Stephen Ratu stars with the bat in Canterbury club softball
The Canterbury men's softball team will sorely miss Black Sox veteran Stephen Ratu this season after his hitting feats in the club premiership on Saturday.
Ratu hammered an an automatic home run to help a young PCU Devils team beat Canterbury champions Albion 6-2 and he also sparked a batting rally in a come-from-behind 6-3 win over the Papanui Tigers.
The 40-year-old told The Press late last week he will not be playing for the Canterbury Red Sox this season and is undecided about his international future after playing for the Black Sox at the 2015 world championships.
"I'm just going to have a rest from it, but I may be back next year.
"Ideally, I kind of want to not play, but if [Canterbury and the Black Sox] are struggling for numbers and need me, I'm not going to turn them down if they ask me. At this stage, I'll see how the body holds up."
Ratu, who is coaching the Canterbury under-15 boys' team and his son's under-9 teeball side, said he was "still loving" playing club softball for PCU where he was enjoying helping develop some younger players. "It's giving me a new lease of life."
With Gareth Cook injured, Ratu and outfielder Josh Thomson are the only Black Sox alumni in the PCU lineup this year as the club rebuilds.
But the new brigade come of age with their doubleheader win at Mainland Foundation Ballpark.
Ratu's two-run homer in the fourth inning gave PCU a 2-1 lead over Albion, which they built on with runs to Ratu, Thomson and Nopera Stockford in the sixth inning before Stockford batted in Matt Verheul for the sixth run in the seventh frame.
PCU took seven scattered hits off Albion pitcher Aiden Cocker with Carson Cox producing a two-run double.
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New Zealand under-19 representative Bailey Hamilton held Albion to four hits, including two from Black Sox infielder Josh Harbrow.
Papanui paid the price for taking the foot off the pedal after racing out to a 3-0 lead over PCU with runs to Callum Bishop, Tyron Bartorillo and Nathan Watt, who all collected safe hits in the third inning.
PCU hit back in the fifth through Curtis Dove and Ratu, who doubled to leftfield. Ratu led off a four-run spree in the top of the seventh with a single and was Thomson and Stockford followed with hits to give the Devils a three-run victory.
Britt and Hamilton restricted Papanui to five hits and the Tigers paid the price for pitching six walks.
Ratu batted 1.000 with two hits and two walks while Thomson and Stockford also had two hits. Bartorillo was the Tigers' best batter with two from three.
Harbrow and Paul Stead blasted home runs in Albion's 7-4 win over the Halswell Hornets. Stead batted three from four and Harbrow two from three.
Experienced first baseman Nic Milne led Albion Cardinals to a 2-1 win over Halswell in the Canterbury women's premiership at Papanui Domain.
Milne had two hits from three at-bats and scored Albion's decisive second run.
Jessica Thornley scored for Halswell and player-coach Nicole Baxter had two hits from three, including a triple.
Both teams had six safe hits with pitchers Sharnae Walsh (Albion) and Jenni Mumm (Halswell) taking an identical three strikeouts.
But Halswell ran out of steam in their second game with Sydenham Kereru clinching a 11-5 win. Robyn Hall hit a two-run homer for SK, Cassandra Andrews had three hits and Danielle Bolton clouted a two-bagger.
Bev Lethlean homered for Halswell.
Results
Men: PCU Devils 6 Albion 2, PCU 6 Papanui 3, Albion 7 Halswell 4.
Women: Albion Cardinals 2 Halswell 1, Sydenham Kereru 11 Halswell 5.
- Stuff
