball found Sakamoto in right field to end the inning.
Now sporting a seven run cushion to start the top half of the 5th inning, de Jong gave up a lead off double to Russell Hodgson, however Sakamoto popped out to shortstop, Berg grounded out and Leslie struck out to end the frame before you had time to say “wham, bam, what the heck just happened?!”. Patterson held onto the ball in the bottom half of the inning, however control issues saw him walk Ratcliffe on four pitches and Rogers on five before a Kane ground ball advanced Ratcliffe to third, with Rogers forced out at second and Kane beating the double play throw at first. Rice singled to center field to score Ratcliffe and move Kane to second before Schroeders again walked to give the Tigers yes another bases loaded situation. Pinch hitting for McConnon, Randy Senn unloaded on a second pitch double to deep left-center, scoring Kane, Rice and Schroeders to push the score to 12-1 in favoir of the Tigers. Elliott singled to put runners at the corners before Morrisson hit a deep sacrifice fly, this one somehow harder hit than his home run to score Senn and move the score to 13-1.
Taking the DH spot in the line-up from Dingle during the pitching change, Patterson hit a weak fly ball to right field before Rossell and Cal Vance both lifted infield fly balls to end the 6th inning and de Jong’s day. The Tigers were unable to score in the bottom half of the inning off of new pitcher Hodgson, as only a two-out Kane single prevented a 1-2-3 inning for the home team.
Looking to close out a 10-run, mercy rule win, Rogers took the ball in the top of the 7th in his second appearance of the season, making short work of the Orioles as he induced a fly ball to center field, a line-out to shortstop before striking out Hodgson to end the game, giving the Tigers a win in the season series and putting a bow on the Club Championship, made even sweeter by the fact the Upwey faithful were celebrating club coach Donavon Hendricks’ (alleged) 25th birthday.
de Jong as mentioned was outstanding, going 6 innings, scattering 5 hits and 1 run (0 earned) and 2 strikeouts to pick up the win, his second of the season. Elliott (3 hits, 1 RBI), Ratcliffe (2 hits, 4 RBI), Morrison (1 hit, 4 RBI) and Senn (1 hit, 3 RBI) were the pick of the Upwey hitters on the day, however, the Tigers received production from their entire hitting order, no doubt giving them added confidence coming into the Finals Series.
The Tigers will now turn their attention to a best-of-3 game series, ironically against the Orioles starting Tuesday night at Robert Booth Reserve in Mulgrave as they look to defend their Division 1/Premier League crown.
