Newport Rams have produced one of the surprises of the season so far by downing the previously undefeated Melbourne Demons 5-1 in Baseball Victoria’s summer league division 1 at KC White Reserve on Sunday.
Rams assistant coach Gavin Young is adamant it was no flash in the pan.
“It shows that we can match it with anyone in this league,” he said. “They know they can do it.”
The Rams were scrappy at the start, conceding the opening run at the top of the first.
PICTURE GALLERY: Newport Rams v Melbourne Demons
But they soon settled into a groove.
“We started the game by giving them a lot of strikeouts and having poor at bats,” Young said. “Then we knuckled down, got tough, made the adjustments early in the game and put pressure on them. We played good, tough baseball.”
The fruits of the Rams’ labour came in a breathtaking four-run fifth inning.
Batters got on base in a variety of ways, including hits, walks and a hit by pitch, as a calm game turned frantic.
The young Rams held it together, executing the fundamentals better than the visitors.
“We played the game hard, we ran hard and we didn’t make ourselves an easy out at any time … that’s what really made the difference today,” Young said.
“We forced them to have to make a good throw, and if they didn’t make a good throw, we made them pay.”
The Rams added an insurance run in the eighth to end the scoring.
Jeremy Young was the lone multiple-hit batter for the Rams with two, but five others got hits.
The Rams pitchers were on song.
Starter Griffin Weir was outstanding in six innings, giving up just one run and no walks, despite not throwing a strikeout. Travis Bass closed out the game with three strikeouts in three innings and no runs allowed.
The Rams (3-4) will travel to Cheltenham (4-2) on Sunday.
