The fairy tale continues for Sefton Softball League leaders St. Helens Sabres after their comfortable 18-10 victory over a winless Sefton Sharks.
Nine runs in the fourth inning was the deciding factor in this highly competitive contest. That result now makes it four wins out of four for a Sabres side that is looking more and more united every week.
In this ‘top v bottom’ clash, both sides momentum were heavily polarising. While the Sabres are in their best form since their introduction to this league, the Sharks are experiencing their worst run.
The opening exchanges saw the Sharks keep out any threat with some highly efficient fielding, most notably by captain Stephen Shearer and outfielder Dave Martin Baez. On the scoring side, the Sharks took a narrow 5-4 lead after three innings.
It was not until the fourth innings where the Sabres came alive with the bat themselves. With almost every Sabres player scoring a run, the St. Helens side moved into a commanding 13-7 lead.
Despite Sefton still scoring runs, they could not narrow the gap enough to worry their opponents. Sabres captain Jack Scholes remains confident that they can keep this winning run going. With their highly anticipated fixture against league champions Crosby Vikings postponed last week, they will have to wait until July 10th until they meet for the first time this season. Only then would we see if winning the league is a likely outcome.
As for the current league champions, the Vikings exacted revenge over the Southport Seagulls with an impressive 20-7 victory. After their opening week defeat to Southport, Crosby put in a top all-round team display to move into second spot.
The match looked to be over as a contest after only two innings. Despite a noticeable strong wind, that seemed to not affect the Vikings performance with the bat. A combined fifteen runs saw Crosby jump to an early 15-1 lead. Two runs each were scored by third-baseman Sean Miley, outfielders Vicky Green and Andrew Lott, short-stop Michael Lott and first-base infielder Charlotte Green during that time.
That bright start saw the Vikings move back down to first gear for the rest of the match. Despite a strong fourth inning by the Seagulls, the gap was too much to overturn and Crosby confirmed their thirteen run victory with some effective fielding to close out the match.
Next week is all about catching up to the leaders, as it a rest week for the Sabres. The Formby Fins are back in action and are looking to find their first win of the season. To do that, they would have to beat the Vikings, who are now a three-game winning streak.
The other contest pits the Seagulls against the Sharks. To keep within touching distance of the leaders, the Seagulls will have end victorious. For the Sharks, a win of any kind is at the top of their agenda.
The Sefton Softball League is always happy to welcome new players. With the birth of a sixth team being the league’s next ambition, now is the time to be a part of this ever-growing league. Come down to Holy Family High School in Thornton on Monday evenings at 7pm to give it a go and check out the matches. Also, don’t forget to check out the league website www.seftonsoftball.com, like the Facebook page by typing in Sefton Softball and follow them on Twitter @SeftonSoftball.