Big hitting continues in Auckland NFS pre-Xmas softball

The Waitakere Bears women have continued their dominant start to the Pure Athletic Northern Fastpitch Series (NFS) pre-Christmas action with a second straight victory.

The Bears put away the Northern Bandits 8-1 at Starling Park, with teen Shyah Hale hitting a lead-off home run for the second week running. Waitakere have outscored their two opponents by a combined 20-2.

In the other women’s premier game of the round, the Accent Insurance Howick team had their first outing of the competition, starting slow before recording a 10-5 win over the Mt Albert Ramblers at Warren Freer Park.

Heading into the third inning, Howick were up 1-0, adding hits to Stefanie Smith, Jordyn Murray and Tamzin Smith, who has returned to the club after a couple of seasons away at Otahuhu.

Up 4-0, Howick were feeling confident but gave up hits to Zoe Tolhopf and Georgia Faunt, allowing Ramblers to make it a one-run game.

However, the east Auckland club then upped the tempo. Corinna Rahm managed to get on base with a walk, followed by a safe bunt by Samantha Greenwood. Up stepped Jackie Smith, who got Rahm home with a hit of her own, Smith was then intentionally walked to load the bases with Murray up next. Murray forced the Ramblers shortstop into an error, bringing home Smith.

Power-hitter Caitlin Sill, who also started as pitcher, smashed a ball to bring in another two runs, followed by Kelsea King hitting a stand-up triple to the fence, bringing home Kailee White, who was running for Sill.

This took Howick to a comfortable 10-4 scoreline, with Ramblers bringing Karstein Fuimaono home later for more respectability on the scoreboard.

Notable in the game was pitcher Skylah Breeze Joyce, who made her premier debut for Howick at age 14 and in the process got her first premier strike out victim.

In the women’s reserve grade at Warren Freer Park, Northcote came away with a 4-3 win over Ramblers.

The team from the northern side of the bridge – under the guidance of former Black Sox Brad Rona and Karlheim Naera – started the scoring action in the first innings, with lead-off Hannah McArdle King making base on an error, moving to second on an errored sacrifice bunt by Tirakahurangi Takuira-Leaf, both runners pulling off a double steal before scoring on Jamie Matthews’ outfield hit.

Ramblers pulled a run back in the third inning, with Brodie Monds picking up a walk, Kairo Tulisi-Hunuki putting down a sacrifice bunt to move Monds up, before Ari’ane Keresoma was hit by a pitch. Both runners moved a base on a passed ball before Monds scored on an infield error off the bat of Faunt.

Northcote got three runners on base in their third inning but failed to score.

After a quiet fourth inning, the game moved up a notch in the fifth as pinch-hitter Zetian Neenee Ikitomai picked a walk, followed by two hits off the bats of Leilani Andrew and Faunt, scoring the returning runner Caprice Thomas. Karstein Fuimaono was intentionally walked, loading the bases, before a strikeout passed ball allowed Andrew to cross home plate.

Northcote quickly tied the score up 3-3 with their first batter McArdle-King getting a hit away to the outfield, moving to third on a sacrifice bunt that was errored, scoring on a Jayah Lee safe hit.

NORTHERN FASTPITCH SERIES RESULTS

Premier Women: Waitakere Bears 8 Northern Bandits 1, Accent Insurance Howick 10 Mt Albert Ramblers 5

Reserve Women: Waitakere Bears 6 Northern Bandits 2, Northcote 4 Mt Albert Ramblers 3