Mark Ward
Athlone Athletics and Bellville go head to-head for the Major league honours when they clash on Saturday.
Both teams are on 32 points after the weekend’s fixtures in which they won their respective games by convincing margins in the run-up to the end of the Cape Town Baseball Federation season.
Athlone went on the rampage at Chukker Road where they overwhelmed VOB Macaws 18-2 in a match that lasted seven overs. VOB fell apart in the top of the sixth innings when Athlone’s Jamé Lang hit a single with bases loaded to spark a nine-run spree. The only other batter to have made an impact for Athlone is Luca Alexander 3/4 which included three runs batted in.
VOB started with Damain Perkins on the mound but after four frames was replaced by Josh Rich with Brent Fransman completing the seventh frame before Athlone wrapped-up the much deserved win.
Dean Jacobs (2 hits) six strikeouts, 2 walks) did duty on the mound for A’s.
Darryl Weeder must be eyeing his first league as coach of Athlone as victory over Bellville will secure his team’s first title since 2011 for the club.
With A’s having beaten Bellville in their last encounter they must surely be rated as favourites to lift the title.
Results: VOB 2, Athlone Athletics 18; Westridge Yankees 0, Bothasig Knights 9; Durbanville 5, Bellville Tygers 21; Maitland Giants 13, Helderberg Pirates 6.