Round 17 of the Geraldton softball competition: Dominance from Rams in men’s and women’s

As softball finals loom, Rams issued a warning to other teams by dominating round 17 of both men’s and women’s first division competitions.

Only one round remains in the women’s and two rounds in the men’s before finals.

On Friday night, in women’s first division, Rams defeated Martians 20-10 despite Martians recording more safe hits. Costly fielding errors and walks from Martians’ pitchers allowed Rams to capitalise.

Rams’ Amanda Yeomans led the way with a triple and two singles, while Kaycee Monaghan contributed a single and took two crucial catches. Martians’ best included Haylee Coker with a double and two singles, and Tamara Kuipers with a triple and a single.

Later on Friday, Midwest Marlins collected 12 hits to Suiside’s 10 but fell 8-6. Ava Gould and Zoe Purcell had three hits each, while Jamiee Davies added two.

Sam Roberts’ early single put Marlins ahead, but Suiside responded through Sara Reynolds’ double. Marlins led 3-2 in the fourth before Suiside regained control in the fifth, with Taya Palmer’s two-RBI single and Natasha Hansen’s ground-out bringing in runs.

Gould pitched five and two-thirds innings, striking out six, while Palmer pitched seven innings with five strikeouts.

Next week’s final round sees Rams take on Suiside and Pi’s go against Martians. All ladder places are now decided, and teams will be playing to maintain form going into the finals.

Rams’ top division side in the men’s shut out Martians 15-0 in a dominant display on Saturday, moving them into second place on the ladder.

Rams’ Paul Valenti was in superb form, hitting two home runs over the fence, Leon Chapman also hitting another home run, both players continuing their fine from the Rams Skins Tournament. Later on Saturday in rainy conditions, Suiside continued their strong form, taking down Blaze 11-0.

Suiside’s Liam Meharry was in spectacular form, with the young Bulldog surely a favourite for season MVP after pitching another shutout for the ladder leaders.

Next round’s games will see Martians and Blaze trying to bounce back when they play each other on Friday night, while Suiside will be looking to keep their excellent run of form going against Rams.

Earlier on Saturday in men’s second division, Suiside defeated Martians Red 8-0 in a low-hit contest. Kane Jefferies struck out nine of the 21 batters he faced, while Martians’ pitchers gave away 10 walks.

Gunduwa secured a 13-9 win over Rams White in a back-and-forth contest, with Shane Carter and Keenan Oakley recording multiple hits. Rams White’s James Collins hit a crucial triple, but errors proved costly.

Blaze overcame Pi’s Panthers 23-13 in a high-scoring battle, with Brendan Thomas leading the charge with four hits, including a triple and a double.

In women’s second division on Saturday, Midwest Marlins fought back from a four-run deficit to beat Pi’s Panthers 6-4, with Pi’s Janelle Phillips hitting an inside-the-park home run.

Marlins also claimed a 19-12 win over Gunduwa in a high-scoring clash, with Michelle Kyles leading the charge with three singles. Gunduwa’s Kierran Taylor drove in three runs in a big fourth-inning push, but Marlins’ consistency secured the win.

Pi’s Panthers edged out Blaze 19-14 in another high-scoring women’s second-division match, pulling away with a dominant fifth inning. In a surprise result, Rams Blue stunned Suiside with aggressive batting, winning 29-14.

Teams will be looking to finish the regular season on a high in the last round next week.