Errors cost Pumas

FIELDING errors have pushed the Pakenham Pumas (B1) to third as a result of their loss to lowly placed Oakleigh in the Dandenong Baseball Association.
The Pumas lost 6-4 and can only blame themselves with three fielding errors resulting in four runs to Oakleigh.
The Pumas were against some quality pitching, with the bottom placed Oakleigh recently recruiting Korean pitcher Terry Jeong.
Jeong had immediate effect by sitting down the first three of Pakenham batters, bringing the Pumas onto the field. Simon Ferris was on the mound for his first pitching assignment since December and he responded well, keeping the Oakleigh batters from advancing into a scoring position early.
Oakleigh scored first in the third innings, off the back of a fielding error. Two more errors in the fourth innings gave Oakleigh another three runs, as Ferris started to struggle. Another two runs in the fifth and Oakleigh was sitting pretty with a 6-0 lead.
Brunton replaced Ferris and stopped Oakleigh from scoring again.
Pakenham worked themselves back into the game with a run in the sixth and three more in the seventh, bringing the score to 6-4 as the Pumas started to string consecutive hits together.
This was the final result, with the Pumas unable to hit home two runners on base in the ninth innings.
PAKENHAM Pumas (B2) made the trip to Carrum Downs.
With light rain falling, it looked like another unplayable field, but the Cardinal players mopped up the ground and had it ready for play by 12.12pm.
They probably wished they hadn’t, as the Pumas put their young pitcher to the sword, with patient batting and aggressive base running, scoring eight runs despite only having eight players.
Pakenham would score a further eight runs over the next five innings with Carrum Downs only managing to bother the scorer in the last innings, after the Pumas fielders prematurely switched off.
Pumas (B3) were soundly beaten by Cheltenham 10-4.