Cougars cop a beating

By Gavin Staindl
IT was not a good day in the park for Berwick baseball as both the women’s division one team and the men’s second division team were thrashed by Springvale.
The men’s team were smashed 18-3 at Cyril Molyneux Reserve after giving up six runs in the first innings while the women’s team shared a similar fate going down 18-3.
Stewart Brunton pitched first for the men’s and gave up six runs without throwing an out before he was substituted by Aaron Warner who managed to negotiate the innings without giving up any more runs.
But between Warner and closer Ricky Collins the pair gave up 12 more runs over six-and-a-half innings.
“Ever since Jude Power left at the end of last season we have had a lack of pitching options,” club president Paul Quinn said.
“Our pitching can’t compete at the moment.
“We are giving up four or five runs before we even get going … and they don’t have to string hits together because we are giving up free bases,” Quinn said.
The 4-16 Berwick team went into the match with an eye on the future and Quinn did not seem fazed by the result considering the amount of youth receiving game time.
“We are very much looking to the future. We had several under-18s playing in the firsts as well as the seconds,” Quinn said.
Nevertheless, Quinn hopes “to chalk up a few more wins” over the remaining four weeks to gather some club momentum heading into the winter season.
MEANWHILE Berwick/ Springvale has been crushed 19-1 at the hands of their cross-town rivals Springvale in the final game of the regular season last Saturday.
Springvale came out early and hit four runs in the fourth innings and continued to hit in runners in each innings but Springvale/Berwick coach Simone Wearne was not fussed.
“It was a dead rubber so I was not too concerned about the result,”
With the Cougars locked into third position and preparing for a home final at Cyril Molyneux Reserve against Malvern next week, Wearne was more interested in resting star players and blooding up-and-comers.
“We threw our seconds pitcher Deb Bryant and they hit her around a bit and we also had Gabby Kovess coming up from the seconds playing in the outfield,” Wearne said.
Wearne, eyeing a potential match-up against Springvale further in the finals, was also playing her cards close to her chest.
“We rested our main pitchers so we didn’t waste them and … we didn’t want them (Springvale) seeing our main pitchers,” Wearne said.
With a home final on the plate next week Wearne is hoping that the team’s confidence can be restored at training.
“Baseball is very much a confidence game and losing 18-3 does not help out our confidence.
“Risa (Nakashima) will be back pitching and I’ll be playing at first base so hopefully that will spark something,” Wearne said.
Wearne has missed most of the season with an injured knee but intends to make her return against Malvern.
Springvale has met Malvern three times this season, winning two of them and losing the other with an under-manned team.
“We lost to them in the season with a second-rate team but won the other two times 5-3 and 5-2 and with Risa pitching this week it will most likely be a low-scoring match,” Wearne said.