December2014

Australia join Black Sox at world championships with 7-0 win over Samoa

December 13, 2014

Auckland, NZ

 

Australia join Black Sox at world championships with 7-0 win over Samoa

Original Story by Tony Smith

Getty Images

NO-HITTER: Australian power pitcher Adam Folkard hurled his side to a 7-0 victory over Samoa to open the Oceania men's softball series at Rosedale Park in Albany.

 

Australia joined the New Zealand Black Sox in qualifying for the next softball world championships after thrashing Samoa 7-0 in Auckland today.

The Black Sox had earlier booked their berth for the 2015 world tournament at Saskatoon, Canada in June after an entertaining 9-5 win over Australia in the Oceania qualifying series.

Ace pitcher Adam Folkard threw his second shut out of the series, conceding just two hits to the Samoans.

The game was scoreless until the bottom of the fourth inning when Australia's Mark Harris was hit by a pitch, advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Andrew Kirkpatrick and a Marshall Kronk hit before scoring on Shaun Goffer's sacrifice fly.

The Australian batters went ballistic in the bottom of the fifth with a six-run spree to end the game early under the seven-run mercy rule.

They batted through their order, collecting six safe hits _ five back-to-back. Nick Norton led off with a hit and the Samoans took the next out. But skipper Joel Southam, Kirkpatrick, Cameron Bint, Goffer - who hammered a triple - and James Todhunter struck successive hits in a ruthless batting display.

Todhunter was the game's top batter with two hits from three at-bats.

Folkard grabbed seven strikeouts and gave up hits to Samoan third baseman Tony Niu and rightfielder Kallan Compain.

Wellington slugger Wayne Laulu showed the younger Black Sox the way today as they scored a second consecutive win over Australia and booked a world championships berth.

Coach Mark Sorenson fielded a youthful lineup but they were still too good for the Australian Steelers, winning 9-5  to continue their unbeaten run.

Laulu - the only member of the Black Sox starting lineup over the age of 30 -  led the way with a two-run line shot homer over the centrefield fence in the third inning.

It was the Black Sox's sixth home run in three games at the Oceania tournament. But today's performance was more about disciplined, contact hitting than pure power.

The Black Sox accumlated 12 safe hits with young catcher Cory Timu grabbing two hits from three at-bats and shortstop Tyson Byrne and leftfielder Thomas Enoka two from four.

Australia again opted to shield top pitchers Folkard and Kirkpatrick from the New Zealanders.

Joel Goodall, who was on the mound in New Zealand's 6-0 win over Australia last night, started again and was immediately in trouble.  He walked Kiwi leadoff Ben Enoka and conceded a safe hit to Tyson Byrne.

The Australians dismissed Thomas Enoka and Laulu but young Hutt Valley infielder Joel Evans stepped up and drove a single to score Ben Enoka and Byrne.

Byrne, who started at shortstop today after playing second base yesterday, collected his second safe hit in the third frame and scored on Laulu's blast.

The Australians grabbed their first run of the series against New Zealand in the bottom of the third after catcher Andrew Havercroft led off with a single. He was replaced on the bases by Southam and scampered home on Sinclair's hit.

Laulu went tantalisingly close to a second home run in the top of the fifth inning, but the ball drifted the wrong side of the foul ball pole in the distant outfield.

But Australia fought back to score four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to turn a three-run deficit into a 5-4 lead.

Havercroft picked a walk, Todhunter singled and Southam was hit by a pitch to load the bases.

Sorenson made a pitching change, replacing starter Bayley Pearson-Hoani with veteran lefthander Heinie Shannon.  But Sinclair snared his second hit of the game to score Bint (running for Havercroft) and Todhunter. 

Shannon struck out Kirkpatrick but Kronk cracked a hit to bring Southam home and Sinclair gave the Australians the lead on Ben Enoka's outfield error.

Australia's advantage was shortlived with the Black Sox replying with their own four-run burst after Sorenson brought some big guns into the batting lineup in the top of the sixth inning. 

After Timu led off with a single, Black Sox captain Nathan Nukunuku entered the game and made base on a fielder's choice.  Veteran power hitter Donny Hale stepped up and supplied a safe hit. 

Jerome Raemaki drove a hit to bring Nukunuku home and Josh Harbrow, running for Hale, crossed the plate after a bad throw from Australian rightfielder Julian Jemmott.

Ben Enoka batted in Raemaki before scoring himself on brother Thomas' single.

After the Black Sox's big inning, Sorenson complimented his players for their disciplined, team-oriented batting approach by focusing on hitting flat line drives to score runs rather than swinging for the fence.

Harbrow stroked a leaguer to shallow rightfield to score Campbell Makea, running for Timu, in the top of the seventh.

AT A GLANCE

New Zealand's hitters were: Thomas Enoka (2) Tyson Byrne (2), Cory Timu (2), Joel Evans, Ben Enoka, Jerome Raemaki, Wayne Laulu, Donny Hale, Josh Harbrow.

 - Stuff.co.nz

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