Softball win to Wellington

Press, 10 December 1979, Page 3

Softball win to Wellington

Wellington was desperately close to having its first loss against Canterbury in five years when the teams met in a representative men’s softball doubleheader at Papanui Domain yesterday. The first game should cerainly have gone Canterbury’s way though the second contest, too, was won only by a one-run margin. Wellington won, 6-5 and 1-0. After the first game the home side could hardly believe that victory had been I denied after outbatting Wei- I lington by 10 hits to five, : and actually leading 5-1 * after four innings. Such an apparently comfortable position had hardly ;■ seemed possible after! Canterbury’s poor start in I the field. Infield errors in; the top of the first innings!: allowed Jeff Strom to score;! for Wellintgon and the vis-h itors proceeded to load the bases before Geoff Roberts; got his team out of a tick-*

lish situation with the first! of a string of six strike-outs.! The shakiness of the in-! field however, was abruptly! forgotten when Canterbury! faced the pitching of Michael White for the first' time. In a spectacular begin-! ning the lead-off batter, Paul; McFarlane put a home run over the head of right field and then Alan Hall walloped a homer over left field. That 2-1 lead was extended by another three runs in the fourth, Eric Tomlinson, the designated batter for Roberts, and Leon Fife both hit on safely and -were batted in by a tremendous centre-field double by Ray Marsh. And then McFarlane, in superb touch, came up with his third hit in a row Ito score Marsh. I Normally a four-run lead; ■ would be enough to beat any .side at this level, but Wel-i (lington has great batting; 'depth and its players were! : gradually starting to come; 'to grips with Roberts. i It took the Wellington;

'batters five innings toil I extract a safe hit from Rob-1 erts, but the five they eventually finished with all ! counted. I One run was grabbed back (in the top of the fifth when 'John Joyce, helped round the bases by an overthrow, scored on a fielder’s choice. In the sixth the gap was further reduced to 5-4 with Peter Hartley scoring on a sacrifice hit by his captain, Dennis Cheyne, and Mark Storer belting a home run! over right field. Wellington equalised in; the seven with a run to the; substitute batter, Loren; Algar, who was scored in by! Jeff Strom’s one-base hit.. And immediately afterwards!, Strom put the northern side' {in front by scoring on a ' (deep infield fly. ! Even with the speedy,; Algar now on the mound;, ICanterbury was not finished.; 'Two men got on base in the ; bottom of the seventh but '.Billy Rintoul was given out;.

at home although the catchI er, lan Marshall, appeared to miss the tag. Still, it was a satisfying performance by Canterbury. Roberts impressed by taking nine strikeouts to White’s four and giving up four fewer hits. With his three hits McFarlane had the grand average of .750 and Tony Mountford (.666) and Hall (.500) were little behind. 1 The later game, played on |the South Island’s first skin (diamond, was more deser- : vedly Wellington’s. This time the northerners looked more in control and took the! (batting honours with seven hits to four. Algar pitched the whole' I seven innings for Wellington; and kept the Canterbury bat-! ters rather more quiet, 1 : though McFarlane. Marsh, Rintoul and Gordon Phillips imanaged a safe hit each.. Only four strikeouts were: recorded by the highly rated; Algar.