League win to Marist

Press, 23 February 1987, Page 23

League win to Marist

An element of controversy remained after Hutt Valley Marist’s 1-0 win over United in the Lion Red Series national softball league match at Western Park yesterday. In the eyes of quite a few spectators and certainly the United short-stop, Paul McFarlane, the man who scored the only run of the match in the bottom of the first innings should never have been on base. Marist’s catcher and leadoff batter, Doug Arnett, drove low and hard into the infield where McFarlane got the ball in his glove. Having claimed the catch he made the mistake of getting up and belatedly throwing the ball. The throw went wide and the error allowed Arnett to progress to second base from where he subsequently scored on a good right-field hit by Barry Casley. United had appealed for an out but after a discussion

with his colleague, Eric Hobson, the plate umpire, John Eagar, ruled that the catch had not been taken. After the game, McFarlane was still adamant that he had made a fair catch. "My glove was right under the ball,” he said. In later innings, United, the Christchurch club champion, had the best scoring chance with runners on second and third bases and only one down, in the top of. the fourth. But they could progress no further. While stating that the nocatch decision was “rough,” United’s coach, Leon Fife, said that his team did not deserve to win the game. “There was no batting,” he said. In a match that took an hour to complete only five safe hits were collected. Marist took the honours by three hits to two, Casley, Tony Kaiaruna and Royden Thompson contributing for the Hutt Valley side and Roy

Ah Kuoi aril lan Gibson for United. f Mr Fife siid that the Marist pitcher,] Chris Nicholas, was not especially impressive and was spfaying the ball a fair amount; He was critical of United’s jatters for “trying to outguess lhe pitcher.” While the] United men did get some lat on ball the contact was not solid enough to put much pressure on the Marist infield which looked tight, the toung short-stop, Brian Russql, being impressive. United’s ritcher, Mac Tangaroa, had bis best game of the series 'Jso far on the mound, facing 21 batters, striking out eight and giving up only thfee hits and no walks. The more highly regarded Nicolas had to be content with five “K’s.” It was a wild pitch by Nicholas on a third strike which set ti> United for its one big scor ng chance in the fourth inninjs. Ah Kuoi made

base when the pitch went into the turf, then progressed to third base when Gibson slammed a hit through the infield. Unfortunately for United, the next two batters were unable to advance the runners, Andy Kingi falling to a shallow outfield catch and McFarlane grounding out to second base. Mr Fife must have contemplated bringing in his injured outfielder, Nell Stuart, to pinch hit. The result left United without a win or a run in its three national league games so far and urgently needing competition points before the threat of relegation looms. Automatic home runs by Mike Nichols and Max Elliott were the highlights of Po-neke-Kilbimie’s 3-0 win over United in an otherwise tight ball game on Saturday. The hit count favoured the Wellington side by just five to four, but the hits by Nichols and Elliott were telling blows.