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135 ：無礼なことを言うな。たかが名無しが[sage]：2011/01/07(金) 19:03:28 ID:7R6uN/lU - After being swept in four straight games by the same opponent just one week ago, the slcohol Think Again・Perth Heat has bounced back strongly,
the Brisbane Bandits prevailed in a 13 inning epic, and the Melbourne Aces also returned to winning form as Round 8 of the Australian Baseball League got underway on Thursday.
The Heat gave Blue Sox pitching ace and recent Detroit Tigers signing Chris Oxspring his first loss of the season as they defeated Sydney 3-1,
the Aces・potent hitting line-up again reached double figures as they topped the Adelaide TSA・Bite 11-8, while Brisbane showed unrelenting determination to beat Canberra 7-6 after four extra innings.
Tied at 6-6 at the top of the 13th inning, Bandits infielder Alan Schoenberger slammed a double to centre field off pitcher Chris Kimpton before being advanced to third base courtesy of a sacrifice bunt to Brad Dutton.
Trent Baker then drove home Schoenberger with a sacrifice fly to left field to give the Bandits the go-ahead run,
and Brisbane closer Chris Mowday wrapped up the game in the bottom of the 13th inning to earn the victory and a personal 5-1 win-loss record this season.
Bandits manager David Nilsson would have been delighted with the performance of his batting line-up with Chad Gabriel,
Ryan Battaglia and Alan Schoenberger each recording three hits while designated hitter Rory Rhodes connected on two.
In Sydney, the Heat responded to their Round 7 drubbing at the hands of the Blue Sox by scoring three runs from just five hits,
while their pitching staff allowed Sydney line-up,
which had been bolstered by the addition of LA Dodgers outfielder Trent Oeltjen, to cross home plate just once.
Heat starting pitcher Trevor Caughey earned his first win of the season after pitching 5.1 innings, allowing just one run while striking out nine Blue Sox batters.
At the Melbourne Showgrounds, the Aces again reminded pitchers around the ABL that they have a batting line-up to be feared after nine players recorded hits with James Beresford,
Josh Davies and Brett Tamburrino each notching two.
Tamburrino also belted a home run as the Aces rallied from a 7-3 deficit after five innings to score eight runs in the next three stanzas to give them a final three run margin against Adelaide.
With Sydney loss, Melbourne is just one win behind the top-of-the-table Blue Sox with three games still to play in the round. All six teams will again be in action on Friday.
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136 ：無礼なことを言うな。たかが名無しが[sage]：2011/01/07(金) 19:04:46 ID:7R6uN/lU - The Italian pairing of Francesca Schiavone and Potito Starace upset the odds with a 2-1 win over Great Britain’s Andy Murray
and Laura Robson in their Hopman Cup tie at the Burswood Dome in Perth, yesterday.
The Group B tie was level after the singles rubbers, but the Italians stunned last year’s runners-up
by coming from a set down to take the deciding mixed doubles 6-7, 7-6, 10-2 in a tiebreak.
Murray and Robson had previously won three of four mixed doubles matches at the venue and reached the final against Spain last year.
The pair looked well placed to improve their record after taking the first set against the Italians and had chances to take firm control of the second,
but couldn’t convert them, appearing to tire late in the 118-minute match.
Robson was battling a heavy cold, while Murray said earlier that he was feeling the effects of the oppressive Perth heat and jet lag, having only arrived on Saturday.
“It was a tough match today,” he said after winning his singles match.
“It’s so hot and humid in here ? I was struggling a little bit with my breathing. It’s going to take a few days to get used to it.”
Meanwhile Kazakhstan’s Yaroslava Shvedova was ruled out of the rest of the tournament due to a knee problem and is in serious doubt for the upcoming Australian Open.
Shvedova, ranked 39th in the world, hurt her right knee against Ana Ivanovic on Sunday and will be replaced in the Kazakhstan team by 21-year-old Sesil Karatantcheva.
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137 ：無礼なことを言うな。たかが名無しが[sage]：2011/01/07(金) 19:08:27 ID:7R6uN/lU - The Canberra Cavalry had a triumphant return to Narrabundah Ball Park over the weekend with a 3-1 series win over ABL leaders Perth Heat.
After victories on Thursday and Friday nights, the Cavalry needed just one win from Saturday’s double header to reverse the previous week’s disappointing results,
and they did that by claiming the evening game 6-4 after dropping the afternoon match 8-1.
A Christmas theme greeted fans on arrival at Fort Narrabundah, many of whom must have thought they were experiencing a northern hemisphere festive season as the temperatures were more in keeping with the middle of June than of December.
Santa Claus threw the ceremonial first pitch, the park was festooned with decorations and prizes awarded to various competition winners.
The matinee game began promisingly enough for Canberra when they loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the 1st,
but Perth starter Cole McCurry induced a line out, a strike out and a fly out to get of the jam. Unlike their opponents Perth were not about to let their opportunities slip and put four on the board in the 2nd,
courtesy of a solo homer to Evan McArthur and a three-run dinger to Ryne Price.
The Cavalry got one back in the bottom half but soon found themselves further behind in the 3rd after Matthew Kennelly’s RBI double and a two-run homer to Ronnie Welty.
The strong south westerly breeze was not only contributing to the winter wonderland feel but also assisting hitters in launching their moon shots. Price added his second and the Heat’s fourth homer in the 4th to make it 8-1,
a difference Canberra never looked like making up in the scheduled seven-inning opener with only two hits to show for their effort. Jun Hyeok Heo was saddled with the loss and Benn Grice who’d relieved McCurry in the 5th took the win.
An interesting sidelight to this game was the appearance on the mound for the Cavalry of Indian Rinku Singh. Singh had never touched a baseball before 2008,
when he participated in the Indian reality show “Million Dollar Arm Hunt”. He won $100,000 in the contest after topping out at 84mph.
That convinced the Pittsburgh Pirates to sign him along with fellow contestant Dinesh Patel; they were the first Indians signed by a MLB club. Both of the former cricket players made their professional debuts in the US minor leagues in July 2009.
During the break a celebrity home run derby was held with money being raised for a local children’s charity. Participants included representatives from the Brumbies, Canberra United W-League team, Canberra Capitals WNBL and AIS teams.
Cavalry bats came alive in the evening game banging out 16 hits. However an inability to get runners home, 13 left on base, meant the result was much closer than it perhaps should have been.
Three runs on five hits in the 2nd saw Canberra jump to an early lead that, while it would not be relinquished, would be threatened.
The home side’s cause was not helped when, with a 5-2 lead in the 4th, second baseman Kyu-Hyun Moon was injured while at the plate and had to be replaced by substitute Byron Aird.
Then in the 5th Perth closed to within one after an Elliott Hargreaves RBI double and a Mitch Graham sac fly.
What really sank Canberra hearts was that Hargreaves’ fly ball looked to be a regulation play for Ian Choy but the left fielder lost the ball in the evening sun and it fell safely.
The locals’ nerves were eased somewhat in the 6th when a two-out single by Tom Vincent scored Michael Collins. Cavalry supporters were tense and did their bit to urge their team along.
Particularly effective were some of the fans in the bleachers along the third base line, who made sure the Heat batters knew what was at stake.
Needing nine outs while protecting a two-run lead Cavalry manager Steve Schrenk made astute use of his bullpen employing relievers Tim Atherton,
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138 ：無礼なことを言うな。たかが名無しが[sage]：2011/01/07(金) 19:11:31 ID:7R6uN/lU - RIVAL Australian Baseball League clubs may look at this weekend as a pivotal one in the inaugural running of the revamped national competition.
It may look back at it as being the series that the Canberra Cavalry played Perth Heat big hitter Mitch Graham into form.
Graham snapped out of a slump in the opening two games of the series, with home runs in both, three hits from seven at bats and he batted in five of his teammates to score.
As a result, the Heat belted a previously in-form Canberra 7-0 and 10-0 in consecutive nights.
Leading into this series, Graham had struggled in attack with only five hits from 26 at bats (average of just 0.192).
But he showed his value to the side that now sits comfortably in the top two on the ABL table, behind only Sydney, which arrives in Perth on December 30 for a four-game series.
Robbie Widlansky and Allan de San Miguel have held the Heat's hitting together in the opening four series, but a resurgent Graham boosts Perth's title chances.
Matt Kennelly also ended a four-game hitless streak on Friday night, with a powerful display at his three at bats, including two doubles, allowing three teammates to score.
Just as important for the Heat were the defensive performances in the opening two games of the Canberra series.
Daniel Schmidt pitched a seven-innings shut-out on Friday night to continue his impressive season and grab his fourth win.
On Thursday night Liam Hendriks found some rhythm in seven digs on the mound, also keeping the Cavalry scoreless.
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139 ：無礼なことを言うな。たかが名無しが[sage]：2011/01/07(金) 19:14:50 ID:7R6uN/lU - PERTH-grown big hitting Major League baseballer Luke Hughes is expected to play for the Heat tonight in Game 2 of its four-game series against the Sydney Blue Sox.
Hughes’ return from Venezuela could not have come at a better time, as the Blue Sox knocked the Heat from the top of the ABL ladder with a massive 1-8 defeat at Thornlie’s Baseball Park.
The Heat managed just six hits against Sydney’s Major League pitcher Chris Oxspring. The Blue Sox registered 11.
But Hughes, who famously hit a home run with his first at-bat for the Minnesota Twins, in 2010, will add a new dimension to the Heat roster tonight.
He hit .325 from 31 at bats at the start of this season before leaving for a short stint in the Venezuelan Winter League.
The Sydney Blue Sox joined the Melbourne Aces atop the ABL standings with last night’s win.
The result leaves Sydney and Melbourne tied in top spot with 14 wins and 10 losses while the loss meant the Heat slipped to third with a 14-11 record.
Oxspring again delivered for the Blue Sox. He pitched six innings for three hits and one run while the Heat pitching struggled.
Heat starter Liam Hendriks only lasted four innings and conceded three runs.
Sydney Blue Sox manager Glenn Williams said that the win sets up the rest of the series for the Blue Sox but said he expects the Heat to bounce back.
“The guys were scuffling a little bit earlier in the year but we started to swing the bat really well in Adelaide
and had a little bit of break but the guys have come back after the break and swung it well tonight so that’s encouraging for us,” he said.
“We’ve got to play these guys for the next seven games so anything can happen. They’ve got a bunch of guys that’ll get out there and fight; they are never an easy team to play.
“Chris Oxspring has been throwing the ball great for us all year and he came out
and gave us six strong innings and the boys really swung the bat really well, we executed really well and scored some runs.”
The Blue Sox dominated in every aspect of the game, while the Heat’s fielding also let them down recording three errors.
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140 ：無礼なことを言うな。たかが名無しが[sage]：2011/01/07(金) 19:16:51 ID:7R6uN/lU - JOSH Roberts is in the form of his life and if he keeps it up, a professional contract overseas might not be far off.
The Brisbane Bandits have just split the four match home series with Roberts getting two RBIs (runs batted in) during his team’s 6-1 win at the RNA Showground on Monday night.
It saw them leap ahead of Canberra at the bottom of the table but followed a four game series in Melbourne in which the Bandits couldn’t steal a win.
“I’m having a good time, facing some pretty good players,” Roberts said.
“Hopefully we can squeeze our way into the play-offs.
“If we do, anything can happen.
“We’ve got the team to do it.”
Brisbane’s biggest problem has been inconsistency, which Roberts puts down to the youth and inexperience of the Bandits line-up.
“We’re a pretty young side,” he said.
“Our pitching is holding up but we haven’t been scoring a lot of runs.”
Roberts has been the exception.
The Ipswich slugger is now fifth in the Australian Baseball League (ABL) hitting standings with an average of .340 (34 hits per 100 at bats).
“I’m having an okay season at the moment, hopefully I can continue it,” Roberts said.
“I’m taking a good approach to the plate, swinging hard and looking for my pitches.”
Training up to six days a week and being part of a professional set up has helped Roberts discover his top hitting form.
“I’m better prepared and a bit older and wiser,” he said.
“Working hard with more batting practice (has made a difference). I’ve had plenty of time to work on my swing.”
It may seem to the casual observer a baseball batter just swings at the ball, hoping for a hit.
But if he can’t anticipate what the pitcher is about to throw, there is little chance of success.
“It’s just thinking what they’re trying to do to you,” Roberts said.
“You’re trying to be one step ahead of the pitcher. You haven’t got much chance up there just swinging away.”
If he continues in the same form there is a chance Roberts may be offered a professional contract overseas.
Last week Melbourne pitchers Adam Bright and Travis Blackley signed contracts with Japanese and Korean clubs respectively while Ipswich product Chris Oxspring,
who pitches for the Sydney Heat and leads the competition for strike outs, has been picked up by the Detroit Tigers.
If he was offered a similar contract Roberts would take little persuading to accept.
“You want to play at the highest level you can,” he said.
“Anywhere you can play baseball for a living is fun.”
“Hopefully there is someone there at the right time watching.”
The Bandits have 12 matches to play, eight of which are against Canberra,
starting in the nation’s capital on Sunday. That will be followed by four games against Adelaide in Adelaide.
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141 ：無礼なことを言うな。たかが名無しが[sage]：2011/01/07(金) 19:25:12 ID:7R6uN/lU - Cavalry's batters strike out
DAVID POLKINGHORNE
12 Dec, 2010 01:00 AM
Canberra Cavalry came within one out of getting their first win on the road but fell agonisingly short against the Perth Heat at Barbagallo Ballpark last night.
The Cavalry was leading 1-0 with two out in the bottom of the seventh innings but a single by Ryne Price sent Perth's Allan de San Miguel home to score the leveller.
And the Cavs then watched that elusive win evaporate as Price scored himself in the second additional innings.
Canberra coach Steve Schrenk's only consolation was the team had fought back from two hidings at the hands of the Heat.
''We just can't seem to get the runs across. They seem to be playing real good and we're not ... we've gotta try and get a win on the road,'' he said.
The resurgence was led by a much better pitching effort with Schrenk having praise for Heo Jun-Hyeok, who gave up just two hits in six innings and almost earned himself the win.
It was a case of the Perth batters being red hot in the first two games of the series, while the Cavs pitchers were ice cold.
''You're not going to win games if you don't throw strikes ... baseball's a funny game, it's streaky. We won three games against one of the better teams in the league [in Adelaide],'' Schrenk said.
''With only one run in 27 innings you're not going to win many games.''
But that may as well be a mile for the men in orange and it was up to the coach to figure out how to get a spark back into the side ahead of the final game of the series to be played late last night.
''We've got to get our lead-off hitters on base ... we've gotta win some ball games,'' Schrenk said.
''I think the guys are a bit down and putting pressure on themselves and are not enjoying the game.''
A lead-off home run by Canberra catcher Michael Collins in the fourth innings had put his side in control.
Before leaving for Perth, outfielder Ian Choy had said playing college ball in Buffalo had made him used to the travel, with bus trips of up to 18 hours needed to get to some games.
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