NEWPORT Rams are just one win away from a return to Victorian baseball’s elite.
The Rams won in a 15-13 shootout over Berwick on the road at Cyril Molyneux Reserve on Saturday to keep a two-game buffer at the top of the division 2 standings.
All the Rams need is victory in one of their last two matches or a loss from rivals Williamstown Wolves to grab automatic promotion.
“We’re not guaranteed to go up yet so this week is a critical game for us,” Rams assistant coach Gavin Young told the Weekly ahead of a penultimate-round encounter with Bonbeach.
“We want to go out and win this week and then that last game [against Williamstown] really doesn’t matter.”
The Rams were indifferent in the two-run win over Berwick.
Their pitching, so often a staple, was erratic. Griffin Weir was pulled from the mound in the fourth inning, but Liam Vicary-Lovegrove and Cameron McNish fared little better.
Not until closer Jeremy Young was deployed over the final three innings did the Rams have a semblance of control.
“We needed someone to stand up on the hill, throw a lot of strikes and not give up walks,” Gavin Young said.
“Jeremy threw a lot of strikes over those three innings. Only 10 guys came to the plate and he struck out four of them.”
Meanwhile, Williamstown kept its slim minor premiership hopes alive with a 13-6 win over Moorabbin at Greenwich Reserve. The Wolves will visit lowly Port Melbourne on Saturday.
In division 3, Footscray ended the home-and-away rounds on a high note with an 8-3 win over Doncaster. The Bulldogs are ranked second.
Division 2
Firsts: Berwick 13 Newport 15, Williamstown 13 Moorabbin 6. Seconds: Williamstown 4 Moorabbin 2, Berwick 7 Newport 6. Thirds: Newport 7 Berwick 5, Moorabbin 3 Williamstown 7. Fourths: Newport 10 Williamstown 8
Division 3
Firsts: Doncaster 3 Footscray 8. Second:
Doncaster 0 Footscray 26
