Werribee Giants were left kicking themselves after letting a golden opportunity to upset reigning premiers Williamstown Wolves slide by in a drama-filled Baseball Victoria summer league division 2 local derby at Greenwich Reserve on Sunday.
The Giants have been the bogey side of the Wolves for the past 12 months, beating them twice last season in what was an otherwise lean campaign that saw them miss the finals.
The streak would have continued at the weekend had the Giants not looked the gift horse in the mouth in the 13-12 loss.
PICTURE GALLERY: Werribee Giants v Williamstown Wolves
“We should’ve won today,” Giants coach Phil Balzer said. “We had plenty of opportunities to score runs and didn’t get it done.”
The Giants were gifted no fewer than 13 free passes to get on base – eight walks were issued and five batters were hit-by-pitch.
“Every inning we had runners on, but we didn’t capitalise,” Balzer said.
“When they give us 13 guys on base for free and we only scored three or four runs out of that, it’s not good enough.
“That’s the sign of a team that is still very young.”
It was a brutal day for the pitching rosters of both clubs, with 25 runs scored and the batters aided by a strong breeze blowing directly to centre field.
Giants starter Wes De Jong and reliever Dane Gregory fought hard in short stints, but sooner or later the bats were going to get on top.
Closer Chad Northcott bore the brunt of the Wolves’ fury, conceding a home run to import Russell Moldenhauer.
The Giants had success with the bat – just not at the critical moments.
Michael Riches got three-from-four at bat and was one of the few outfielders who was able to handle the swirly conditions.
Oliver Box had two hits and three RBIs, while Jason Kriehn is pushing his case for a regular starting position with two-from-three.
Despite the loss, Balzer was encouraged by his young team’s ability to match it with the experienced Wolves so deep into the game.
“There is a confidence in us that we can compete,” he said. “They’re a much more experienced side than we are and have guys out there who have played national league and so forth. We don’t have the high-profile players they’ve got, yet we were able to stay with them.”
The Giants (2-2) return home to face St Kilda (3-2) at President’s Park on Sunday.
