Showcase Series

Game #01 v Western Australia

Tuesday 2nd December 2008

GAME REPORTS

The Queensland Rams erupted at the plate, pounding out six extra base hits on their way to easily accounting for Perth Heat in the opening game of the Diamond Anniversary Claxton Shield at Sydney's Blacktown Olympic Park

Five doubles, by four different players, and a solo blast off the bat of catcher Joel Naughton made the difference for the Rams as they trumped the reining champions 8 runs to 2 in the first game of the Claxton's historic 75th birthday celebrations

Rams Manager Peter Yates was more than happy with his teams 2008/2009 debut
"Very, very happy with that effort first up" Yates said
"Our bats just exploded and when you've got guys jumping all over fastballs like the way they did tonight, it gave us plenty of flexibility with our pitching staff"

Naughton, who was only recently added to the Philadelphia Phillies Major League roster, shined in the middle of the Queensland line-up boasting a strong balance of proven veterans and emerging talent
Duel Olympian and former US based pro, Brett Roneberg picked up three hits and drove in a run, while 18-year-old centre fielder Trent Baker had a stand out performance - ending the night with three hits (two doubles) and two RBIs from his four plate appearances

Similarly Perth flashed glimpses of brilliance at the plate with Matt Kennelly (HR) and Nick Kimpton (3-4, HR) leading a Heat lineup tipped by many as early favourites for repeat championships

On the mound, both sides battled for the upper hand, before Perth starter Dylan Peacock was chased from the game in the bottom of the sixth inning as the Rams sluggers began to take charge
For Queensland, right hand pitcher Chris Mowday was effective through seven innings, leaving the game after surrendering just two runs (both solo homers) and his team clinging to a comfortable 6-2 lead

Next up Perth will face South Australia, while the Rams will lock horns with historical rivals the Victoria Aces in what is sure to be an exciting match-up

Not that I’m having a crack at my old mate Ben Foster at Baseball Australia, but I noticed his headline after this game suggested Queensland’s bats had dominated WA in this game
Well, I’m not so sure?

Our correspondent in Sydney gave us his view that the hitting in this game was quite balanced and the scorecard would provide some evidence of this
On sheer numbers, the Rams out-hit the Heat by just 12-10, while Western Australia left 10 on base compared with Queensland’s 8

‘Flintoff & Dunn’ are going to suggest that the reasons for the somewhat lop-sided score were more likely two of the age old baseball mantras … TIMELY hitting and, you guessed it, WALKS!
There is no doubt that the ‘Banana Benders’ made by far the better of their scoring chances and they also made sure that they made Western Australia pay for the walks they issued
For instance, in the eighth inning, the Rams cashed in two leadoff walks with a bunt and two separate ground out RBIs
They even scored a run in the second via a wild pitch on a dropped third strike

On the contrary, of Western Australia's ten knocks for the game, their only two runs came via solo homers and much of their hitting came with two already out in the inning

I’m not going to go as far as suggesting that Western Australia batted equally as well as the Queenslanders in this game, because they didn’t, it’s just that the gap between the offence of the two teams was not as wide as may have been broadcast

With their No.1 gun from 2007 Liam Hendriks coming off an injury interrupted season, former Anaheim Angels’ professional Dylan Peacock was the man given the ball for Western Australia's opening start this year
Peacock had been very good in relief during the past two Claxton Shield competitions, but this would be only his second start at this level
Let’s just say that eight hits and three walks produced a few too many base runners from his 5.1 innings on this occasion and he paid the price with the loss

Former professional infielder Dean White mopped up a bit of a mess in the sixth with a fly ball double-play before handing the ball to closer Chris Goadby
Goadby has been quite effective in his brief Claxton Shield career but he was untidy on this occasion, allowing Queensland to stretch their lead in the seventh and eighth inning

Although their hitters got the headlines, it was the pitching of seasoned starter Chris Mowday and reliever Simon Morriss who clearly outgunned their Western Australia opponents in this game
Former journeyman professional Chris Mowday returned to play Independent League baseball with the Edmonton Crackercats (whatever they are?) in 2008 and his experience surely helped him to minimise the damage of eight hits from 6.1 innings
The most impressive Morriss didn’t remotely look like letting Western Australia back into the game with his conclusive 2.2 inning end-game
The pair issued just one walk between them to highlight their efficiency

Regardless of the circumstances, the cream usually rises to the top when the Claxton Shield competition rolls around
We had been warned that our prolific Hall-of-Famer Brett Roneberg may not be near his peak after battling injury and missing pro baseball this year for the first time in ages
Well, if 3-5 with a double and a RBI is below par, this only goes to remind us what kind of talent he is!

His young team mate Trent Baker, who is signed by the Cleveland Indians, didn’t show a lot during Claxton 2007, but his 3-5 with two doubles and two RBIs may be an indication of an emerging star
Philadelphia Phillies’ star defensive catcher Joel Naughton may be ready to really impose himself on AMLB with his 2-5 that included a home run
Linger, Dutton and Rooke drove in the Rams other runs in what was a solid and balanced team offence

We did say in our preview that Western Australia might struggle to replace the big bats of Balgera and Hughes this year, but perhaps we overlooked the inclusion of former ACT and Anaheim Angels professional Nick Kimpton, who already owns an impressive .317 average over four tours of duty with the Australian Provincials at this level
Kimpton made a magnificent return to the biggest Australian stage with his 3-5 that included a double and a home run
Andrew Kyle shrugged aside his reputation as a “light hitter” with his excellent 3-5 in this game, while Matt Kennelly supplied Western Australia’s other run via his second inning leadoff homer
Young Toronto Blue Jays catcher Chris House gave a glimpse of his talent with a triple in his AMLB debut

It’s early days, but every win will be vital in this competition and Queensland now have one on the board

Perth Heat coach Don Kyle said improvement needs to come from the mound if his side is to overcome its poor start to the Claxton Shield competition

The Queensland Rams pounded out six extra base hits on their way to easily accounting for the Perth Heat, 8-2, in the opening game of the Diamond Anniversary event at Blacktown Olympic Park in Sydney

Five doubles, by four different players and a solo blast off the bat of catcher Joel Naughton, was the difference for the Rams as they trumped the reigning champion

"We need to pitch better and get ahead early" Kyle said of the Heat’s next game against South Australia
The Heat defeated South Australia in a recent series in Perth
"When situations arise, we must execute them well and bat in runs We left too many on base last night"

Rams manager Peter Yates was more than happy with his team's performance
"Our bats just exploded" he said
"And when you've got guys jumping all over fastballs like the way they did tonight, it gave us plenty of flexibility with our pitching staff"

Kyle said that batting was not his side’s problem

But Queensland right hand pitcher Chris Mowday was effective through seven innings, leaving the game after surrendering just two runs (both solo homers) and his team clinging to a comfortable six run lead

"We got ten hits, but the problem with that is, six of those were from two players"

Perth had flashes of brilliance at the plates with a home run by both Matt Kennelly and Nick Kimpton The latter also tallying three hits
The pair led a line-up tipped by many as early favourites for repeat championships