By Christina Cameron
All three Bellarine Bears baseball teams went up against Lara Wildcats.
Hard workout in the pre-season with new coach Cameron Brown has meant the Bears are working on all areas of the game to hopefully bring them that one flag that they have been working on for so long.
The determination has improved 10-fold with the players; everyone is stepping up to take on new roles and play to the best of their ability. The teams are expecting a boost in morale with the addition of Lewis Weldon, Australian softball player and Division Two batting average winner of the 2016/2017 Victorian Summer Baseball Season, Brock Wells, who has chosen to move to the club from Guild Lions for the opportunity of more playing time as well as returning assistant coach Chris Bramwell after a serious accident a few years ago.
Prospects are high as the players put in more time over the coming weeks and months to improve their game, with the end game being that longed-for flag for the proud club.
Starting off was the A Reserve side. Matthew Sage couldn’t seem to catch a break on the mound, walking nine of the 18 batters who faced him with seven runs being scored off his two innings including some errors made in the field. David Morrissey then took charge and shut down Lara with four strikeouts and the field seemed to change their style, not making a single error and getting the outs that the side needed to pick up their spirits. This wasn’t enough for the Bears, as they went down 8-5 to an in-form Lara side, with great pitching from Chris Lewis and runs from a number of players. Hits for the day came from Brad O’Brien, Geoff Rome, John Trevean, Chris Hockey, and David Morrissey.
The second game at home was an absolute nail-biter between both sides in A Grade. Both sides had to fight hard for their four runs apiece. Lachlan Hockey and Simon Murry provided a great combination on the mound for the Bears while the Wildcats struggled to find consistency after a great start from Cameron Forbes. Both sides struggled to convert any hits that were made, but this just proves that both sides had some great pitching and even better fielding to back them up. This resulted in a draw for the game, but it was hard fought for both sides. Hits for the game went to Cameron Brown, Lewis Weldon and Simon Murry.
Finally, the last game for the weekend was the C Grade game was closely fought until the end of the game. Paul Cameron for the Bears and Dan Wilson for the Wildcats both lasted the majority of the game on the mound for their teams and then swapped with Peter Hockey (Bears) and Christian Lackovic (Wildcats) for the final innings. Unfortunately for the Bears, Cameron tired quickly towards the end and with a few errors in the field, Lara was able to get quite a few runs and run out eventual winners. Best players for the day for the Bears were Paul Cameron, Peter Hockey and Finn Ferguson-Cummings.
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