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Daily Wrap - Over 35 National Championship, Day 1
Published Sun 26 Jun 2022
Bring yourself up to date with everything from the National Championships in our Daily Wrap.
Summary: Over 35 Women
New South Wales and Queensland asserted themselves early on Day 1, with both teams winning convincingly in their opening games. Queensland scored all 10 of their runs in the first three innings against the ACT, while NSW jumped out to a 9-0 lead through two innings before coasting to a 11-4 win over Victoria.
The Big V then bounced back with a win of their own over the ACT, with Lauren Coyle and Jessica Chomley combining for five hits and five runs in the 12-2 victory. However, NSW emerged as the early favourite for the tournament with a 13-3 win over Queensland. Melanie Thomas and Lisa Casaclang performed well for the Blues with the bat, but they were never really troubled after rounding eight runners in the first innings.
New South Wales finished the day undefeated with a resounding 16-0 win over ACT in the afternoon. Mel Thomas was again dangerous with the bat, but 11 different batters scored for the Blues. Queensland also finished the day with a 7-0 win over Victoria, but the final score did not reflect the closeness of the contest. The Big V kept Queensland to just two runs through five innings, and it wasn’t until the Maroons scored a further five runs in the bottom of the 6th that the result looked certain.
Day 1 Results:
For the complete schedule, please click here.
For complete standings, please click here.
For completed game reports, please click here.
Games start at 11:00am AEDT with a 15-minute break between each game
Day 2 What to Watch For: Over 35 Women
Victoria is emerging as the dark horse of the tournament going into Day 2. They might only have one the one win, but their run differential is just -4, and they made Queensland earn every inch of their second win of the day. The ACT meanwhile need to find some offence on Day 2, having scored only two runs from their three games so far.
However, NSW are clearly the dominant team in the competition. They have 40 runs for and only seven against, and finished their game against Queensland in just four innings. Of course, the Maroons can’t be counted out on their home turf, but the batting depth of the Blues makes them a very intimidating opponent.
Summary: Over 35s Men
New South Wales and home state Queensland also started the day with a bang in the Men’s competition, notching big wins over the ACT and NSW Invitational respectively. John Nash led the hitting for the Maroons in their 9-1 win over the ACT, while seven runs by the Blues in the 3rd inning put their game against NSW Invitational beyond doubt, as Jamie Sheehan, Lee Williams, Craig Malcolm, and James Darby shared the spoils at the top of the line-up.
NSW and Queensland followed up with a similarly strong performances in their second outing. Demetrius Doney conceded only two hits and a walk for NSW in their 10-0 win over the ACT, while 11 runs by Queensland in their 1st inning against NSW Invitational set up a 17-2 win. Troy Law arguably the best with the bat for the Maroons, with two hits, two runs, and four RBIs.
The Blues and Maroons played out possibly the game of the day in the afternoon. NSW led 5-4 with an inning to play, but thanks to a David Metekingi home run and William Bailey RBI, the home team rounded three runners in the final frame to set up a 7-5 win.
The ACT then set up their first win for the tournament with nine runs in their first two innings against NSW Invitational. The composite team did themselves no favours with four errors and more than 10 walks, and they fought hard through the middle innings to make the game into a contest, but the headstart proved too much to overcome, with the ACT holding on for a 15-9 win.
Day 1 Results:
For the complete schedule, please click here.
For complete standings, please click here.
For completed game reports, please click here.
Games start at 9:00am AEDT with a 15-minute break between each game
Day 2 What to Watch For: Over 35 Men
It doesn’t come as a total surprise that Queensland and NSW have stamped their authority on the inaugural Over 35 National Championship. Both teams are well stocked with talent, and as shown by their encounter on Day 1, evenly matched. Their game on the main diamond is one of the highlights on Day 2, and will be live streamed to the Softball Australia Facebook page from 11:30am.
The ACT demonstrated in their final game of the day that they have enough offence to challenge opposition pitchers and are the team most likely to emerge as an unlikely challenger, but their credentials will be tested in the opening game of the day when they face NSW. Finally, as a composite team with players coming together from different states, NSW Invitational need time to gel as a unit, and there should be an uptick in their performance on Day 2.
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