Cougars humiliated in opener

Playing coach Wayne Porter was one of just two Berwick City Cougars to have a hit in the club’s 11-0 loss at the hands of Port Melbourne on Sunday. 23399

By Marc McGowan
A WILD-sixth inning and a woeful batting display conspired to give the Berwick City Cougars a terrible start to the season on Sunday.
Port Melbourne destroyed the Cougars 11-0 – invoking the mercy rule after seven innings – in their Baseball Victoria Division Three fixture at Cyril Molyneux Reserve.
Berwick City’s batters managed just two hits for the match – one to playing coach Wayne Porter and another to youngster Jack Spears – in a disappointing performance.
Port Melbourne scored in the second and third innings to go 2-0 ahead before Cougars outfielder Matt Clements, back after more than a year out of the game, failed to glove flyballs in consecutive innings to stretch the margin further.
Jude Power replaced teenager Martin Kennedy on the mound for Berwick City for the sixth inning and what was expected to be an advantage quickly became a debacle.
Power was at his wayward worst, failing to throw the ball accurately over the plate and walking batter after batter.
Another wild pitch delivered Port Melbourne its fifth run, and a mixture of poor throwing and fielding – and the odd decent hit – took the visitors to a 10-0 lead after six innings.
Porter completed a great sliding catch and throw to produce a double play in the seventh inning, which Aaron Warner pitched, but there were few positives in the clash.
Porter was pleased with Warner’s fielding at third base and Kennedy’s pitching performance, but described the result as “disastrous.”
“I thought we were in a pretty good position (after five innings) because I didn’t think Port Melbourne was hitting that fantastically,” Porter said.
“I was hoping Jude would peg them back and we’d be able to chip away a run or two … but he didn’t have his stuff and we’re not blessed with a deep pitching staff, so instead of throwing someone else in there I just let him fight his way through it.”
The Cougars face Chelsea at Edithvale Road Reserve on Sunday at 3.30pm and Porter has put the onus on his young side to claim victory.
“I’ve only been here a short time, but this is one we have got to win,” he said.