Cougars big win

The Cougars pay their respects to the bushfire victims during a minute’s silence before the match. 27202 Picture: Stewart Chambers

By Marc McGowan
CLUB president Paul Quinn sparked a match-winning seven-run sixth inning that gave the Berwick City Cougars an 8-1 victory over ladder-leader Springvale at Cyril Molyneux Reserve on Sunday.
Quinn, in his return to the firsts after a stint in the reserves, walked in the Cougars’ first run before knocking in Berwick City’s sixth and seventh runs in the same frame.
The result was the Cougars’ second straight success over the Lions.
Berwick City pitcher Jude Power continued his brilliant season with another complete game.
The Cougars fell 1-0 behind in the third inning when Victorian Institute of Sport scholarship-holder Adam Silva fumbled a ground ball that allowed Mark Anderton to reach home plate.
That was the scoreline until the bottom of the sixth frame when Springvale’s series of errors – and Quinn’s resurgent bat – turned the match on its head.
Quinn cleared the infield to reach first before the first of Glen Richards’ two blunders for the inning and then pitcher Myles Barnden conceded a walk to load the bases.
Richards failed to field Jack Speirs’ ground ball cleanly on the next play as Quinn waltzed in the equaliser.
Barnden next hit McLardy with a stray pitch to score Shaun Surtees before Tim Hanson committed consecutive fielding errors to gift Berwick City a 4-1 lead.
Cougars playing coach Wayne Porter knocked in McLardy with a sacrifice fly for Berwick City’s fifth run and Quinn capped the frame with a pair of RBIs.
The game was as good as over.
Power’s confidence grew the longer he stayed on the mound and he steamed through a strangely ineffective Lions line-up. The margin remained the same until Quinn blasted a powerful stroke through the infield to score Porter and extend the difference to 8-1 in the eighth inning.
The contest looked set to peter out until some drama in the final frame when Power struck Richards on his left throwing elbow – drawing an angry response from the former minor leaguer.
But Richards’ outburst could not energise Springvale as Speirs orchestrated a double play – the Cougars’ fourth of the day – to end the clash.
Porter was delighted after his team’s 12th win overall and fifth in six fixtures.
He conceded his team did get lucky in the sixth inning, but said his players made the most of the situation.
“You just hit them and run hard. This ground is pretty unforgiving – the baseball gods were smiling on us, what can you say?” Porter said. “It was just one of those things that happen. It was the same last week for us – it’s funny how seven days go.”
Porter was disappointed his young side did not face star hurler Richards, who represented Australia this week.
“We were all pretty keen. He’s the best pitcher going around and we wanted to see how we were placed,” he said.
Berwick City faces St Kilda and Port Melbourne at Cyril Molyneux Reserve and Murphy Reserve on Saturday and Sunday respectively.