Finals 3rd September

Division 2 First Semi Final

Westgarth 13 Def LTUBC 12.

We went to Merri Park determined to put up a good showing in the First Semi Final. We hadn't scored a run against Westgarth all season but we had had our share of bad luck in both encounters. While we couldn't use bad luck as an excuse, and we were pronounced underdogs, we knew that if we played our best we were a chance. Tristan pitched the first 4 innings and did a great job in keeping their bats quiet and when he came out the game was tied at 2. Jack then Mat came in and even though Westgarth scored 10 runs in the 5th & 6th they both pitched reasonably well but it didn't help that the strike zone suddenly became impossibly tight. Alex came in to pitch and immediately put the brakes on the scoring. We came in to the 8th innings down 13 to 6 and with 2 outs and nobody on base, things looked grim, but to our great credit we showed a lot of character and scrambled together 6 runs then retired Westgarth in order to go into the 9th innings 1 run down. Unfortunately that was the end of the rally but we had a red hot go & certainly gave our supporters hope and Westgarth a fright. Hurynie was terrrific again he led from the front on base, caught well and made every at bat count.  Hitters were Tristan 2 (double), Hurynie 2 (2 rbi), Dean 2 (2 rbi), Jimmy F 1, Alex 1, Jack 1 (2 rbi), Mat 1 (double, 2 rbi).

Thanks to all the players who have played in the Firsts during the year and to all the supporters who urged us on during the Final.

Special thanks to Norm for all his help at training and on game day and to Gaele for scoring all year.
 

Round 18, 27th August

First Nine

LTUBC 2 Def By Monash Uni 3.

A disappointing way to end the regular season. Before a large night time crowd at our home ground we could only manage 2 runs against a team several spots below us on the ladder. We needed to make some adjustments in the batters box against a slow pitcher but unfortunately we weren't up to it on the night. Jack pitched well in a good outing before the finals, only allowing 3 runs in 6 innings and only giving up 6 hits while striking our 10. He followed up his pitching efforts with a magnificent stint on the Quad Bike. Mat finished off with a quick innings. Jordie caught for the first time at this level, he put in a solid effort and also picked up one of our 5 hits for the night. We have our first play off game against Westgarth next Saturday at 1.30pm and we will need to lift our intensity to overcome them, we will be underdogs so we will go there with a "Nothing To Lose" attitude and take it right up to them. Hitters were Alex 1 (double), Jordan 1, Jack 1, Mat 1 (rbi) & Jimmy S 1 (rbi).
 

Second Nine

LUBC 7 defeated Monash University 7
The seconds finished the season with a third consecutive win, but unfortunately fell just short of making the finals. We did all we had to do in the final month of the season, but results from other games didn’t go our way.
Due to the fact we started our final round game after all other B Reserve games had finished, we knew that we needed to register at least a 25 run victory to get through. A very tall order against a strong opposition, and we realised after an hour it was very unlikely we’d make it.
It was pleasing to even be in the hunt after our abysmal start to the season and it turns out that the unfortunate washout in Round 15, while other teams registered wins, was the final nail.
Hits & RBIs: Jason Cleeve 3 (1 dbl 4RBI); Joshua Flannery-Kyle 1 (1 dbl 2RBI); Jordan Hill 1 (2RBI); Christian Kallis 1; Marcin Neopostyn 1; Michael Perkins 1; Rowan Campbell 1.
By far the highlight of the season happened after our final game had been completed when Zac went back to back games and made his long awaited debut as a Bat Boy in the seniors. He was clearly nervous during the early game as he could be seen od’ing on Tiny Teddies and was floating around for half the game on a sugar high. Obviously his mind was on bigger things, because at one stage, late in the game I needed to pick up an errant helmet, as well as re-rack a 33” Louisville Slugger. Unprecedented!
Cometh the hour, cometh the Bat Boy and Zac didn’t disappoint his legion of fans. Proud dad Christian could be seen sitting with a puffed out chest for the entire game and we, his former team mates, turned to anyone in the crowd who would listen, with a tear in our eye, and proudly told them “that little guy out there used to pick up after us but now he’s living the dream”. Well done Zac!!
Connor had other commitments.
See you all at Merri Park on Saturday to cheer on the ones.
Peter Wilson
2nd IX Manager
 

Third Nine

Fourth Nine

Rd 18 vs. Mitchell Majors 22 – 7 loss

Could we stick it up ‘em for Vicki....? No we couldn’t. Sorry Vick...

and being late when you just live around the corner, feeding Anna & Michelle with pancakes
is no excuse especially when you don’t bring any left overs for the rest of us!!

A few too many errors and not enough hitting got us in the end..again!!

Hits to

Peter Gross - a single and 2 double’s – well done again Pete

Steph Gross - a good hit to left field which brought home 2 runs

Lou - a hit to centre

Shane - a hit to right field

Nev – a hit to centre

Thanks to Bo Le, Peter Gross & the mighty Brett Bennell for throwing the arm over...
Hope the arm is OK Peter and I hope yours is too Brett!! ( “ I haven’t thrown since I was 14”)

On signing off for the year , I would like to thank all players for hanging in there and having a go...
It is hard when our team has to lose players that need to help out in the higher grades.

I guess you can say our year was is 3 parts..we lost a few, we then won a few and then we lost a few
So over all I think we had pretty good year – 5 out of 10 I reckon, definitely not a fail but a good hard earned pass.

Room for improvement – next year we must get that Zac, can’t believe he never did his apprenticeship with us.
Zac, I can offer all the snakes and hot dogs you want...

See all you 4th dudes at Merri Park 1.30pm on Sat to cheer on the mighty La Trobe 1st’s
and see you all on Presentation Night – Go Trobers!!

Nev

Round 17, 20th August

First Nine

Diamond Creek 2 Drew With LTUBC 2.

We travelled to Diamond Creek needing a win to confirm our place in the Play Offs. We only managed a draw but as it has turned out, a draw was good enough to cement 4th place. We probably should have won as a very contentious umpiring decision in the first innings cost us a run and in the end the win. Our pitching was good with Tristan starting & Alex relieving, both pitched around three and a half innings and gave up a total of 2 runs for the day. We made a couple of mental errors in the field that we must look at and put behind us as they were very costly. We will work on these areas throughout the coming finals campaign and hopefully enhance our knowledge & understanding of the game. A couple of highlights were Jimmy F with a magnificent fly ball in the 4th innings, the next two batters hit safely so it turned out to be very important. Jimmy S played well, but his time at bat and on the bases in the 4th innings was excellent and the run he scored was very important. Hitters were: Jimmy F 1, Tristan 1 (rbi), Alex 1 (rbi), Josh 1, Jimmy S 1.

Second Nine

Today we travelled out to diamond creek for a must win game without the most important member of our team. I'm not talking about Peter Wilson either. Today we were without arguable the best batboy in the state, Zac Kallis. Once our hitters adjusted to picking up their own bats we were able to win 11-3

It was very pleasing that we scored in every inning with every player making a contribution. Jason Cleeve, Marcin and Christian smashed the ball every time they went to the plate.

On the defensive side, Mike Slape was fantastic on the hill throwing 5 innings for 2 runs before being relieved by Josh who made the hitters nervous throwing gas

Hits today

Michael Perkins 3 (1dbl 1RBI) Marcin 2 (1dbl 1 RBI) Daniel Bennett 1(1RBI) Jason Cleeve 2 (2 RBI) Rowan 1 (1 RBI) Dave Turner 2 (1RBI) Christian Kallis 1 (1RBI) Rhys McCallum 1

Daniel Bennett
 

Third Nine

Fourth Nine

Rd 17 Vs Wheelers Hill 23 – 3 loss

I knew we were in strife when one of their players was called ‘Psycho’!
and only starting with 7 players didn’t help our chances a great deal either – a big special thanks goes to Sue Brown for filling in for the team at short notice – when she dropped Don off to play.
Not sure what happen here, I’m sure we had 13 on Thursday night....!!
Hits to Peter, Keith & Don and special mention hits to Anna for a huge big smash to right field and the mighty Sue Brown, after a 3 year absence, getting a huge hit to left field.
A special thanks to Peter Gross for pitching another 4 innings with a fairly well over used arm..hang in there Pete, only one week to go...
Well done Bo for coming in to throw the final 2 innings and taking a great catch that was hit back at him to finish the game.
Thanks to all who came to play and a very special thanks to David for coming down and umpiring our game.
Mitchell Majors @ Broadford next week – Our last chance to do it for Vicki!!
And Psycho wasn’t so bad after all!!

Nev
 

Round 16, 13th August

First Nine

 LTUBC 12 def Mitchell Majors 3

We won the first of the 3 games we need to win to participate in the play offs. Mat started off a bit shakily by getting the ball up in the zone and the Mitchell hitters jumped in for 4 hits and scored 3 runs in the top of the first to put us under immediate pressure. To our credit we immediately bounced back with 4 runs and after that Mat buckled down and pitched much better to hold them scoreless for the rest of the game. We played reasonably well but left plenty of room for improvement, we still did not hit the ball as well as we need to, in fact we only outhit them 8 to 6. Tristan got 2 hits and he and Dean both got important run scoring hits at vital stages of the game. Hurynie caught well again and we welcomed young Jordan Hill for his first game in the firsts, he aquitted himself well with 2 walks and a hit and a solid game in the field at 3rd base then short stop, well done Jordie. Hitters were Tristan 2 (double, 4 rbi), Jimmy F 1 (rbi), Alex 1 (2 rbi), Hurynie 1, Dean 1 (2rbi), Jordan 1 and Jimmy S 1 (rbi).

Second Nine

 LUBC 11 defeated Mitchell Majors 4
Another very solid performance by the second nine. We scored in each of our four innings, while holding our opponents scoreless until the top of the fourth.
Michael threw three innings and Joshua threw two. Between them they gave up only three hits while striking out nine of the 26 batters faced.
Joshua also crunched the ball registering a single, a double and two RBI. The brothers in law were solid with Christian registering a hit and two RBI and Dave a hit and one RBI.
Tom was very impressive in his umpiring debut, making several good calls while keeping a cool head.
It was pleasing that we got runners on early in each innings so that we could try things like bunting, steeling and hitting and running. These parts of the game will be vital should we keep winning and make the finals.
We still need to improve in the little things like supporting our hitters and staying involved in the game, particularly when we are batting.

Hits & RBIs: Joshua Flannery-Kyle 2 (1 dbl 2RBI); Christian Kallis 1 (2RBI); David Turner 1 (1RBI); Marcin Neopostyn 1; Rhys McCallum 1; Michael Slape (1RBI).
Connor has taken things to the next level and is now using coloured pencils while Zac gave us a glimpse into his experience, expertise and professionalism by asking us if there was one or two out before he scampered up to the canteen for yet another hot dog. He obviously inspired DB who, when he was told there was only one out, was hot on Zac’s heels!
Next week, Diamond Creek, away.
Peter Wilson
2nd IX Manager

Third Nine

 LTUBC 3 loss Ringwood 6

We played our best game of the season, by far. 17 hits to their 12 not sure how we lost. At least 9 catches were either at full stretch or full stride, a truly spectacular display of baseball defence.
Colin (Bear) Richardson pulled an absolute rabbit out, despite lulling the crowds initially. He pitched 8 innings for 6 runs and 1 k against the topside in our division.
If you ever want to be inspired by the game, have a chat with Bear. You’ll be happy to know he can still hit as well as he pitches, earning walk and two hits for the day.
It was a great game to play, we have certainly pulled our fingers out.
A fantastic effort.
Thanks to Daniel Huryn for umpiring and helping set up the ground. What a good egg.
Oh, just in case he hadn’t told you. Jason hit a few homeruns or something recently, ask him about it.
Hits: Marc (1single) Jeremy (4singles) Andy ( 3singles) Jason (3singles) Eamon (1single 1double) Michael (1single) Dave (1 single) Colin (2singles).

Marc Heenan
3rd IX Manager
 

Fourth Nine

 RD 16 13/8/11 VS BUNDOORA 20 – 4 LOSS
A disappointing result considering our come from behind to grab an honourable draw the last time we met. Way too many errors in this game allowed them way too many unearned bases allowing them too many easy runs.
Hits
Peter Gross, Nev, Brett & Keith with a hit each
Don, Brett & Peter Gillson with a walk each
And Steph E with an almighty hard HPB on the bum!!! Did you get a good bruise Steph!!!
In the field, we could only managed 2 outs & 1 fly but topped it off with 6 big errors.

The etiquette of baseball rears its ugly head at Bundoora....20 runs up and still stealing, what can you say...

Our pitching as strong as ever...
Peter Gross throwing 2 innings with 4 K’s and Don Brown having his first pitch throwing 2 inning with 2 K’s – excellent work Don.
With 2 games to go, let’s go out with 2 wins....next game at home against Wheelers Hill then Mitchell Majors at Broadford.
Sitting 5th on the ladder we need to win the next two games to make the finals...

Nev

Round 15, 6th August

First Nine

 North Coburg 5 Def LTUBC 1

Unfortunately this game was a carbon copy of our first meeting during the season except North Coburg played a little better this time. Jimmy F led off with a hit, Hurynie bunted him to second then Alex hit deep to left field to score him and that was about it for baserunners - let alone scoring. Credit to the opposition pitching, but, as was the case earlier in the season we weren't as smart as we could have been in the batting box. Jack started for us and while he pitched reasonably well, we didn't help him in the field by making a few basic errors which allowed them to score runs that they shouldn't have, which in turn put us under increasing scoreboard pressure and we didn't cope. Mat relieved and except for a patch where he gave up three hits in a row did a good job again. We need to focus on our game, enjoy our baseball and if we win the last 3 games we will play in finals. Hitters were Jimmy F 1, Alex 1 (double, rbi) and Tristan 1.

Second Nine

 Vs North Coburg was washed out after 40 minutes with us leading 1-0.

Third Nine

Fourth Nine

 Rd 15 6/8/11 Vs Mitchell Majors 23 – 10 loss

After a pretty good start then a pretty crook middle and then a pretty solid finish - we didn’t too bad, sort of, if you know what I mean.
Both Pete’s with 2 hits, Justin & Nev with a double each, Steph E with 3 walks and Don with 2 walks. We just didn’t get enough hits to beat the mighty Mitchell Majors today.
In the field we had Justin with 5 K’s but not good was the 23 hits, 5 errors and 5 wild throws – definitely an area we all know we can improve on.
Now comes the coach’s first serious bit for the year –we all know that the Umpires decision is always right even if it’s wrong and he won’t change his call!! So please try and keep it together out there – we all know that baseball can be a passionate game at times but unless we smash the ball, make no errors and catch all the fly balls then there is not point carrying on about it – changes nothing.
To put in bluntly, our downfall was only the 17 runs they hit in the final innings - pretty hard to come back from that. We did give it a good try though, hitting 8 runs in our last innings was damn good effort.
Sorry Vicki, looks like we’ll have to do them on the last game, in front of their home crowd!!
Thanks to those who only got half a game again, and special thanks to Lou who came to play but due to an administration error had to sit and watch. Let’s hope the vibe is still in his bones for next week’s game – which is against Bundoora at Bundoora – Stay cool.

Regards
Nev
 

Round 14, 30th July

First Nine

 LTUBC 1 Def By Knox 8

Knox were just too good on the day, we let them get off to a good start by serving them up 5 free passes in the first innings and that was all they needed to score 4 runs to get the ball rolling. They scored another run in the second followed by 3 in the third and that was virtually the end of the game. Mat started and probably had his worst outing for the year failing to get out of the first innings. He has been very good this season so he is way ahead on the ledger. Tristan relieved and kept it a bit tighter then Jack pitched the last 4 innings for one run, this was a terrific effort as Jack has pitched sparingly throughout the season. We looked like getting whitewashed until Hurynie hit a long double and some good baserunning from Jimmy S saw him score from first base. Dean hit the ball hard in all his times at bat, but that was about all of the highlights we had for the day. We must regroup now and win our remaining games to ensure we make the play offs. Hitters were Hurynie 1 (double, rbi), Alex 1, Dean 1 and Jack 1.

Second NIne

LUBC 3 defeated by Knox 4

After being beaten comprehensively by our top of the table opponents 23/1 earlier in the season, we went into this game hoping to be competitive and keen to see how far we’d come in nine weeks. After two hours of keen competitive baseball, we left disappointed we didn’t draw, or even snatch a late victory.
Our defense was tight all day as we backed our pitchers, Michael, Tyler and Joshua. We swung around our infield, and didn’t register a single error. Jordan was terrific behind the mask, and our outfield tracked down just about everything that came their way.
Unfortunately our offense wasn’t as potent, as we registered only 3 hits over six innings. Special mention to Rowan who went 2/3 and Tyler Bowman who smashed the ball all day.
Hits & RBIs: Rowan Campbell 2; Joshua Flannery-Kyle 1 dbl (1RBI); Tyler Bowman (1RBI).
We welcomed Connor back with open arms while Zac put in another solid performance.
Next week, Nth Coburg, away.
Peter Wilson
2nd IX Manager
 

Third Nine

 LTUBC 7 lost Bundoora 9

A mild jaunt down the road and you'll find yourself at Bundoora.

Tony on the hill tossing gas and laying down a groove. He finished the game, going the distance once again.

Shane B had a great day on base stealing three including a sneaky 1 at home.

Craig .F had a good day with the bat, he's been holding up the bottom end of the order for the last few weeks with a touch of class.

Unfortunately we lost 9-7.

We have four weeks to prove we know how to play more than half a game. Make sure you get your cuts in at training.

Hits:( Marc 1 single), (Craig 1 single 1, double), Tony (1 single).

Thanks KH for scoring.

Marc Heenan
3rd IX Manager

Fourth Nine

Round 14 Vs North Balwyn Latrobe 27-14 (I counted 28 in the score book)

very strange game indeed this one!!!!
After defeating Nth Balwyn at our last meeting, I thought we should come away
from this game hopefully with a good win – and we did sort of...
Our batting - The day finished with most getting 6 at bats
Peter Gross 3 hits including a grand slam & 2 walks
Jason 3 hits & 1 walk
Justin 2 hits including an infield home run & 2 walks
Peter Gillson 2 hits & 2 walks
Nev 2 hits & 1 walk
Michelle 1 hit & 1 walk
Christina, Steph Ecker & Anna 1 hit
Vicki 4 walks
Reece 2 walks
With their pitching staff not that great, we got on top of them quickly & easily
With Justin throwing 7 K’s and Peter throwing 2 K’s to finish the game off
It was another one of those games where to get that 3rd out took us 15 min over game time and allowing Nth Balwyn to bring in 9 runs.
Some missed infield outs and a sloppy catchers throw to 1st gave Nth Balwyn a couple of unearned runs.
Why did we win? Because we all hit the ball...another great effort La Trobe.

Next week – Mitchell Majors @ home, Let’s do it for Vicki this time!!
 

Round 13, 23rd July

First NIne

LTUBC 6 Def Bundoora 4.

Another hard day at the office, Bundoora turned up to play and made it very tough for us but we managed to prevail and take home our first 2 points for two weeks. Jimmy S started on the mound and did a good job through 5 innings, we were a bit shaky at the start and Bundoora applied the pressure, a great throw by Hurynie from centrefield cut down a runner at the plate to end the second innings when it looked like we were in a bit of trouble. We bounced back in the third innings to take the lead again and we were never headed after that. Jack came in and threw a perfect 2 innings to close out the game. A pleasing aspect of the game was some good aggressive baserunning that helped set up a lot of our scoring opportunities. We need to be really on our game next match as we take on league leaders Knox, we gave a good account of ourselves in our first clash but undid our good work by allowing one blow out innings, we need to put that out of our system and play good tight baseball for the whole 2 hours. Hitters were: Alex 2, Hurynie 1 (double, 2 rbi), Tristan 1 (1 rbi), Henry 1, Mat 1 (double 1 rbi), and Josh 1 (2 rbi).
 

Second NIne

LUBC 4 defeated Bundoora 0

A highlight of our game was the solid performance of our infield, Marcin, Jordan and Tom. They did a great job in backing up Michael Slape, who threw a fantastic game of 6 innings, 3 H, 3 SO, 3 BB and 0 Runs. Between them they made several plays, while keeping the errors to a minimum.

Special mentions to Christian for his 9-3, Rowan for his clutch hit 2 RBI single late in the game and to Adrian for his pop up, sac fly RBI!

Zac has reached the stage that, like a seasoned umpire, we hardly even notice he’s there. It seems like bats collect themselves, helmets line themselves up and throw balls find their own way to the dugout between innings. Connor was otherwise occupied. Thanks to Mrs Slape for scoring in his absence.

Hits & RBIs: Dave Turner 2; Rowan Campbell 1 (2RBI); Marcin Neopostyn 1dbl (1RBI); Michael Perkins 1; Michael Slape 1; Christian Kallis 1; Adrian Kirkland (1RBI); Zac (2 handfulls of seeds, 1 hot dog, 1 mars bar, 6 mentos & 1 bottle cordial).
Next week, Knox at Home.

Peter Wilson
2nd IX Manager
 

Third Nine

 LTUBC 7-Northcote 8
We had the home Tomb advantage, the ground had been freshly aerated by the Heart and all in all a lovely day to play some ball.
The Big Grizzly Bear took the hill for the Eagles and did a sterling job. Unfortunately we couldn’t back him up in the early stages and let in 5 runs.
We finally got our heads right and stopped chasing rubbish in the box, we answered late in the 3rd with some great base running and excellent clutching hitting.
We scored all our runs in one fowl swoop, but we fell short.
On a lighter note, the Big JF finished the last 2 digs off in an explosive fashion, 4 K2’s and a catch almost single handedly stopping the Lions in their tracks.
We definitely have some talent in the ranks and we will do our best to give them every opportunity to shine in the coming games.

Hits: Marc H. 1 double, Josh F. 1 single and Craig F. 1 single.
Thanks Michelle for scoring and Dean for umpiring.
Marc Heenan
3rd IX Manager.

Fourth NIne

 Match Report 23/7/11 Rd 13 Vs Knox 19 – 17 win

A good gutsy win with La Trobe just hanging on to take the points!!!!
We lost the toss and were sent in to field….bad mistake!!

1st Innings
An excellent start to the game with Justin Miles starting off where he finish last week
by throwing 2 innings with 3K’s and keeping Knox scoreless – Great job.
Peter Gross & Michelle taking consecutive fly’s and Justin striking out the third.
An excellent start.

First batter up for La Trobe – Peter Gross, 1st pitch – strike, 2nd pitch – HOME RUN
This just gave us the slight edge we needed…A few errors and a few walks later,
Up comes big, bad Jason Claus, down in the 4th’s (some say up in the 4th’s) to give us a chop out.
First pitch – BANG – 3 run HOMER.

Score: La Trobe 6 Knox 0

2nd Innings
Justin closes out the top of the innings with a first and third strike out – huge effort.
(and I think Brett took a fly for the 2nd out – I can’t read the score book)

The Knox picture not travelling too well then threw 2 hits, an error and 6 walks
giving us 5 unearned runs (we’ll take em any way we can get em!!)

Score: La Trobe 11 Knox 0

Hard decision but it had to be done, the coach make his changes and puts the 5 on the bench
into the game, this could either make him or break him…


With Justin finished for the day both Shane & Jason had a pitch to close out the game.
Unfortunately we struggled a bit to close out the game.

3rd Innings
Top of the 3rd, Knox manage 4 hits & 6 walks bringing the score back to 11 - 8

Bottom of the 3rd, La Trobe grind out 5 hits and 7 walks and our score was back out to 19 - 8

4th Innings
Top of the 4th, 7 hits & 3 walks gave Knox another 9 runs - score back to 19 - 17
It was a struggle but we finally got that third out….and TIME and GAME!!

PHEW!! We just scraped in………..

The Game Stats

Hits J Claus 3 hits including 2 home runs
P Gross 3 hits including 1 home run
B Bennell 2 hits
S Gross 1 hit
R McCallum 1 hit
Bo 1 hit

(Special mention goes to Nev for 1 hit by error & 3 walks
That’s sort of like getting 3 & the sup in Tattslotto - not worth anything!)

A couple of very important plays during the game

• Michelle for taking a fly ball at 2nd base
• Jason for closing out the 3rd innings on the mound
• Shane on 3rd throwing a batter out on 1st


Some apologies

Nev says sorry for being a dud catcher - if only I had an arm!!!
(Knox runners managed to steal 21 bases with Nev only putting one out at 3rd.)


Excellent work again from La Trobe with all contributing to this great win.

I have also been advised that we are now in 4th position on the ladder
With just 5 games to go….next week North Balwyn @ North Balwyn.

Here we come!!!!!!

Nev
La Trobe 4ths

Round 12, 16th July

First Nine

Second Nine

Today was the return game versus Waverley. In round 3 after giving them an 8 run head start and ended up going down by a run. This week proved to be another close one, but this week we got over the line 4-3.

We started well with Liam Brooke leading off the game with a great at bat drawing a walk and advanced to 2nd then 3rd on wild pitches and Marcin drew a walk. Marcin then stole 2nd and Jason Cleeve drove in Liam for our first run. We ended the first scoring 2.
Things were pretty quiet on offense for the next few innings with us capitalizing on some wayward pitching to score another 1 in the 3rd

Mike Slape started on the hill for us going 4 innings giving up just 3 runs and 3 hits. Going into the 7th and final inning the score was tied at 3. Jason Cleeve started off by drawing a walk and was driven in by Tyler bowman to give us the lead. The bottom of the 7th started with Marcin catching a line drive around his boot laces for the first out. For the second out Tom Wilson showed the sort of mobility his father could only dream about, by taking a diving catch in left field. In the end we got the final out to pick up the win

Once again Conner and Zac performed beautifully, although Zac's food consumption was down on previous weeks.

Hits

Jason Cleeve 1 (1 RBI), Adrian Kirkland 1, Tyler Bowman 1 (1 RBI) Christian Kallis 1

Daniel Bennett

Third Nine

Fourth NIne

The fourth nine won 9 - 0 by default as their opponents gave a walkover. 

Round 11, 9th July

First Nine

 LTUBC 0 Def By Westgarth 4.

You can't win games if you don't score, all credit to Westgarth's pitchers who threw very well. We were a little unlucky as we had several well hit balls that could not penetrate the field. but the hit count of 12 - 1 in Westgarth's favour tells the story. Mat started and did a reasonable job keeping them down to 4 runs (2 earned) over 5 innings Jack relieved and kept them scoreless in a good outing that promises good things for the future. We should only have given up 2 runs as some basic errors cost us the other 2 we need to be mentally stronger and get these lapses out of our game altogether. Thank you to Michael for umpiring the game to help us out of a difficult situation. Hitter was Hurynie 1.

Second Nine

 LUBC 1 defeated by Westgarth 9

Out hit 3 to 7 out fielded 5 errors to 1 out base run 1 stolen base to 6 and outpitched 2ks/5 free passes to 4ks/3 free passes. Sometimes statistics don’t lie. Once again our fielding and defensive decision making let us down and we handed a very competent opposition far too many gifts. I’m not saying we would have won the game had we backed up our pitchers but we sure would have been a lot more competitive. Our pitchers Michael and Joshua did a great job.

On a positive note newcomer Joshua Flannery-Kyle was rock solid at 3rd base making some excellent plays and utilising his canon like right arm to gun down several outs. He also did a solid job as the closer. Jason Cleeve continued his hot form with the bat registering 2 of our 3 hits and our only RBI. We’re sure going to miss him (offensively!) while he’s OS.

Zac continued to amaze us with his ability to devour several canteen items while never once failing in his bat boy duties while Connor rolls on like a well oiled machine in the scorer’s box.

Hits & RBIs: Jason Cleeve 2 (1RBI); Joshua Flannery-Kyle 1.
Next week Waverley away.
Peter Wilson
2nd IX Manager

Third Nine

 No game this week.

Fourth Nine

 No game this week.

Round 10  2nd July

First Nine

 Ringwood 2 Def By LTUBC 10.

We carried on our good form from last week for a win that put us a game clear of fourth place. Mat pitched the whole 6 innings in a controlled display only giving up 5 hits and 4 walks for 2 unearned runs. Some good pitching from Ringwood's starter shut us down for the first 3 innings then some great team baseball helped us to score 4 runs in the fourth. Tristan executed a perfect hit and run and Josh laid down a squeeze bunt to score a flying Alex who almost arrived too early (if that's possible) Mat pushed a ball the right side to score a run by doing the team thing and Jimmy S came within millimeters of hitting a home run over left field. As Coach Norm said if you could bottle an innings and use it as an example this was the one. We continued to hit the ball and scored another 4 in the the fifth and finished up with 2 in the sixth for our total of 10 runs. We have our return game with Westgarth next week and if we need to play like we have for the last 3 games to increase our hold on a high ladder position. Hitters were Alex 3 (3 rbi) Dean 3 (double) Tristan 2 (rbi) Mat 2 (3 rbi) Jimmy F 1 Josh 1 (2 rbi) Jimmy S 1.
 

Second Nine

Ringwood 9 Def By LTUBC 10

Today we travelled out to Ringwood for a game that was sure to be a nail biter after a 1 all draw in round 1. With a number of players missing Josh Flannery got the start on the hill. After scoring 2 in the top of the first we took the field. Josh throwing hard proved difficult to hit but gave up 5 walks in the first which allowed Ringwood to score 6 in the first. The second was a different story.  We scored another 3 runs in the second and 1 in the third while allowing Ringwood 1 run.

Going into the fourth and final inning we were down 7-6. We scored 4 on some great hitting by Josh Jason Cleeve and Rowan Campbell giving us a 3 run buffer going into the bottom of the last. The last was a bit of a heart stopper with Josh giving up his first walk since the first inning but struck out the last hitter with a full count and runners on second and third to give us a 10-9 win

Once again it was pleasing to see us score in every inning. A big thank you to Steve Brooke for helping out and who can forget Zac as the bat boy and Connor in the scorers box

Hits

Liam 1 Marcin 1 Jason 1dbl (1 RBI) toolbox 1 Josh 2 (1rbi) and Rowan 2 (3 RBI)

Daniel Bennett

Third Nine

 LTUBC 3 Loss to Footscray 8

Twas a gusty day at the old Footscray.
I think the wind must have played some interference with most peoples navigational systems most people turned up fairly late including the manager.
Ill say this it’s not very often that you have an 8 innings game it’s also not very often that a pitcher stays on the mound for the 2 hours
Tony went the whole 8 along with Simon behind the dish. We had a flawless day in the field unfortunately we couldn’t string our hits together.
Our out fielders tracked down everything that was hit to them keep the pace of the game very high.
We held them scoreless for the first 4 but couldn’t keep a lid on them all day.

Sometimes you need to adjust your swing fellas doing the same thing and expecting to get different results never works. So in the next 2 weeks we all get down and hit some off speed pitches.

Hits: (Marc Eamon and Andy 1 single each) (Jeremy 2 singles 1 triple) Simon 1 single (Tony 1 single 1 double) ( Jason 1 single 1 triple)

Fourth Nine

 LTUBC 6 loss to St Kilda 17

We battled on as best we could.....

Nevy 2 hits
Peter G 2 hits
Keith K 2 hits
Christina B 1 hit
P.Gillson 1 hit
S.Bennell 1 hit

Justin Miles pitched well with 6 k's - well done..

Nev on hol's - back next week....

Round 9 25th June

First Nine

 Monash Uni 4 Def By LTUBC 11.

Hopefully this was a season defining win. After 5 innings we were down 4 - 2 and just meandering aimlessly along in the game it seemed to me that we were going through the motions. We had struggled to score 2 runs but then through a combination of errors and slackness we had allowed Monash to score 4 and we looked like we were in real trouble. However we discussed the situation and all players took some responsibility toughened up and scored 9 runs in the last 2 innings while holding Monash scoreless.

However one player was not going through the motions Alex had a sensational game even for his standards he pitched the whole 7 innings giving up only 2 hits 1 walk and 2 hit pitched balls while racking up an astounding 17 strike outs. Not only that he went to bat 5 times for 2 walks and 3 safe hits - great effort Alex. We also welcomed back Daniel Huryn after 2 years and he helped ignite our comeback with some intelligent (and quick) baserunning to take 2 bases on an errant pick off and score the first run in our resurgence. Josh Loveridge also returned after an injury and continued his good form with the bat by getting 2 nice hits. Another pleasing aspect of the game was that every one of our 10 players got a safe hit. We have our return match with Ringwood next week who are sitting just behind us on the ladder we need to continue to play as hard as we finished the game this week and the rewards will come. Hitters were: Alex 3 (2 doubles 2 rbi) Josh 2 Jimmy S 2 (2rbi) Dean 1 Tristan 1 (1rbi) Henry 1 (1rbi) Jimmy F 1 (double) Mat 1 Hurynie 1 (double 1 rbi) & Adrian 1 (1rbi).
 

Second Nine

LUBC 2nd IX Round 9
LUBC 21 defeated Monash University 6

In the battle of the intellectuals we prevailed 21/6. We scored in every innings with by far the highlight being the innings we scored 13 after being two out with no-one on base.

Once again our infield left a lot to be desired. We made many errors and put ourselves under pressure offensively. We need to improve in this area if we want to mix it with the big boys at the top of the ladder. Our hitting was nothing short of excellent with Dave Turner the stand out. Dave went 3 for 3 with two big doubles and an impressive 5 RBI’s before coming out of the game after a HPB to the point of the elbow. Jason also struck the ball sweetly to register 2 hits one double and 4 RBI’s.

Zac soldiered on while Connor went AWOL!!.

Hits & RBIs: David Turner 3 (2Dbls & 5RBI); Jason Cleeve 2 (1 Dbl & 4RBI); Michael Slape 2 (2RBI); Liam Brooke 1 (3RBI); Marcin Neopostyn 1 (2RBI); Rowan Campbell 1 (1RBI); Daniel Huryn 1 (1RBI).

Next week Ringwood away.

Peter Wilson
2nd IX Manager

Third Nine

LTUBC 18 def Watsonia 10

See ... i thought the Latrobe TOMB was tragic. I don’t think i have played on such a treacherous ground since i was in the under 12s. It may as well have been David Attenborough’s documentary on “Secret marsh lands of tomorrow”.
Despite the circumstances we played an absolutely awesome game. Great plays from pitchers catchers and pivots.
Simon who caught the entire game had two game clenching put outs at third and second base denying those sneaking runners extra bases.

Tony started on the hill and Jordan closed the game out they both had great opportunities to get outs a seized them. Tony had a fantastic K of James hope and a dirty toss to second base that nearly killed his manager. Jordan k’ed a few batters with his sizzling speed and redonkulous curveballs. Everyone really put in with the bat 20 hits for the day with 2 home runs can’t complain really.

Well done guys thanks for braving the marsh of tomorrow to pull off our second win for the season.
Special mention to: The Big Bear. Your enthusiasm and knowledge is invaluable that lazy as manager should give you a game i’ll have a word to him and see what we can come up with

Hits: M. Heenan (1 single 2 doubles) D. Hill (2 singles 2 doubles) J. Hill (2 singles 1 double) S.Hepplestone (1 single 1 double 1 Homerun) J. O’Connell (1 Double 1 Homerun) M. Luckman (1 single 1 Double) M.Hill (1single) T.Bullen (1 single 1 double).

Marc Heenan
3rd IX manager

Fourth Nine

Rd 9 vs Knox at Knox - never pleasant! 13 - 4 win See I told you to put your house on us!!

We were on a winning streak of 1 - We were expected to pounce and we did! It was in the bag!

With Darren & Jordan demoted to the 3rds with Christina out due to a wedding (it better have been yours!)
And with Peter Gillson & Anna out at the last minute - we were severely undermanned or were we!

With big Josh pitching to Don - Kaboom another 6 strike outs

Hits to Shane (back after a serious facial injury) a hit to Brett (don't mention the 2 K's)
The Gross combo of Peter & Steph both getting big hits (Pete's to centre field lucky centre field was asleep!
and Steph's a hard flat hit to right field - I'm tearing up again! and big 2 hits to Craig

Early on in the game we witnessed a great throw over from Don and a beautiful tag out from at second by Steph Gross
smashing him in the ankle to get him out and then him getting carried off the pitch. Only joking Steph but I think you scared him!
and later on in the game the same play by Don & Steph but the out not allowed - I thought the crowd of about 5 were going to invade the pitch!
Bad decision ump!!

Some negatives from the game - and there weren't many!
Me catching my boy Don at left field - sorry mate and
Craig catching Peter Gross on the left field foul line - what were you doing there Craig!!?

And some positives
Steph E & Keith K for doing a half each of scoring
(huge apologies to Keith for taking him out of the game just before a bat)

and the biggy scoring our last 7 runs from being 2 out and then Josh closing it out with 2 strike outs..
(I'm crying again - gee I cry a lot!!)

Excellent work team a good hard honest win - can't get any better than that.

See you Tuesday

Nev THE COACH - I'm back

Round 8 18th June

First Nine

 LTUBC 13 Def Diamond Creek 0.

We carried on our good form through to this week and beat Diamond Creek by 13 runs this was unusual because year after year we seem to have very tight games against them. Mat started and pitched 5 innings giving up only one hit and three walks and Alex finished the last innings to complete the shut out. Alex had a welcome return to form and led the hitting with 3 good hits while Adrian got another 2 this week. We scored in every innings except one and the fact that we were facing some good quality pitching made the result even more meritorious. Dean Jack & Adrian all came up with important hits to get the scoreboard ticking over and keep our lead growing throughout the day. We need to keep this form going and continue our push up the ladder. Hitters were: Alex 3 (2 rbi) Dean 2 (double 1 rbi) Adrian 2 (2 rbi) Henry 1 Mat 1 (1 rbi) & Jack 1 (2rbi).

Second Nine

LUBC 2nd IX Round 8 v Diamond Creek

LUBC 6 defeated Diamond Creek 4

Third Nine

FourthNine

 Rd 8 vs Nth Balwyn at Home 8 - 4 win Our 1st win for the year

After having a solid draw and 2 bad losses I had the vibe!!
It was just around the corner and with the Dalai Lama in town we were a shoe in!!!

With our star recruit Josh on the mound pitching to Jordan and our coach fielding to help Nth Balwyn
as they were one short - it was our time to shine.

Josh with 6 strike out's & 1 hit
Jordan with 3 hits
Darren with 2 hits
Peter Gillson with 2 hits
Brett & Christina with a hit...we were on fire!!

2nd half of the game the closer Darren came in to pitch to finish them off.

A great all around team performance and I cried again...

Thanks Pete Gross after injuring himself after a stellar performance on the mound the week before
scored for Nth Balwyn and Vicki & Michelle - half each - How could we lose!?

And they only had 8 players - that wasn't going to put us off no siree bob!
(Are you allowed to coach the batting side from playing right field? Well I was!!)

Thanks Dave for umpiring us again - you're definetely now leading in the coaches award!!

Put your house on us next week - It's Mabo!!

As I told the Dalai Lama last week

"There is no need for temples no need for complicated philosophies.
My brain and my heart are my temples; my philosophy is kindness."

No hang on know I remember I told Ted & Bear up in the bar...

"After 25 cans my head hurts!!"


Assistant to the assistant Coach
Nev 

Round 7 4th June

First Nine

 Mitchell Majors 0 Def By LTUBC 13.

This was a good way to bounce back after our disappointing effort last week. We outhit Mitchell Majors 11 to 2 and we were much more patient in the batters box getting our lead off hitters on base and then pushing them around to score. Jack Freeth started on the mound and did a good job for 4 innings shutting them out and only allowing them 2 hits while striking out 7. Tristan finished off the last 2 innings without conceding a hit. The batting star of the day was Adrian who got 3 hits including 2 absolute tracer bullets to left field Mat also got 2 nice hits and used his speed on the bases to our advantage. Jimmy S really moved well at right field covering a lot of ground and taking 5 fly balls. Jimmy F made a cameo appearance while nursing an injury and smacked a huge double at his only time at bat in the last innings. We welcomed Tyler Bowman for his first game and he did a serviceable job for us at third base and got a nice hit. Hitters were Adrian 3 (2 rbi) Mat 2 Dean 1(double 2rbi) Henry 1(2 rbi) Tyler 1(rbi) Jimmy F 1(double rbi) Jack 1(rbi) Jimmy S 1(rbi).
 

Second Nine

LTUBC 2nd IX Round 7 v Mitchell Majors
LTUBC 14 defeated Mitchell Majors 5

Every now and again even a blind pig snaffles an acorn!! It’s hard to imagine a more idyllic way to spend a winter’s afternoon than participating in a game of baseball played in such a sportsmanlike way between two evenly matched teams.

A beautiful winter sun warmed our backs as we took to what can only be described as a bowling green diamond that was presented in pristine condition. The sounds of leather on pine and leather on leather sent tingles up the spine of the old aficionados in attendance.

In a pleasing all round game we scored in each of our innings to ensure we posted a score that we could defend. Rowan was tradesman like on the hill throwing 3 2/3 innings while giving up only one hit and one run. He struck out three throwing an economical 58 pitches.

The environs had a striking resemblance to the ‘Field of Dreams’ that Kevin Costner built so that they would come so it was not surprising to see Daniel Bennett stretching those fragile ligaments as he tried on a few occasions to turn singles into doubles. Spectators were left wondering as to whether he would run so hard had someone other than himself hit the ball!!!

The infield was rock solid (for the most part) and Michael Perkins once again controlled the game from behind the dish with authority.

Connor and Zac just keep rollin’ on and doing their job like seasoned pro’s!!.

Hits & RBIs: Daniel Bennett 3 (1Dbl & 2RBI); Christian Kallis 2 (1Dbl & 2RBI); David Turner 2 (1Dbl & 2RBI); Marcin Neopostyn 1 (1RBI); David Leaver (2RBI); Rowan Campbell (1RBI); Jason Cleeve (1RBI).

Enjoy the well earned week off everyone.

Peter Wilson
2nd IX Manager

Third Nine

Fourth Nine

 La Trobe 4ths VS Mitchell Majors

5 - 22 loss

I knew we might be in a bit of trouble when Don was unable to catch!!

Thanks go to Michelle who volunteering for umpiring duties due to lack off!!
(I was prepared to go as high as 3 slabs Ted!!)

Thanks Mark for coming from Ringwood to close out the umpiring.
And el presidente Pete for finding an excuse to leave his little girls birthday
thanks Pete much appreciated.

Thanks Peter Gross for coming to the mound and and having a throw.
Not bad for a 25 year absence.

Sorry Vicki we tried to do it for you maybe on the return match at their ground..

You can all have next week off - see you the following Tuesday.

Keep on swingin!!

Assistant Coach Nev

Round 6 28th of May

First Nine

 LTUBC 0 Def By Nth Coburg 2.

A disappointing game for us after our fine effort last week. The North Coburg pitcher threw an excellent game but we didn't help ourselves at all by continually swinging away early in the count and allowing him to control our at bats. We need to be much more paitient and try to work our way in to hitters counts putting more pressure on the opposition pitchers. Mat starated on the mound and while he pitched quite well for no earned runs he cost himself dearly with a couple of mental errors that led to the only 2 runs of the game. Ales finished off the last 3 innings and shut them down for no runs but the damage was done. There were only 7 hits for the game and we outhit them 4 to 3 but neither side could string any hits together. We only had 5 base runners for the entire game. We need to regroup and come out firing against Mitchell Majors next week. Hitters were Jack 1 (Double) Jimmy F 1 Tristan 1 and Jimmy S 1.

Second Nine

LTUBC 4 defeated by Nth Coburg 6

What a difference a week (and a pitcher!) makes. We were much more competitive this week in a very enjoyable game of baseball. We led throughout but unfortunately fell at the last hurdle giving up three runs in the top of the seventh to go down 4/6.

It’s disappointing that we couldn’t score more runs in the middle of the game to put our opponents away. Three times we came to bat with a 4/3 lead and the opportunity to put a buffer between us and them but three times we failed. Credit must be given to their reliever who threw five innings giving up only one hit and one run. He threw with good control and mixed his speed up which proved very difficult for our hitters.

With high expectations we welcomed Tyler Bowman to the 2nds for his first game. Tyler didn’t let us down throwing the entire game of seven innings while only giving up 7 hits 3BB and 3HPB. He registered 6 K2 throwing 121 pitches over the two hours. It didn’t stop there with Tyler also leading the way with the bat posting a single and a double. Congratulations on a terrific all round game.

Other highlights were Christian Kallis’ 2RBI single with two out in the 2nd innings and young Thomas Wilson stroking his first ever hit in senior baseball.

It was pleasing that we showed a lot more resolve this week but we must continue to work hard to remain competitive.

Thanks to Connor Whitfield for scoring and doing such a great job and to our batboy extraordinaire Zac Kallis.

Hits & RBIs: Tyler Bowman 2 (1Dbl); Christian Kallis 1 (2RBI); Michael Perkins 1 (1RBI); Rowan Campbell 1; Thomas Wilson 1.

This Saturday we head up the Hume to play Mitchell Majors.

Peter Wilson
2nd IX Manager

Third Nine

 A tough game with a few chances and some good learning experiences.

We started off well and in front by one St Kilda hit and scored pretty consistently throughout the game. We had a good rally in the third dig but couldn’t suppress their bats in the final dig.

Plays of the day: 1) Christina taking out a stealing base runner with a zinger from Simon .
2) Eamon took an absolute screamer at first. He ran back with the flight of the ball and went head over heels to secure the out.
3) Jeremy got 2 doubles and 1 RBI definitely the 3rd IX rising star.

We went down 11 to 6.

A special thanks to Kerrie for scoring and Adrian for umpiring.
Last and definitely not least Mathew Jones for being the most hysterical umpire we have ever had. “ and that’s your final warning”

Hits: Marc Heenan (1 single) Simon Hepplestone (1 single) Jeremy O’Connell (2 doubles) Shane Bennell(1 Single)

Fourth Nine

Watsonia vs. La Trobe at the swamp aka the MillPark bog!!! 30 - 3 loss

A game which we should not have played due to the conditions but we where all there and all keen so onto the smelly oozy bog we went.

Some positives to come out of the game…

• An excellent caught fly ball by Steph Gross out in the left field swamp
• Craig Farquharson’s first attempt on the mound and did an excellent job
• to finish off the game - well done Craig good job.
•  
• Our only 2 hits go to the Brown boys and both into left field - what does that tell ya!
• Darren not breaking any legs - I’d wear footy boots next time Dazza!!
• Jordan for showing us how to surf into second base(we had to send out a search party
• to find him after he disappeared into the sludge!!)
•  
• Mitchell at short stop for a fantastic throw to first on the run for an out …
• Thanks to Chooka for his support at the game and for having a go at their first baseman..
• I don’t know what it was about but it looked good….

Some negatives

• Lots of mums will need to fumigated and White King the crap out of some very smelly & dirty uniforms.
• Vicki for getting her reds boots all yucky & gooey!!!

As I said in our post match review It’s a game that we should just wipe from our memory banks.

A little birdy also told me that we where actually playing a 2nd & 3rd’s combined team so don’t be to worried about how we went in this game… Let’s just come out punching next week and hit that little white thing they throw at us…

A Tip for this week - put ya boots in the washing machine on super soak!!

Once dried sprinkle fragranced powder into the boot I find lavender does the trick.

9 out 10 major league baseballer’s have sworn that their game has improved by at least a 100% the following week

(if you use frangipani scented powder - only 37% improvement)

Acting assistant CoachNev

On behalf of assistant Darren assistant Michelle & assistant ‘No Brett this week’ (he was demoted to the thirds)

Round 5 21st of May

First Nine

 Knox 12 Def LTUBC 5.

We travelled to Knox to take on the undefeated top side and came away with a loss and a few things to work on but we gave a good account of ourselves. We were competitive except for the 3rd innings were Knox pumped out 7 hits and we gave up 3 free passes which enabled them to score 8 runs. We shut them out for the next 2 innings but the damage was well and truly done. Ma