Albion leads in softball

Press, 9 March 1987, Page 26

Albion leads in softball

Albion revived its batting fortunes when it blitzed Suburbs, 18-3, in five innings in the Dalgety Crown women’s premier softball competition on Saturday. It was the only premier match played, as Burnside had already competed in anticipation of being in Whakatane for the national interclub championships — now switched to Wellington on March 18 because of the Bay of Plenty earthquake. Points are: P W L F A Pt Burnside 8 7 1 61 16 14 Papanui 8 5 3 34 44 10 Albion 7 4 3 43 31 8 Suburbs 7 — 7 19 68 0 In the senior competition both Kereru and Monowai continued to dominate, the former just sneaking ahead on the points table by virtue

of a narrow win against Monowai during a mid-week match.

Monowai notched a further two wins, downing Suburbs B, 6-2, with the highlights of the game being a solid pitching performance from Monowai’s Poppy Raukawi and an excellent batting performance of .1000 by Sandy Pervical, Monowai’s catcher.

In its second match, Monowai had a closer encounter, but with the aid of a homer by Ema Richards the side beat Woolston, 8-6.

Kereru also clocked up a further valuable four points by beating United, 7-4, and Albion B, 9-7. Albion 18, Suburbs 3

Albion accumulated more runs than any other side in one match, and the foundation for it came at the top of

the first as the team went through its entire order plus one.

It was not until the seventh batter that Suburbs took its first out of the innings. In a combination of errors and hits, Lynda O’Cain, Penny Salton, Natalie Hazelwood, Trina Whittaker, Wendy Hughes, Karen Pimm and Sharron Constable all crossed the plate. In the top of the second, Hazelwood, Whittaker and Pimm scored their second runs, while Nicky Hudson came in for her first off a huge right-field home run.

Suburbs managed to peg two runs back in the bottom of the frame as a Kathryn Eiffe hit brought in Arini Herewini, with Eiffe coming across the plate on a walk

from loaded bases. Suburbs managed to keep Albion scoreless in the third and bought in what eventually was its final run. Bridgette Smitheram was walked to first advanced to second an<L third on wild pitches, and scored on a fielder’s choice.

A triple by Hughes, followed by a sacrifice by Donna Meuli, gave Albion a further run in its fourth turn at bat but in the fifth the floodgates opened again as the side went through its order once more.

Hazelwood, Whittaker, who thumped a magnificent leftfield home run, and Hughes all scored their third runs of the match, Salton her second while Meuli and Janene Gould scored their firsts.