League fixtures and reports

23/08/16 Falcons

A few nerves were visible at times as we looked for the win that would give us the league title. We eventually ended up as fairly comfortable winners but a spirited Falcons team gave us a much sterner test than they had earlier in the season. Our final league game of the season typified what had gone before: We are capable of scoring runs in bunches, not quite so good at preventing them, and we go through the odd dry spell where we can't buy a hit.

For the first part of the game we couldn't stop scoring, aided by some aggressive base running and some equally aggressive coaching by Tony at 3rd. Home Run heroes were Dan and Michael with 2 four-baggers apiece. OBP leaders were Annie and Dave who each went 4 for 4.

In the field JD took some nice catches in the outfield, Dave pitched well, Sandra did a fine job at 2nd base and Annie and Rob both made nice grabs on awkward pop ups, a task made more difficult in Rob's case by an awkwardly placed base runner.

Special thanks to Jen and Stewart who came down as injury cover despite knowing in advance they might not get any game time. Overall it was a good team performance to round off a successful season, with the final highlight being the Captain's wallet putting in a rare public appearance in the post-match celebrations !

Falcons 0 5 0 2 3 1 1 12 Tigers 6 4 4 9 0 2 X 25

MVPs

18/08/16 Titans

In this game we showed how far we have come as a team this season. We didn't really hit any spectacular highs but we played well in both halves of the game, keeping an enthusiastic Titans team scoreless (and hitless) whilst also keeping the scoreboard ticking along ourselves.

Home Run hero was Dan with a 3 run blast in the top of the 4th. OBP leaders were Dan, Emma (both 4 for 4) and Dave, Stewart and Alyssa (3 for 3) who all batted 1000. We also looked good running the bases, keeping the pressure on and always looking for the extra base.

In the field JD took a nice catch in the outfield, TK at 3rd did well to take a pop up in foul territory, Sandra made some nice plays at 2nd, Steve looked assured again at 1st and Dave added some fielding assists to his no-hit pitching performance.

Tigers 5 5 5 7 22 Titans 0 0 0 0 0

MVPs

11/08/16 Hurricanes

We looked a bit like rabbits frozen in the glare of the headlights in the 1st two innings of this game. We went 3 up, 3 down in consecutive innings with the bat and started the 3rd looking at an 8-0 deficit. After that we gave at least as good as we got, and even clawed our way into the lead twice, but in the end we'd given Hurricanes just too much of a start.

OBP leaders were Dave and Rob who each batted 1000 (3 for 3). It was good to see Rob back on the leader board, he's had a bit of wobble after his holiday but now looks to be returning to his impressive early season form. Best of the women was Alyssa who went 2 for 3 and hit the ball really well again.

In the field the two stand-out plays were from Alyssa and Jen, who both made really good outfield catches that took away near certain home runs from the opposition. Caroline also joined in the fun by making nice grabs on a couple of pop ups behind the plate. There was lots of other good work elsewhere, with special mentions to Dan who did his normal good job at short stop and Steve A., who made some nice plays at 1st.

This game was a step up in quality from many of the games that we have played this year and, despite the ultimately fatal early wobble, it was good to see that we performed so well under pressure. Thanks to Tony for coming down to base coach after suffering his season ending injury on Tuesday and to Michael for coming down to provide injury cover on the night.

Tigers 0 0 2 7 2 1 2 14 Hurricanes 2 6 0 2 0 4 1 15

MVPs

09/08/16 Barflies

Both sides started this game scoring runs in bunches before slowing down as the game went on. We were 5 runs up after the first 2 innings and the gap stayed more or less constant for the rest of the game. Our fielding ranged from mediocre to excellent and visited most points in between, whilst our base running and coaching could have been better at times.

Tony, Dan and JD were the OBP leaders, all going 4 for 4. We had 3 Home Run Heroes in Dan, JD and Steve G. with TK recording a near miss again with another triple. There were other strong performances up and down the order with Alyssa again looking promising on her 2nd appearance.

Steve was the stand out performer in the field making a series of nice catches. Tony was solid on 1st base and Dan and Emma recorded a couple of double plays with TK and then Dan, with the second of them sealing the win in the 7th.

Our win came at a price with Tony suffering a groin tear that looks likely to have ended his league season, Annie suffered a leg injury that led to her having to leave the field and Emma took a nasty blow to her arm when a ground ball took a nasty bounce in the infield.

Barflies 4 5 1 0 3 1 1 15 Tigers 8 6 0 1 2 2 X 19

MVPs

02/08/16 Freeze

A 9 run second inning gave us a comfortable lead in this game, a lead that we never looked in serious danger of losing. Another scoring spree in the 6th, followed by a shut out in the bottom of the inning, gave us the 15 run Mercy win.

Tony, Emma, Luisa and Steve were the OBP leaders, all going 4 for 5. We had 3 Home Run Heroes in Tony, Michael and Steve. There were other strong performances up and down the order with the new hard hitting Louise and debut girl Alyssa particularly worthy of mention.

In the field the whole team did a solid job, making (almost) all the routine plays and keeping Freeze from putting any big numbers on the board. We were solid rather than spectacular with the gloves, and everyone did their bit, but there should perhaps be a special mention for Luisa, who made some nice plays at 3rd on her return to the team.

Alyssa looked really good on her league debut, and thanks are due to Luisa for helping us out in our hour of need (People taking holidays in the middle of the softball season, three in the same week ! dearie me, what is the world coming to). Also a special mention to new boy Ryan, who came down to watch what turned into a pretty protracted affair, so long drawn out he eventually had to go home without even visiting the pub !

Tigers 3 9 2 2 1 8 25 Freeze 3 0 3 3 1 0 10

MVPs

26/07/16 Phoenix

We could and possibly should have won this game in the 7th inning but it would have been a travesty if we had done so as we were clearly second best to a hard hitting Phoenix team for large chunks of it. After a glacially slow start we did get better as the game went on and we took a 4 run lead in the 7th but couldn't hold it, then lost to a 2 out base hit in the 8th.

At least when we decided to have a bad game we weren't half hearted about it: Pitching, batting and fielding were all below par and most members of the team had moments to forget, we win as a team and we lost as one !

There were some highlights, Dan and TK were the batting leaders, each going 4 for 4 (1000). We had 3 Home Run Heroes in Dan, Michael and Steve with TK recording a near miss with a triple that was almost but not quite long enough for that elusive four bagger. Annie and Louise hit the ball hard without as much luck as they deserved.

In the field TK and Sandra made some nice plays, Steve was good again at 1st and Rob took some nice catches in left field. Dan did a fine job at short stop yet again, but overall we were below par.

Tigers 2 0 3 0 5 1 5 1 17 Phoenix 1 8 0 3 0 0 4 2 18

MVPs

19/07/16 Colt 45s

We christened our new orange away kit with a win on the hottest day of the summer so far. A hot and humid practice session on Monday coupled with reports of soaring temperatures to come had led to the decision to give black a rest and we celebrated our bright new appearance with a bright performance against the Colts. We took an early lead in a low scoring start to the game. The Colts staged a fight back as the bats on both sides came to life in the 4th and 5th, but they never quite drew level and we pulled away to a comfortable lead in the last 2 innings.

OBP leaders were Steve (4 for 4), Annie and Dave (each 3 for 3) who all batted 1000. Home Run heroes were Dan and Michael with 1 apiece, Michael's 3 run homer in the 6th was the game breaker that finally put us in a winning position. Our base running was a bit conservative early on, but got better as the game progressed, forcing some errors from what was an generally impressive Colts defence.

In the field Dan did a fine job at short stop, Steve was on fire at first, TK got a couple of tag outs at 3rd and Sandra made some nice plays at 2nd.

Colt 45s 0 1 0 3 4 0 2 10 Tigers 3 0 2 4 4 3 X 16

MVPs

05/07/16 Rippers

A slug fest in the sun against a Rippers team that included some high calibre guests. Nip and tuck for most of the game we took a big lead with 7 run bottom of the 6th, the Rippers then had their best innings in the top of the 7th to grab a 1 run lead before we sealed the deal with one out in the bottom of the 7th.

OBP leaders were Tony (5 for 5), Annie, Steve A. and Dave (all 4 for 4), all of whom batted 1000. Home Run heroes were Tony (2) and Dan (1). Annie deserves special mention for the fine job she did at the bottom of the order, setting things up for some big innings.

In the field neither team was quite as good as they were with the bat but Dan did a fine job at short stop, Dave pitched well, TK took a towering pop up in the sun at 3rd and everyone worked hard. Jen showed lots of promise again with both bat and glove.

Rippers 3 3 2 1 3 4 6 22 Tigers 5 3 1 4 1 7 2 23

MVPs

28/06/16 Drizzle

After a slow start we gradually built up a commanding lead and eventually ran out comfortable winners in a game played in wet and muddy conditions.

Home Run Hero was Steve Aguirre with a 2 run blast in the 5th. OBP king was Stewart, who went 5 for 5 (1000). Female leader was Caroline, 4 for 5 (800) with Annie, TK and Sandra (all 4 for 6) close behind. There were lots of good performances up and down the line up, we put the opposition under pressure in every single inning of the game.

In the field Michael made some impressive plays at short stop, Steve A. was solid on 1st, Sandra looked good on 2nd (with a couple of nice catches), Dave pitched well after a slightly uncertain start, and play of the day was a tag at home on a fine relay play in the bottom of the 7th after a blast that went overthe heads of the outfielders. Annie also recorded a nice out at first on a ground ball in front of the plate and everyone worked hard and made the plays they needed to.

Tigers 2 6 5 4 7 0 7 31 Drizzle 5 3 0 2 3 0 0 13

MVPs

21/06/16 Falcons

After a 19 run top of the 1st in which we batted round the order twice there was only really going to be one winner of this game. It can be all too easy easy to get sloppy once you have built up a big lead but we stayed focused and were tidy in the field.

Home Run Hero was Michael and OBP leaders were Emma, Sandra, Annie and Stewart who all batted 1000. In the field TK was excellent on 1st, Dan was good at short stop again and Dave pitched efficiently.

A number of male absentees this week meant that we had to re-jig the side a bit, Michael played his first game of the season, making a welcome return from injury, and looked good with bat and glove. Sulaimaan also showed a lot of promise on his MSL debut.

Tigers 19 6 2 6 33 Falcons 4 0 0 0 4

MVPs

07/06/16 Barflies

We saved our best performance of the season so far for this top of the table clash. The whole game was played at a higher level than our previous games, the Barflies fielded well and could hit the ball with power so we needed to play well to record the win, and we rose to the challenge. We took a lead in the first 2 innings that we never relinquished but that lead was never a comfortable one and we had to play hard throughout.

OBP leaders, batting 1000, were Dan, Rob (both 4 for 4) and Dave (3 for 3), with Emma (3 for 4) leading the way for the women. Home Run heroes were Dan, with a brace, and Steve A. with a blast to right field.

We were efficient in the field throughout. Dan was excellent at short stop, Emma made some nice plays at 2nd, Helen took some nice catches in left field, Steve did a fine job at 1st, Dave both pitched and fielded his position well and JD was excellent in the outfield with his running catch in the bottom of the 7th perhaps the best play of the whole game.

Jen looked even better in her 2nd game than she did in her first, and Rob's hitting deserves a special mention because it has come on in leaps and bounds over the last couple of weeks, he just can't stop hitting line drives !

Tigers 3 4 3 1 4 0 1 16 Barflies 0 1 1 2 1 0 1 6

MVPs

31/05/16 Freeze

An impressive display of hitting was the centrepiece of a 4 inning mercy win against Mayhem Freeze. A defensive wobble in the top of the 2nd suggested we may not have things all our own way but we tightened things up in the field after that and also set a Tigers single game record of 7 Home Runs on our way to the win.

Home Run Hero was JD with 3, closely followed by Dan and Rob with 2 apiece. OBP champions were Rob, Dan, Tony, JD and Dave (all 4 for 4) and Annie (3 for 3), who all batted 1000.

In the field Tony made a welcome return to the pitching mound, with Dave finishing the game off in relief. The Czech connection (TK and Sandra) both performed well on the right side of the infield, Annie at catcher made a couple of nice throws to record outs at first and everyone else chipped in in an efficient defensive display.

Rookie Jen got a late call up, making her league debut, and celebrated by recording her first base hit.

Freeze 2 6 1 0 9 Tigers 8 8 7 6 29

MVPs

24/05/16 Phoenix

We were back on the horse this week after last week's reverse, chalking up a 6 inning mercy win against Phoenix. We were 12 – 2 up after the first 2 innings and despite a wobble in the 3rd were never in serious danger of losing after that.

There were 4 people who batted 1000, Dan, Helen, Dave and Rob were all 4 for 4, with Emma best of the rest with some impressive hitting in her 4 for 5 tally. Dan was the Home Run Hero with two, with JD, Tony and Dave also recording 4 baggers.

In the field Dave both pitched and fielded well, recording a number of strike outs. Dan impressed at short stop, JD was the stand out in the outfield, Tony was solid at 1st and at catcher Caroline made a couple of nice plays to make force outs on 1st.

Tony made a welcome return from injury and new girl Jen got to see her first game of Softball.

Phoenix 2 0 5 1 3 0 11 Tigers 6 6 0 4 7 3 26

MVPs

17/05/16 Colt 45s

All good things come to an end and our unbeaten run has been and gone. We were always playing catch up in this game, a 7th inning rally got us close but for the vast majority of the game we were second best to an impressive Colts team who hit the ball hard and took their opportunities in the field.

OBP leaders were JD and Dave, who each batted 1000. JD was also the Home Run Hero with a couple of enormous blasts to left field.

In the field Dave pitched well again, Dan impressed after moving to shortstop. Sandra was good on 2nd, Louise took a nice catch behind the plate and TK looked good on 1st.

Tigers 2 2 3 0 3 1 5 16 Colt 45s 4 5 2 4 1 1 X 17

MVPs

10/05/16 Hurricanes

The Tigers started strongly in this game, posting an 11 run first innings and, despite the odd defensive wobble never looked in serious trouble after that. For the second week in a row we improved in the as the game went on.

Emma (5 for 5) and JD (4 for 4) each batted 1000 and with several others going 3 for 4 it was a good night at the plate for the whole team. We backed up our good batting with some intelligent base running that put pressure on the opposition throughout. Dan and JD both hit Home Runs.

In the field Dave pitched another good game. TK looked a natural at short stop, Emma took a couple of nice catches, Rob looked solid at first and the Downes boys were energetic in the outfield.

Hurricanes 0 6 3 3 1 13 Tigers 11 3 2 6 6 28

MVPs

03/05/16 Rippers

The Tigers recovered from a shaky start to record a deserved win against a hard hitting Rippers team who should win a lot more games than they lose in Division 4 this year. After an ugly 1st inning a 9 run 2nd got us underway and we improved in the field in the second half of the game.

Emma, Helen (both 4 for 4), Steve G. and Annie (3 for 3) all batted 1000, as did pinch hitter Tony. There were other good, patient, batting performances up and down the line up as the whole team showed an impressive willingness to work the count. In the field Sandra looked good in right field, Dan was hyper active in centre and left and Steve G. did well in his debut at short stop before being forced to 3rd when injury forced him to shuffle across. Dave pitched another good game.

Tigers 0 9 1 0 3 4 17 Rippers 6 0 5 2 0 2 15

MVPs

26/04/16 Drizzle

Bad light brought this seesaw clash to a premature end with the teams tied at 11 runs apiece. Drizzle took an early lead, the Tigers clawed their way back and held a one run advantage going into the 6th. Drizzle hit the ball hard in the top of the inning and scored 4 runs but couldn't defend their lead, leaving the teams level as darkness descended.

Male batting leader was JD, who went 4 for 4, Emma led the way for the women going 3 for 4. In the field Dave pitched a good game, TK impressed on 1st, Dan looked lively in the outfield, Emma also took a nice catch in right field and Caroline recorded the first out of her career on a force play at home. The two teams were well matched and a tie seemed a fair, if not entirely satisfactory, result.

Drizzle 4 3 0 0 0 4 11 Tigers 3 0 4 1 0 3 11

MVPs