One of our early season favourites -- the Fitzroy Bohemians -- drew a lot of chatter over their first five games, going 0-5. Three of those losses were walk-offs. Their starters had a collective ERA of 1.67, while the Bullpen sported a brtual 14.29.
Finally, the skid ended with a 4–2 win over the St Kilda Seagulls, making the Bohemians the last team to register something other than zero in the win column. It's early days, so there’s no need to panic -- they went 12–9 for the rest of the month, staying well within reach of their playoff aspirations.
The Bay of Plenty Magic dropped their first game but rattled off 10 straight wins before being brought back down to earth by the Auckland Sharks, who pinned eight runs on their starter in the first inning en route to a 9–5 victory.
The Adelaide Crowes began hot with a 9–1 record over their first 10, but couldn’t maintain momentum through the rest of April. Hawthorn Phoenix surged late and finished with the best record in Australia.
Here are our picks for the most interesting games of the month.
1 April: Waikato Morepork @ Bay of Plenty Magic
Things started poorly for the Magic as starter Garry Sampson was injured after retiring the first two batters. Enter reliever Danny Hunter.
Before we get too far, let’s take a look at his scouting report:
Misdirection! Hunter pitched five innings, didn’t walk a single batter, and gave up only two hits. His lone earned run came after being pulled with a runner on second in the 6th. The Morepork tied the game at that point, but the Magic pulled ahead again in the bottom half.
Then came the 8th. LF Brian Smith crushed a 3-run homer, and PH Curtis Small added a sac fly to give Waikato a 5–3 lead. The Magic, though, tied it in the bottom of the 9th to force extras.
The Morepork failed to score in the 10th. In the bottom half, a walk and two singles loaded the bases with no outs. Hassa Pomana stepped up. He’d pinch-run in the 9th, and this was his first plate appearance in the competition.
They walked him.
7 April: Counties Manukau Stallions @ Otago Penguins
It’s a cold night in Dunedin, and Stallions CF John Uku is the first man to the plate. He watches four pitches -- two balls, two strikes -- before turning on the fifth and roping a double into the gap. But just as quickly, the next batter lines one straight to the shortstop, who doubles Uku off second. Just like that, the moment fizzles.
Uku comes up again in the 3rd and, perhaps trying to be too aggressive, swings at the first pitch and flies out to center.
In the 5th, the 38 year old shows off his wheels, legging out an infield single on a slow roller to short. Still, the Stallions can’t capitalise.
Otago finally breaks the deadlock in the 6th, scratching across a run to take a 1–0 lead.
In the 7th, with two outs and two on, Uku steps in again. The Penguins try to sneak a first-pitch curveball past him -- but he’s waiting for it. He launches a towering shot over the left field fence. The first lead of the night for Counties Manukau.
Otago gets one back in the 8th, making it 3–2, but time is running out.
Now the 9th. The Stallions are looking for insurance. Uku, leading off again, works the count to 2–2. The pitcher hangs a breaking ball and Uku smashes it off the top of the right-field wall. It caroms oddly into foul territory, catching the outfielders off guard. He tears around second and doesn’t slow down. The relay comes in late --
Uku slides in safe at third.
The first cycle in RCBA history.
2B Harris Kennedy follows with a two-run homer to seal the deal.
21 April: Newtown Jets @ Penrith Blues
Newtown LF Damien Bartlett had a monster 5-for-6 day with two doubles—but it wasn’t enough.
This was a classic back-and-forth. Every time the Jets scored, the Blues answered immediately. Tied 8–8 going into the 8th, Penrith finally pulled away.
A single, a walk, and an infield hit loaded the bases. CF D.J. Hepples ripped a double to score two. LF John-Michael Kirsch singled in another. Then RF Mark Phillips hit a 3-run bomb.
Newtown scraped a run back in the 9th, but that wasn’t nearly enough.
22 April: Adelaide Crowes @ Preston Bears
Adelaide 1B Doug Barr opened with a 2-out solo homer in the 1st. After that? Runs were scarce. Both Jerry Bent and Clifford Horn allowed traffic, but only two runs were scored through 9 innings: one apiece.
Bent threw a jaw-dropping 150 pitches over 7.2 innings.
Extras came and went with both sides threatening—Preston loaded the bases in the 10th, but couldn’t capitalise.
In the 12th, CF Randall Pierre-Louis led off with a single, stole second, and advanced to third on a LF Robert Robertson sac bunt. After 1B Ian Deans struck out, LF Michael Waller stepped up.
Let’s recap Waller’s night:
- - 1st: Single
- - 3rd: First-pitch flyout
- - 5th: Double; thrown out at home on a sac fly
- - 8th: Single, erased by a double play
- - 10th: Single, stranded
So: 4-for-5. No RBI. No runs. Until now.
He took strike one, ball one, fouled off pitch three, ball two... then pounced on a hung slider for a line-drive single to right.
5-hit night. Crowes take the lead—and the win.
24 April: Tasman Suns @ Wellington Bees
This Tuesday night turned into a marathon --
16 innings of deadlock.
Tasman SS Andrew Gower tied the game in the 7th with a 2-run homer. Then... nothing. For hours.
The Bees loaded the bases with two outs in the 10th—PH Riley Tassell struck out. Same story in the 14th: runners on the corners, but 2B Stuart Ellis whiffed at a changeup.
Finally, in the bottom of the 16th, SS Travis Paterson walked and stole second. With two outs, CF Johnny Cooper smashed a grounder straight up the middle. Paterson ran through the stop sign and barely beat the throw to end it just as the clock struck midnight.
Injury News
- Tasman have lost 1B Everett Easton (out for May) and LF Dylan Fleming (should return within a week). The Suns are already at 11–16, May could break them.
- Adelaide loses 2B Ari Eauberl for the season (torn ACL).
- Canterbury lose SS Albert Millican for the season (broken kneecap).
- Counties Manukau lose LF Erik Ferguson (bone bruise, 4 weeks). He was hitting .425/.494/.534 with a 182 wRC+.
Contract News
- 27-year-old switch-hitting 1B Adam Dinger signed a 5-year, $3.3m extension with the Hawkes Bay Moonshots (the synergy!). He’s currently hitting .287/.327/.475 with a 103 wRC+. That ties him up until 2006.