(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photos by Softball Australia & Marco Stoovelaar)
    Queensland adds two victories in Australian Softball Championship
Nederlands
 BLACKTOWN, Greater Western Sydney, New South Wales (Australia) -
The softball-team of Queensland Heat remained unbeaten on Tuesday (January 3), Day 2 of the 70th edition of the Women's Softball Fastpitch Australian National Championship Tournament.
The 7-day tournament at Blacktown International Sportspark in Blacktown, near Sydney, ends coming Sunday.
The six participating teams all will face each other twice in the Round Robin.
The Play-Offs then follow on Saturday.
After winning its first two games on Monday, Queensland added two victories on Tuesday to become the lone unbeaten team.
New South Wales Firestars also won twice on Monday, but today suffered its first loss against Queensland.
...Chelsea Forkin...
...6 hits, triple, homerun...
...3 runs, 5 RBI's...
(© Ph: Softball Australia) |
Day 2 began with a 6-0 shutout-win for Queensland against Western Australia Flames.
Queensland scored three runs in the first and the fifth at bat.
Queensland-starter and National Team-pitcher Justine Smethurst had another fine outing.
In her first game on Monday, she struckout eleven batters and gave up only one basehit against Victoria Titans.
Today, she struckout seven and gave up only two hits in 6 2/3 inning vs. Western Australia.
Dutch National Team-player Saskia Kosterink, who again played in leftfield for the Flames, was hitless (0-for-3), as was Australian National Team-player Leigh Godfrey.
Australian international Chelsea Forkin was 3-for-4, including a 2-run triple, for Queensland with three RBI's and scored two runs.
In their second game of the day, Queensland nipped New South Wales Firestars, 2-1.
Queensland scored early in the first and third inning, while NWS managed to score once in the fourth.
In this game, Chelsea Forkin again was hot for Queensland, as she was 3-for-3, scored once and batted in both runs.
In the first inning, she put her team ahead by hitting a 2-out homerun.
She then added an RBI-single in the third at bat.
Following this game, NSW shutout Victoria Titans 8-0 in the evening to close the second day of competition and win its third game of the event.
Leading 2-0, NSW rallied for six runs in the fourth inning.
Simone Freeman started the game for NSW, but was relieved due to an injury with one out in the first inning by Ellen Roberts.
The two threw a combined No-Hitter in the 5-inning, mercy-rule game.
...Monica Perry...
...winning pitcher...
(© Photo: Marco Stoovelaar) |
Earlier in the day, Victoria had recorded its first win of the event, thanks to a 2-0 shutout against ACT Diamonds.
Both runs were scored in the fourth inning off of Vanessa Stokes, who went the distance for the Diamonds.
Winning pitcher Greta Cecchetti almost threw a complete game for the Titans.
With a 2-0 lead and after five innings, she was relieved by Brittany Kennett, but she got the bases loaded via two walks and a single.
Cecchetti then returned and got out of the jam.
After a force out at the plate, she struckout the next batter.
She then faced pinch-hitter and fellow-Italian Ilaria Pino, but she flied out to end the inning.
Cecchetti gave up only one basehit in the seven innings she pitched and struckout seven.
After losing to Queensland Heat earlier in the day, Western Australia Flames also lost its second game in the afternoon against South Australia Starz, 2-1.
South Australia broke an 1-1 tie in the fifth inning and then hold onto the small lead to win their first game of the event.
Monica Perry was the winning pitcher for the Starz.
The American righthander went the distance, struckout six batters and gave up seven hits, but held both powerhitters Saskia Kosterink and Leigh Godfrey hitless.
Belinda White was 2-for-2 for the Starz.
With two outs in the fifth inning, she homered to put the Starz ahead.
Earlier in the day, the Starz lost 5-1 to ACT Diamonds.
The Starz took an 1-0 lead in the first inning, but the Diamonds then scored twice in the third and added three runs in the fourth at bat.
A homerun by Clare Warwick tied the score in the third.
The three runs in the fourth were scored on a baseclearing double by Katherine Tye.
(January 3)
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