Travis Bass broke out for the best game of his short Newport Rams career in a 21-5 mercy rule drubbing of Upwey-Ferntree Gully Tigers in the Baseball Victoria summer league division 1 on the road on Sunday.
Bass, who arrived from the United States at the start of the season, picked up a season-high three hits, including a home run, and had five RBIs in a stand-out performance.
The one-time Perth Heat-listed utility also delivered five strong innings as starting pitcher. “He had a good day out,” Rams assistant coach Gavin Young told the Weekly.
“He had some quality at-bats and did a really good job on the mound, giving up just one walk for the game.”
There were no chinks in the armour for the Rams as they dominated all facets of the game. They piled on 13 runs in the first three innings and proceeded to put up another eight in the sixth and seventh to make it a hellish day for the Tigers’ pitchers.
Troy Malthouse picked up three hits in his return from a rib injury and there were two hits apiece for Dean Anglin, Jordan Young and Jeremy Young.
“We batted right through the line-up; the whole nine players got hits,” Young said. “If someone had a poor at-bat, the next guy would have a really good at-bat and pick them up. It was a really good team effort today.”
Malthouse made an immediate impact going three-from-five with two RBIs in his return from the cracked ribs he suffered on November 24.
It was a fleeting appearance, being subbed out of the game for Corey Wilson, but an effective one. “He came back and did what we expected him to do,” Young said. “He’s not fully over his injury. He didn’t make it all the way through, but we didn’t need to keep him in late in the game and were able to give him a bit of a rest.”
Confidence is sky-rocketing for the Rams, who have won three of their past four games. With a .500 win percentage, it ranks the Rams (5-5) sixth overall and third in their conference. The Rams will host Blackburn at home on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Williamstown moved a game clear in the top four with a 3-0 win over Malvern in division 2.
The Wolves will be out to repeat the dose when Malvern visits Greenwich Reserve for tonight’s midweek game.
