Won by Queensland - 5 runs to 4

Playing rightfield
Batting #3

Queensland - bottom first innings
Bylett struck out swinging (1-2)
Dutton flied out to cf (0-1)
Roneberg grounded out to 2b (3-2)
0 runs - 0 hits - 0 errors - 0 LOB

Queensland - bottom third innings
Bylett flied out to lf (0-2)
Dutton grounded out to ss (0-0)
Roneberg homered to center field, RBI (0-0)..........
----------Pitcher - David Rosser......
Utting struck out swinging (2-2)
1 run - 1 hit - 0 errors - 0 LOB

Queensland - bottom fifth innings
Baker doubled to left field (0-2)
Bylett struck out looking (0-2)
Dutton flied out to 1b (1-2)
Roneberg walked (3-1)
Utting struck out swinging (0-2)
0 runs - 1 hit - 0 errors - 2 LOB

Queensland - bottom eighth innings
Dutton grounded out to 3b (1-0)
Cooke to p for Williams
Roneberg singled to center field (1-2)..........
Utting singled to center field (0-0)
----------Roneberg advanced to second
Utting advanced to second on a passed ball
----------Roneberg advanced to third
Sutherland intentionally walked (3-1)
Studeman singled to left field, RBI (0-1)
----------Sutherland advanced to second
----------Utting advanced to third
----------Roneberg scored
Nilsson struck out swinging (1-2)
Lamb-Hunt to dh for Dunsdon
Lamb-Hunt grounded out to ss (3-2)
1 run - 3 hits - 0 errors - 3 LOB

Plate appearances - 4
At bats - 3
Hits - 2
----------1 x single
----------1 x home run
Runs batted in - 1
Runs scored - 2
Walk - 1
Infield ground out - 1
Batting Average - 0.667
Slugging Percentage - 1.667
On Base Percentage - 0.750

Plate appearances - 16
At bats - 12
Hits - 5
----------2 x single
----------1 x double
----------2 x home run
Runs batted in - 4
Runs scored - 3
Walks - 4
Strike out - 2
Infield ground out - 2
Infield fly out - 2
Outfield fly out - 1
Runners left in scoring position - 3
Batting Average - 0.417
Slugging Percentage - 1.000
On Base Percentage - 0.563

Yes, it’s January, and we’re getting pretty desperate for baseball
But, it’s summer in Australia, and the Claxton Shield Tournament is going on

This past weekend, in fourth round play, the Eastern Division games were between New South Wales Patriots and Queensland Rams
While pitcher Josh Hill is still listed on the New South Wales roster, he did not appear in a game

Game One - New South Wales 5 v Queensland 4
The Queensland Rams out-hit the NSW Patriots 10-7, and they held a 4-2 lead going into the eighth inning
The Patriots scored 3 runs in the top of the eighth, and the Rams could not answer
RF Brett Roneberg (Pirates) had a hit and a walk and scored a run in the loss
1B David Sutherland (Dodgers) and 2B Jay Nilsson (Cleveland Indians) had 2 hits each

Game Two - Queensland 4 v New South Wales 3
This must have been an odd game to see
New South Wales posted 10 hits, but only 3 runs, while Queensland managed only 3 hits but scored 4 runs
Neither team made an error, and the Rams made three double plays
The Patriots left six runners stranded on base, to only four LOB by the Rams, and Patriots pitchers gave up a total of eight walks
The Rams jumped out to a two run lead on Roneberg’s two-run homer in the bottom of the first inning
Roneberg brought in another run with an RBI double in the sixth inning
Andrew Utting (Orioles 1998) had the only other hit and RBI for the Rams, which brought in the Rams’ last run in the eighth inning

Game Three - Queensland 5 v New South Wales 4
The Patriots got things started with a three-run second inning, and scored one more run in the fourth
Queensland came back with two runs in the bottom of the second inning on three singles and a sacrifice fly
Roneberg added another run on a solo homer in the third inning, and Sutherland homered in the fourth inning to tie the score
The tie stood until the bottom of the eighth inning
With one out, Roneberg singled, and moved to second on Utting’s single
Both runners advanced on a passed ball
Sutherland was intentionally walked, bringing up 3B Matt Studeman, whose RBI single brought Roneberg home with the winning run

Roneberg now leads the Queensland team in hitting, with a .417 average (5 for 12), a double, 2 homers, and 4 RBI

The long anticipated heavyweight bout between fierce Eastern Division rivals the Queensland Rams and New South Wales Patriots certainly didn’t disappoint fans as both teams showcased some spectacular skills in the most closely contested Claxton Shield series yet
All three games were decided by just one run, with the Rams eventually taking the series 2-1 thanks to some clutch hitting performances and solid pitching that managed to stem the Patriots unbeaten run in the 2008 Shield

But the Rams certainly didn’t have everything their own way, especially in Game One where New South Wales designated hitter Trent D’Antonio blasted a 3-run homer in the top of the eighth inning that erased a slender two run lead and giving the visiting Patriots an improbable come from behind 5-4 win that stunned the Queensland crowd
D’Antonio’s shot overshadowed a brilliant starting effort from Queensland pitcher Chris Mowday and made a winner out of Patriots' reliever Tim Cox (3-0) who continues to dominate opposing offences

But one of the big stories for Queensland fans over the weekend was the re-emergence of slugger Brett Roneberg, who bounced back from an injury hampered 2007 World Cup campaign, with a spectacular weekend at the plate for the Rams
Roneberg had two home runs, a double, 4 runs scored and 4 RBIs in the three game set, including a titanic shot to centrefield in Game Two that reports say still hasn’t landed!!
(click here to see photos of the Patriots' centrefielder climbing the fence!!)

For the Patriots it was their young catcher Patrick Maat who led the charge on offence, matching Roneberg with two homers of his own to go along with a 5 for 8 performance and 5 RBIs on the weekend

With neither team scoring more than five runs in any game of the series, it was clear that pitching was tight on both sides of the equation with the likes of Simon Morriss (QLD), Mat Williams (NSW), Vaughn Harris (NSW) and PJ Bevis (QLD) all performing admirably for their respective states

One of the clear standouts for the Rams was Tristan Crawford who made the surprise move from the bullpen to start Game Two of the series
Crawford fired seven innings of one-run ball against New South Wales, scattering just five hits and striking out seven on his way to earning the win and out-duelling young Patriots prospect Jarrod Eacott

The series win puts the Rams just 1-1/2 games behind the Patriots and within striking distance of the division lead this weekend when they take Australia Provincial in Canberra
The Rams have the unenviable task of playing five games in three days against the young Provincial squad in order to make up for the rain interrupted series in Brisbane
But a series win would see Queensland control their own finals destiny, needing just two more victories against the Patriots in Sydney to streak into the playoffs

Meanwhile, New South Wales remain in the driver’s seat in the Eastern Division thanks largely to their victory against the Rams in Game One
The late inning comeback now means they too can book their seat at the finals table with a series win next week in Sydney

Queensland's Drew Naylor has been a pitcher on the rise, both in AMLB and in the US professional leagues with the Philadelphia Phillies where his amazingly good strike out versus walk ratio had everyone taking notice during 2007
His performance in the vital Claxton Shield game for the Rams may have been another highlight, had it not been for one factor - young New South Wales powerhouse slugger Patrick Maat who took him deep for two home runs, costing him all four of the runs he allowed

New York Mets' rookie league catcher Maat had already given us more than a gentle hint of his raw power with a 2007 Claxton Shield leading three long balls for the Australian Provincials and he has been a very good run producer this year for the New South Wales team
Maat was not about to let his professional catching comrade Trent D'Antinio grab all the headlines when he matched his Game One three run homer with one of his own in the second inning of this game, then he added another one for good measure in the fourth inning today
Of course neither was nearly as dramatic as D'Antonio's big game breaker on opening night, but you can only take advantage of opportunities when they present themselves

To get the NSW offence quickly out of the way, it was really a Pat Maat show with his three run bomb over left field in the second, his solo shot to right field in the fourth and his leadoff single in the seventh that accounted for three of the Patriots paltry five hits in a game that was largely dominated by the pitching of the Maroons
Only two of the genuine batting stars for New South, grand-master Brendan Kingman and rising star Mitch Dening, were able to put the ball in play today

New face Simon Morriss not only collected the win in this game, but he really captured the attention of those at the game with a commanding display of effective ground-ball dominated pitching
Morriss allowed only one hit and one walk, while facing just one more than the minimum number of batters over his tremendous four innings of long-middle relief
He is a guy that we will be hoping to see plenty more of now that he has broken his AMLB ice

Seasoned closer P.J Bevis delivered the last rights to the New South Wales team who could not find a way to bridge Queensland's one run lead that they only secured in the eighth after battling a tied 4-4 ballgame from the fourth inning

The Rams simply refused to lie down after Pat Maat had dug them a three-run hole with his first home run in the top of the second
New South Wales may have played a new ace with Maat, but the Rams had a few trumps of their own to counter with when it came their turn to bat

The pure quality of AROOS star Brett Roneberg shone through again with his 2-3 and a walk, that included a home run to centrefield in the third inning and a vital igniting single that enabled him to score the winning run in the eighth
It never surprises when the cream rises to the top!

Former LA Dodgers pro David Sutherland usually seems to bring his best hitting to the Claxton Shield and he wasn't far behind Roneberg today with his 2-3 that included a single, a "big fly" over right field in the fourth and an intentional base on balls in the eighth
Surprise packet Matt Studeman also imposed himself again at this level with his 2-4 that comprised two separate RBI singles, one in the second inning, and then the big game winner in the eighth - keep an eye on him!
One time Melbourne Reds favourite Andy Utting also batted 2-4 in this game, while Danny Dunsdon delivered one of those all-important Queensland RBI's via a sacrifice fly in the second inning

I won't disappoint our temporarily absent Hall-Of-Famer Simon Eissens who insisted that we turn our focus away from his "longevity" (read age!) this year, by finding someone new to pick on
Well Simon, how about NSW 2007 Rookie of the Year David Rosser who will turn 40yo (late) next year - few players have thrown more baseballs than Rosser before making his Australian big league debut!
'Grandpappy' Rosser has been an excellent starter for New South Wales up to this point, but he didn't last too long in this game after allowing three runs over three innings while throwing from his walking-frame (happy now Simon? - and we'll be waiting for you if/when you reappear next season mate!)

Matthew Williams was typically excellent for the Patriots, working through 4.1 innings of long-middle relief with his fuss kept to a minimum by virtue of five nasty strike outs
We can only assume that Williams was bereft of fuel when he was asked to hand the ball to Andrew Cook with the game locked at 4-4 and two outs to nail down in the eighth

Unfortunately, Cook was to be the victim of a Rams' uprising from the heart of their batting order with hits to Roneberg and Utting were compounded by a passed ball that dictated an intentional walk to Sutherland
It is history now that Cook was saddled with another soul-shattering loss on a Matt Studeman RBI (Brett scored the game winning run!)

It completed a very valuable comeback for Queensland, not only in this game, but also in the series after losing on opening night
They have recovered to enjoy the 2-1 series victory that they would have expected at home

Any fair minded baseball person would have to agree that this heavyweight contender's bout lived up to most of its expectations

The Queenslanders, as suggested, would probably be satisfied with their 2-1 series win after dropping the opening fixture, but they might also feel that they could have secured a really demonstrative 3-0 sweep if not for Trent D'Antonio's game-grabbing home run on opening night

The New South Wales team would never be completely satisfied with a losing series but, in the context of their six straight wins over the Australian Provincials, they are in at least as good a position as their chief rivals from the north

The final outcome of that unfinished, rained-out game between Queensland and the Provincials could loom large in the final analysis

With their washout of games so far, the Queensland team have now enjoyed their first full series hit-out and it hasn't taken long for the cream of their batting to rise to the top
As he so often does when the stakes are highest, Brett Roneberg saved some of his best for the Patriots to raise his average to .417 with a gaudy 1.000 slugging percentage and a .563 on base percentage

The Rams other consistent 'big boppas' David Sutherland (.357) and Andrew Utting (.333) are also shining through, while Joel Naughton (.364) is just ahead of them even though he missed on game in this series

Chris Mowday stands like a colossus with his 0.90ERA from two starts, even though he is yet to nail down a win, while little known (to us?) Simon Morriss is unblemished after his 4.0 innings outing in Game Three of this series
Tristan Crawford has also been pretty good so far and he shapes to be a major factor for the Rams as the importance of games increases

Terrific young tyros Mitch Dening (.441) and Tim Auty (.400) cooled down just a wee bit in this series against the tougher pitching, but they still did enough to show what outstanding young batters they are, as did Tim Atherton whose average is still a healthy .357
The big "mover" in this series was Patrick Maat who lifted his average to a lofty .385, while his two home runs in Game Three jumped him to the top of the New South Wales sluggers with .769
Michael Lysaught kept roughly the same level of consistency in this series to drop only .005 points to .313, while he also has seven walks and four stolen bases

Matthew Bennett has been easily the best of the New South Wales starters with his 2-0, 2.76ERA, while relievers Tim Cox (0.69ERA), Vaughan Harris (2.70ERA) and Matt Williams (1.23ERA) continue to star for the Patriots