Upset ends Burnside’s run of victories

Press, 16 December 1985, Page 26

Upset ends Burnside’s run of victories

Countdown Burnside’s run of 14 straight victories in the senior men’s softball competition ended after a 3-1 loss to A.B.L. Suburbs at Burnside High School yesterday. The upset loss has left Burnside and Tait Electronics United on equal points with only three games left each. They will meet each other twice at the week-end.

All the damage was done to Burnside yesterday when Suburbs batted in the top of the second innings. For Suburbs, Brett Seaward picked up a safe hit to centre field and after Burnside took the second out a little later it elected to intentionally walk the danger man, Bryan Mountford. The idea was that the next batter, Kerry Chuck, would be an easier victim. But the move backfired. Chuck swung lustily to the left field fence for a two-base hit and both Seaward and Mountford sprinted home. Shortly afterwards Chuck came home himself after an infield error and then a fielder’s choice to make the score 3-0. From then on Burnside’s pitcher, Roger Keith, held out the Suburbs batters and they were three-up, three-down through the third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings. In the end he chalked up 12 strike-outs while giving up only three hits.

Three runs, however, were too much for Burnside to make up and the Suburbs pitcher, Mike Ash, restricted its batters to three hits and three walks. Burnside managed what was

a consolation run when its player-coach, Graeme Anderson, dispatched a pitch to the fence for a three-base hit and was batted in by Keith. In the first game of the double-header at Burnside the home side disposed of Imperial Merivale, 5-0, with the captain, Ray Marsh, slamming two automatic home runs, one a ballooning hit, the other much flatter.

Burnside outbatted Merivale by 10 hits to four. Anderson batted .750 with a triple and two one-base hits and John Kottier slammed an automatic two-bagger. At Papanui Donato United had an easy 6-0 shutout win over Clarity Press Papanui. All United’s 12 hits came in the first four innings, including doubles by Paul Shannon, Andy Kingi and lan Gibson. Gibson batted .750.

Papanui collected three hits, including a surprise effort by the pitcher, Buzz Terrey, a two-bagger which hit the bottom ofthe fence on the full.

In Saturday’s games Burnside had a 3-0 win over Papanui in an uneventful game on the skin diamond at Papanui Domain. Papanui fielded well, with particularly good efforts by Tony Bishop in the outfield and Hamish Clark at short-stop, restricting Burnside to the three runs. Ray Marsh batted in two of the runs, scored by Terry Butson and Jamie Flynn in the bottom of the

third innings, and Roger Keith came home on a passed ball for the final run in the sixth. The Papanui batters picked up four hits from the pitching of Burnside's Roger Keith who took seven strike-outs. The best of Burnside’s six hits was the automatic two-bagger cracked by the left-handed Flynn over the head of right field and first bounce over the outfield fence. Flynn who hit safely twice and made base the third time when a pitch removed his helmet finished with the perfect 1000 batting average. Papanui had achieved a miraculous 6-5 win over Richmond in the first game of its double-header, at one stage trailing 0-4. To win Papanui socred three runs in the bottom of the seventh innings in a two-down batting rally. The pitcher, Buzz Terrey, Brett Williams and Tony Bishop were the run scorers. Two Papanui batters collected home runs, the catcher, Rennie Tai, whacking one pitch out of the park and Williams scoring an in-the-park home run after the outfielder made an unsuccessful dive for the ball.

Late in the game one of the Richmond players, Dave Dickson, was sent from the diamond by the base umpire, Mr lan Gernhoefer, after an incident at the home plate. After being tagged at home, Dickson, in a petulant outburst, kicked away the catcher’s mask. At Western Park, United was a little fortunate to hold off Merivale, 5-4, after another fine display

by that under-rated side. Merivale came from 0-3 behind to tie up the game at 4-4 in the bottom of the fourth innings at which stage United’s coach, Leqn Fife, came on to relieve the starting pitcher, Charlie Schooner, who was starting to get a bit wayward. The Merivale pitcher-coach. Dave Bradbury, and United’s Andy King, had both slammed out-of-the-park home runs earlier in the game. With the scores locked at 4-4 Merivale created numerous scoring opportunities, but to its regret had nine runners left to languish on the bases in the final four innings. Fife, though feeling the effects of the sapping heat, rose to the occasion with pressure strike-outs. United finally went ahead in the top of the seventh innings, Greg Bayly hitting on and then getting home through a good hit by Tony Mountford which was fumbled in the outfield. After Bradbury’s hitting power was revealed the United pitchers were a little cautious and he received the luxury of a walk to first base on the other three occasions he visited the batter’s box. United narrowly outbatted Merivale by eight hits to six. In the late game at Western Park the fresh Suburbs side shaded Merivale, 3-1, with Bradbury having to pitch his second game on the trot The highlight was an automatic home run by Brett Seaward in the fourth innings. Mike Ash, the Suburbs pitcher, grabbed nine strike-outs.

POINTS TABLE P W L F A Pt Burnside 17 15 2 65 18 30 United 17 15 2 87 20 30 Suburbs 17 9 8 54 31 18 Merivale 17 6 11 30 59 12 Papanul 17 4 13 35 75 8 Richmond 17 2 15 22 90 4