2019 State League: Week 5 Wrap

The Carine Cats were the only team to record a double-header sweep on Sunday. ​Credit: Carine Cats

Swan Districts v Rockingham Rams – cancelled due to weather
Wanneroo Giants v Perth – cancelled due to weather

Game 1: Braves 3-2 Wanneroo Giants
W: Haracksen (2-0), L: Jay Bullingham (2-1) 
 
Game 2: Braves 1-6 Wanneroo Giants
W: Chris King (3-0), L: Cameron Lamb (0-1)
 
Week 5 of the Baseball WA State League 1 competition kicked off with two juggernauts, Braves and the Wanneroo Giants squaring off.
 
The Giants entered play as the only unbeaten team through five games but were brought back down to earth as they had to settle for a double-header split of Sunday’s fixtures.
 
Mitch Neunborn scored the winning run in the top of the seventh inning as the Braves took game one by a score of 3-2 before Wanneroo hit back to take game two.
 
Chris King led the way for the Giants in game two – striking out three batters across six strong innings to claim the win, while opener Cameron Lamb was tagged with the loss for the Braves.
 
Game 1: Gosnells Hawks 1-5 Morley Eagles
W: Adrian Deal (1-0), L: Josh Silvi (0-2)
 
Game 2: Morley Eagles 4-5 Gosnells Hawks
W: Adam Millson (1-0), L: Matt Dixon (0-1)
 
The defending champions, the Morley Eagles continued their uncharacteristically slow start to the season as they were forced to settle for a split of their double-header with the Gosnells Hawks.
 
After taking game one behind Adrian Deal’s quality start, the Eagles were pegged back as a Robin Adamson-inspired Hawks pulled off a 5-4 win in game two.
 
Tied at 4-4 heading into the ninth inning, Adamson ripped a one out triple as one of his four hits for the game before coming around to score the winning run off Michael Robideau’s sacrifice fly.
 
Adam Millson locked down the win in relief, while Matt Dixon took the loss.
 
Game 1: Wembley Magpies 1-11 Carine Cats
W: Devon Ramirez (1-2), L: Tony Bacci (0-1)
 
Game 2: Wembley Magpies 3-13 Carine Cats
W: Peter Reyes (1-1), L: Tony Bacci (0-2)
 
The Carine Cats moved to .500 on the new season, recording a comprehensive double-header sweep of the Wembley Magpies.
 
Needing a strong performance to kickstart their season, the Cats jumped out of the blocks, scoring five runs in the first inning to set up an 11-1 game one win.
 
The Carine bats stayed hot in game two, racing out to an early 10-0 lead in game two.
 
Corey Bridger had a standout day – driving in four runs as Carine jumped above Wembley on the ladder despite Michael Varga homering.
 
Game 1: Swan Districts 0-4 Victoria Park/Belmont Reds
W: Dylan Brammer (3-0), L: Dillon Clarkson (0-1)
 
Game 2: Swan Districts 11-10 Victoria Park/Belmont Reds
W: Riley Moore (2-1), L: Ryan (0-1) S: Bailey-Jay Cooke (1)
 
In a game of stark contrasts, bottom of the ladder Swan Districts salvaged a double-header sweep of their games with Victoria Park/Belmont Reds.
 
After being shutout in game one behind Dylan Brammer’s complete game gem and a pair of RBIs from Mitch Waterhouse, the Swans bounced back to secure a dramatic win in game two.
 
Four RBIS from catcher Mitch Scofield saw Swans race out to an early 11-2 lead before the Reds rallied to score eight straight runs to make it a very finish.
 
Bailey-Jay Cooke recorded the final five outs to record the save – striking out four batters as the honours were shared.
 
Game 1: South Perth Cubs 0-1 Rockingham Rams
W: Sam Murphy (2-0), L: Tony Olson (1-1)
 
Game 2: South Perth Cubs 4-1 Rockingham Rams
W: Luke Mann (1-0), L: Brock Molloy (0-2)
 
In what was the theme of the round, the South Perth Cubs and Rockingham Rams closed out the weekend with a double-header split of their own.
 
Chase Diggins’ fourth inning run was all that separated the two sides in game one as starting pitchers Tony Olson and Sam Murphy went head-to-head in an epic duel.
 
Despite giving up just one run on two hits and a pair of walks, 10-strikeout man Olson was tagged with the loss after Murphy threw a no-hitter through seven innings, striking out twelve batters!
 
The bats had more luck in game two, with the teams combining for 17 hits as the Cubs levelled the series with a 4-1 win.
 
Max Wheeler and Noah Green led South Perth with a pair of base hits and an RBI each, while Luke Mann worked seven scoreless frames in relief of opener Josh Hendrickson to nab the win.