Sixteen-year-old By Marc McGowan
WHAT batting slump?
After struggling at the plate in the first three games of the Baseball Victoria Division Three season, the Berwick City Cougars exploded into action at Hanks Reserve, Spotswood, on Sunday.
In a match-up of the only two winless sides in the competition, the Cougars, behind a stunning 10-run seventh inning, thumped Footscray 17-7.
The teams were locked in a fierce battle for the first six innings, although Berwick City was threatening to break the game open.
A change in pitchers was the catalyst for the Cougars to do just that.
A barrage of runs was hit in and Footscray tried another new pitcher to try to get it out of the inning, but Berwick City was relentless.
Once the third out was finally recorded, Footscray took its turn with the bat, but could not add to its total, thereby invoking the mercy rule for a 10-run lead after seven innings.
Brendan Robinson, who will play his final contest for the club this weekend before moving interstate, started on the mound for the Cougars and combined with Jude Power and Luke Hornstra to quell Footscray’s offence.
Another shake-up in the batting order by Berwick City playing coach Wayne Porter paid off.
Porter was influential again and had plenty of support from Power, who slammed the clash’s sole home run, Hornstra and Jack Spears.
“I think absolutely everybody did something on the weekend,” he said.
“We had the bases loaded five times with two out, but this time somebody got a hit and it opened up from there in the seventh.”
Porter hopes it will kick-start his young squad’s season, starting with St Kilda at Cyril Molyneux Reserve at 3.30pm on Sunday.
“It will give us confidence – put it that way. Their pitching wasn’t fantastic, but it will stand us in good stead,” he said.
“At least we know we can score some runs, so we need to keep it going as we move along. We’ve improved every game.”
