What an incredible weekend for Pakenham’s baseball club, the Pumas, with some magnificent highlights to report. Timmy Jun ran riot in the Under 15s with an almost perfect game; B2 had a barnstorming win over Cheltenham, while the build up to this week’s women’s derby will be electric after two classic contests. Here’s how this week’s round of matches played out.
A1
Pakenham Pumas put up a spirited fight against Cheltenham on Saturday, delivering a game full of highlight-reel moments, big hits, and defensive brilliance that kept the crowd entertained from start to finish. While Cheltenham managed to squeeze out a late-game burst, scoring eight runs in the top of the sixth, the Pumas had their fair share of fireworks, showcasing grit and hustle all game long. The defensive play of the day came in the form of a textbook 8-6-2 relay that saw a Cheltenham runner gunned down at home plate, a play that had the Pumas faithful roaring in approval. Pitcher Luke Anson took charge on the mound, grinding through five and a third innings with five strikeouts and navigating some tough innings with a calm and competitive edge. The middle of the game saw four consecutive scoreless innings, with the Pumas defence locking things down. Taiga Saito led the charge offensively, going 2-for-3 at the plate and setting the tone for the Pumas’ lineup. Rhys also chimed in with a solid base hit, adding to the team’s efforts. Final Score: 14-0 Cheltenham.
B2
If Cheltenham was hoping for a relaxing Saturday of baseball, the Pakenham Pumas B2 squad had other ideas — and those ideas involved hitting, running, and just a little bit of chaos. Grant “The Hitting Machine” Miller decided five hits in five at-bats sounded like a good day’s work. He smashed doubles, slapped singles, and probably could’ve hit with his shoelaces if he tried. Rumour has it, Cheltenham’s outfielders are still chasing after his fourth-inning double. The game started politely enough, with Travis Hough knocking in a run to get the Pumas on the board. Cheltenham, not wanting to be rude hosts, tied it up when Damon sliced a double down the line on an 0-2 count, as if to say, “We’re in this too!” Spoiler alert: they were not. In the top of the second, the Pumas decided they were done with small talk. They unleashed six runs on just three hits, led by Wayne Porter, who smacked a double so hard it might’ve needed a boarding pass. The inning was so wild, it could’ve used a traffic controller just to keep track of all the runners crossing the plate. By the fifth inning, Cheltenham’s scorer was begging for mercy as the Pumas tacked on another seven runs. It was a group effort of chaos: fielder’s choices that somehow scored runs, walks that magically turned into RBIs, and singles that had Cheltenham’s defence playing Twister instead of baseball. Then came the sixth inning — which will be remembered as “The Great Puma Stampede.” Seven more runs crossed the plate. Jessica Moulding slapped two singles in the same inning because once wasn’t enough, Wayne Porter doubled again just to flex, and Travis Hough kept sneaking in hits like a kid at a lolly shop. By now, even the umpires were wondering if there was a mercy rule… and an oxygen tank. On the mound, Shaun Fahy pitched like a man who had a dinner reservation, striking out eight over four innings and giving up just two runs. Justin Mazurek came in for a clean-up job, delivering a scoreless inning that was smoother than a jazz sax solo. In total, the Pumas racked up 16 hits, 12 stolen bases and didn’t commit a single error — which is impressive considering how exhausted they must’ve been from sprinting around the bases. Wayne Porter led the RBI parade with five, but it felt like the whole team had a piece of the pie. Even the team’s walk total hit nine, proving their patience at the plate was as strong as their legs on the basepaths. Cheltenham, meanwhile, might need a week off to recover; or at least invest in a bigger scoreboard. Final Score: 15-2 Pakenham.
C2
Pakenham took on Berwick on a makeshift diamond at Cyril Molyneux Reserve, looking to keep the wins rolling, but it wasn’t to be. The Dodgers adapted better to the smaller field, despite another good pitching effort from starting our pitcher, Jamie. Berwick’s bats worked really well, picking up 13 hits for the game, including three doubles and two home runs in a dominant performance, backed up by tough pitching and a solid effort in the field, keeping the visiting Pumas scoreless across two innings and only giving up six runs total in reply. Catcher Andrew Moran was a stand out for Pakenham, picking up three hits and scoring two runs. Craig Willis picked up a double, while Gregg Clutterbuck, Kevin D’Arcy and Jamie all collected singles. It was a tough day at the office, especially for young Julia in her first senior game, but everyone put in and will take away positives to take to Sandringham next week, when we face the Mordialloc Ducks. Final Score: 21-6 Berwick.
WOMEN’S BLACK
In what can only be described as a rollercoaster ride, Pakenham Pumas Women’s Black staged a Houdini-level escape act to defeat Dingley Women’s 15-14 on Sunday. It was a game that had more twists and turns than a mystery novel, with both teams swapping the lead like it was a hot potato.
The Pumas kicked things off with Emily Devine smashing a double to bring in the first run. Things were looking promising until Dingley casually responded with two cheeky singles to snatch the lead, 2-1. That didn’t sit well with the Pumas, so in the third inning, they decided it was their turn again. Hits from Olivia Garcia, Jessica Moulding, and Johanna Blackler had the scorers working overtime as the Pumas surged ahead 5-2. But Dingley came roaring back in the bottom of the third, flipping the game once more. Honestly, the lead changes were getting exhausting to keep up with.
The fourth inning? Chaos. The Pumas lined up a conga line of hits down the left field line – Olivia, Carni Dowsett, Emily, Jess, and Johanna all getting in on the act – each collecting an RBI like they were on a supermarket sweep. Yet, as soon as they grabbed a 10-6 lead, Dingley struck back again, tying it up at 10-10 thanks to a determined Ruby who smacked a single on the sixth pitch of her at-bat. But the Pumas weren’t done. The top of the fifth inning saw them explode with five runs on six hits. Olivia Garcia delivered a key RBI single, while the rest of the team hit everything that moved. The score ticked over to 15-10, and even the birds flying over the field were getting dizzy from the back-and-forth. Olivia Garcia also did it tough on the mound, battling through four and two-thirds innings, giving up 19 hits and 14 runs. But hey, when you’ve got a team behind you piling up 19 hits and swiping 12 stolen bases, you can afford to pitch to contact, right? Jessica Moulding, Olivia Garcia, Johanna Blackler, Holly Lunn, and Emily Devine were the hit-collecting machines, each grabbing three hits, while Jess, Olivia, and Emily also drove in three runs apiece. The Pumas’ base-stealing antics were so relentless, Dingley’s catcher probably still has nightmares about them. And let’s not forget, the Pumas didn’t commit a single error in the field. Jessica Moulding was everywhere, taking on five fielding chances with her usual “I’ve got this” energy.
This Sunday, it’s the Pakenham Derby: Pumas Black vs Pumas White. Local bragging rights are on the line, so grab your popcorn—it’s going to be a cracker. Final Score: 15-14 Pakenham.
WOMEN’S WHITE
Frankston thought it had Sunday’s game wrapped up with a neat little bow by the second inning. Up by nine runs, they were probably already planning their post-game victory selfies. But somebody forgot to mention this to the Pakenham Pumas Women’s White, who don’t believe in giving up – especially not when there’s drama to be had.
The Pumas went full “hold my drink” mode and launched a comeback so wild, even the Frankston bench started getting nervous glances and sweaty palms. What started as a blowout quickly turned into a game of cat-and-mouse – with the Pumas doing all the chasing, and Frankston just hoping the final out would come before total chaos broke loose. Frankston had help from the baseball gods early, jumping to a big lead after a flurry of RBI errors in the second. But Pakenham answered back in style: a wild pitch here, a cheeky walk there, a ground out that somehow scored a run, and a couple of booming doubles that had the dugout howling. It was classic Pumas’ chaos – and it nearly worked. Emily Devine, Felicity Clissold, and Olivia Garcia swung hot bats with two hits apiece, while Johanna Blackler – hitting from the lucky number seven spot – decided to casually drive in three RBIs like it was no big deal. Karlee Brady flexed her plate discipline with two walks, and Kamila Van Weeghel stole bases like she was late for a sale at Kmart. By the end, the Pumas had racked up six stolen bases, and Frankston’s catcher needed an ice pack. Despite out-hitting Frankston nine to five, the scoreboard wouldn’t budge that one extra run that the Pumas needed. It finished 13-12, but the effort was so entertaining, even Frankston fans had to applaud. “It was like Ocean’s Eleven out there,” laughed one Pumas supporter, “except we forgot to steal the last bag of loot.” And while the scoreboard didn’t fall in their favour, the Pumas left with heads high, bats hot, and a warning to the rest of the league: Derby Day is next week, and if you think the Pumas are done, you clearly haven’t been paying attention. Final Score: 13-12 Frankston.
UNDER 15
Timmy Jun hit three home runs and drove in six runs as Pakenham Pumas defeated Dingley/Berwick 10-2 on Saturday. Pumas got on the board in the first inning after Timmy homered to centrefield, scoring two runs. Pumas added to their early lead in the top of the third inning after Timmy cracked a homer to centrefield and Brock grounded out, each scoring one run. Five more Pumas runners crossed the plate in the fourth inning to extend the lead to 9-0. Hunter doubled, scoring two runs and Timmy again sent a homer to centre field, scoring three runs. Timmy earned the win for the Pumas allowing zero hits and zero runs over three and one-third innings, striking out nine and walking one. Liam appeared in relief for Pumas. Angus collected two hits for Pumas in three at bats. Pumas had patience at the plate, collecting seven walks for the game. Coadhey and Julia led the team with two bases on balls each. Angus, Coadhey and Brock each stole multiple bases for Pumas. Pumas ran wild on the base paths, tallying nine stolen bases for the game. Pumas were sure-handed in the field and didn’t commit a single error. Pumas don’t normally single people out, but Timmy’s performance of three home runs and nine strike outs was an exceptional piece of Baseball! Awesome work Timmy!! The win keeps Pumas in second place, with a hard game expected this week against Frankston Black at Frankston. Final Score: 10-2 Pakenham.
UNDER 13
Pumas faced off against Frankston this week going down 4-6. The first inning Frankston got off to a strong start with the first four runners reaching safely but Pakenham stemmed the bleeding to keep the away side to just three runs. They were quick to respond as well with Connor, Noah and Morgan all being patient to walk on four balls. Amelia then drove in two runs with a single to bring the Pumas within one. Frankston again added three more runs in the second inning. In response Marshal singled to left field and scored when Connor also singled to left field. Noah also drove in a run with a single to bring the Pumas total up to four. Pakenham was able to keep the Tomatoes scoreless in the third inning but were unable to score in their half either with the game ending 4-6. Yuan started on the mound for Pakenham striking out six over two innings with Noah relieving to pitch a scoreless third while striking out three. Final Score: 6-4 Frankston.
-James Kinsella and Jessica Moulding-
