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Australia Downs the 2005 Japanese & Asia Champions, Chiba Lotte Marines, 14-6 |
AUSTRALIA belted Japan's premier team Chiba Lotte Marines out of the ball park before a record crowd at Geelong Baseball Centre last night.
Australia hit their way to a 14-6 victory over the Marines before 2150 people. The previous record crowd at the Waurn Ponds centre was 1600 at the World Masters championships in 2002.
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15-year Australian veteran Brendan Kingman sent the Australian fans home happy with a 397-foot solo homerun over the fence in the eighth inning to cap the victory. It was a morale-boosting win for Australia, who dropped their final two games against Chinese Taipei, as it prepares for the World Baseball Classic in Orlando, Florida next month. Head Coach Jon Deeble will announce the 30-member squad for the classic on Wednesday. | |
| Brendan Kingman (Click on pic to enlarge) |
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Spectators were treated to a high-scoring affair, led by Paul Rutgers (2-5, 2-RBI), Brad Harman (2-3, RBI), Justin Huber (2-4), Brett Roneberg (3-5, 3-RBI), Brendan Kingman (3-5, 3-RBI), Andrew Utting (1-4, 2-RBI) and Gavin Fingleson
(2-4, RBI). The Marines put up 10 hits of their own, including a towering homerun by Tasuku Hashimoto in the third inning.
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| Justin Huber |
Brad Harman |
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| Andrew Utting | Gavin Fingleson |
Australia got out to a quick 2-run lead in the first inning down 1-0. With one out, Brad Harman doubled and Justin Huber advanced Harman to third on a single to left field. Brett Roneberg singled home Harman and Brendan Kingman cleared
the bases with a 2-run double to center field.
Chiba then tied the game in the top of the second inning on a run scoring single by Toshiya Tsuji and an error led to the second run.
The Aussies then got two more back in the bottom of the second after consecutive walks to Harman and Huber led to a base clearing single by Roneberg.
Chiba wasn't done fighting - they scored two of their own in the top of the third on the two-run homerun to Tasuku Hashimoto.
Australia still wasn't done as the scored another two runs in the bottom half of the third when a walk to Andrew Utting and a two-out double by Gavin Fingleson sent Utting to third. Utting scored on a wild pitch and Andrew Graham drove home the second run of the inning.
After Chiba made it 7-6 in the fifth inning, things settled down a bit but the storm was still to come.
In the top of the seventh and new pitcher Keita Asama on the mound, Roneberg singled, followed by a single by Kingman. Utting cleared the bases with a two-run triple. Fingleson then singled home Utting to make it 10-6. A single by Matthew Kent advance Fingleson to second. Paul Rutgers then cleared the bases with his own two-run triple. A sacrifice flyball by Harman scored the final
run of the inning to make it 13-6.
Kingman's towering homerun in the eight inning added another run making it 14-6 and daunting task was ahead for the Asia Champions.
After starter Craig Anderson left in the fifth inning, Australian relief pitchers shut down the Chiba batters, holding them hitless for the final four plus innings. Richard Thompson, Ryan Rowland-Smith, Donavon Hendricks and Peter Moylan registered two strikeouts each to turn out the lights for Chiba.
Fans can expect the Marines to come out stinging when the two teams clash again for the final and last time to see Australia play at home at Geelong Baseball Centre at 3pm today.
By Robert Cioffi
