My Other Blog

My other Blog is my blog on Greensborough Cricket Club. http://gboroughcricket.blogspot.com/

The joy of softball

Well, the season has finished for softball for Apollo. I have to take a moment to explain the joy I felt by putting on a helmet and glove. When I first put on a glove my position was second base. I wasn't so great at it so Mr. Petty (my awesome coach) put me in the infield. The ball then came to me and I through it to first base quickly and accurately. From then I knew I should play the game of softball. The next few times I was too excited and overshot first base but it was my first training session. Sadly last year we didn't make it through to district. So this year I had a different mind set. It was get past GKA. We did that quite well. During the early season I was scared that I lost a bit of my form. But then I proved myself wrong. I loved everything in the game. Meeting new friends, scoring winning runs and just playing Softball in general. I loved everything. I have to thank my 2010 and 2011 team that I have played with. They have always supported me and they were always great. But I have to thank Mr. Petty the most. He has taught me new techniques for 2 years and I will never forget that. So that is my last report. I will put up my other blogs so that you can read them.

Apollo A vs. Swan Hill

So Preston girls defeated Swan Hill. Now it's time for Apollo to face the Swans. Apolllo won the toss and chose to field. Swan Hill hit out in the first innings and score 5 runs in the innings. Apollo then stuck strong to the innings and scored 3 runs. Swan Hill were a great team in everything. They fielding though was world class. Swan Hill then scored 2 runs to make the score 7-3. Apollo then only managed 1 run in the innings. This took the score to 7-4 in Swan Hill's way. Swan Hill was then kept scoreless in the third innings. Apollo then managed only one run in the third innings again. Apollo did some great fielding in the fourth innings and kept Swan Hill scoreless. Apollo then came on to bat and sadly they were kept scoreless. The final score was 7-5 in Swan Hill's favour. Apollo did really well to make it to conference. They were then given a reward after the game. So Apollo's campaign was over. Apollo also claimed that the umpire was unfair to them. I thought that the umpire made some good calls and some really bad calls. So she was alright.

Preston vs. Swan Hill

Apollo had another team on the bus to Strathdale Park. That team was Preston. The Preston girls team played Swan Hill. Preston never looked like losing and won by a satisfactory margin. The next game is Apollo A vs. Swan Hill.

Apollo A vs. Swan Hill Pre Game

Apollo A will face Swan Hill next Monday (21/11/11) to decide who is going to be the best 3 teams in the whole of Victoria. Apollo are confident that they can win against their opponents. They will be playing Bendigo. But will the bus tire the Apollo boys out. You will just have to wait and see. Also Apollo won't be on the bus alone. They will be with the girl winners of Regionals, Preston.

Apollo A girls

Apollo A girls went with the Apollo A boys last Monday (13/11/11). Apollo A girls first game was against Oak Park. Apollo smashed Oak Park with a 15-2 win. There next game was against Epping. this game ended up to be a draw. The final score was 9-9. Apollo's next game was against Preston. This time Apollo's luck ran out. Preston knocked out Apollo from the Regional finals. Preston is going to play in state next week (21/11/11). They are going to share a bus with the Apollo boys who made it into conference on Monday.

Apollo A vs. Sunbury West

Apollo know if they win this game they will be through to Conference. They faced Sunbury West. This time a coin was tossed and Apollo won the toss. They chose to field again. Apollo fielded brilliantly and kept Sunbury scoreless. Sunbury did well themselves when Apollo came out to bat, reducing Apollo to only 1 run. Apollo also dug deep in the second and final innings and kept Sunbury scoreless. Apollo then sealed the victory with a 7 run innings. The final score was 8 Apollo, Sunbury 0. This meant that Apollo were through to Conference.

Apollo A vs. Coburg West

Apollo's third game was against Coburg West. The bat was tossed and Apollo won the toss. They chose to field again. Apollo did some great fielding by letting Coburg score no runs in their first innings. Apollo followed it up with a 7 home innings. Coburg West then scored 3 runs in the second innings. Apollo then followed it up with two runs in their innings. The final score was Apollo 9, Coburg West 3.

Apollo A vs. Rosanna P.S

Apollo's next game was against Rosanna. Apollo had seen Rosanna play against Sunbury West so they knew what they were up against. The bat was then tossed and Rosanna won the toss. They chose to field. So Apollo opened up with a 7 home innings. They had watched Rosanna's pitcher play and they realised that he was fast but not accurate. Apollo then followed up their great innings by keeping Rosanna scoreless. Rosanna then scored 7 runs in their second innings. This put the pressure back on Apollo. Apollo then wasted time and scored 2 runs. The end score was 9-7.

Apollo A vs. Westgath

The first game of the North East Region for Apollo was against the side Westgath. Apollo had a bye in the first round. So the bat was tossed and Apollo won the toss. They chose to field. Westgath scored 1 run in the first innings thanks to some great fielding by Apollo. Apollo then crashed out and scored only 2 runs. Westgath then went in for their second innings. Apollo did their homework and kept the runs down. Westgath scored 2 runs in that innings. Apollo then scored 3 runs in that innings. The score is now 5-3 at the end of the third innings. Apollo then worked together and made sure that Westgath didn't score a run in the third innings. Then Apollo scored 5 runs in the third innings to secure their win. The final score was 10-3.

Apollo A vs. Eltham

Apollo played Eltham in the game for zone. Eltham rolled up to Apollo 30 minutes before the game. So let's fast forward to the game. The game was to be played at Apollo's home ground. Apollo won the toss and decided to field. This would prove decisive in the last innings. Apollo fielded first. So Eltham came up to bat. There was some controversy in the base calling system. An Eltham player kept on lefting their base too quickly. Eltham's captain Jacob also said that hit a foul. Though the umpire's let it go and he was forced out. That left Eltham with no runs in the innings. Apollo batted next and scored 2 runs. Eltham then concentrated a little harder in the second innings because they came blasting out of the blocks with a seven home game. This left the scores 7-2. Apollo though was taken aside by their coach.This seemed to power them with confidence as they score seven runs as well. This meant that the scores were 9-7 in Apollo's favour. Eltham then knuckled down and scored seven runs. The score is now 14-9. This was a world class game. The Apollo coach took the Apollo side to talk again. This gave new courage in their hearts as Apollo really pulled together some big hits and score 7 runs in the innings. The score was now 16-14 at the end of the third innings. The forth innings started with 7 minutes to go until the end of the match. Apollo did their best and ran down the clock. Apollo scored a memorable win. The final score was 16-14. The game had an extra sense of joy to it as there was a debutant in the side. Though that debutant did a lot. His name was Jesse. He deserved the man of the match award.

Apollo A vs. Eltham Pre Game

Apollo A will play Eltham on Friday 4/11/11 at 1:15. This is a very important game for both sides as the winner will progress through to the next round. Apollo are going to bring in another player as there is a player that has broken his arm. This replacement will be the second baseman.

Apollo A vs. Montmorency

Apollo A softball were meant to play softball against Montmorency. However Montmorency didn't have a team and Apollo won by walkover. Next Friday they will play Eltham.

Pre Match Softball

Apollo started training Tuesday and will train Wednesday again. The game will be as early as Wednesday. So the two teams will have to be ready. This game will be played at Apollo's home ground. However Apollo don't know who their opposition is. It will be interesting to find out who they are. Also Apollo have an injury concern with a person breaking his arm. Another absent will be there as there is another person going to Vietnam.

Sport

Well winter sport is over and we go into our summer sport. Still softball will keep going for Apollo A as they have reached district. I will keep you posted on the latest news.

Apollo A vs. GKA

Well this was the game we have all been waiting for. The district final. Last year's grand finalist. Apollo A vs. GKA. Jason was the captain against Tyler (the captain from GKA). Apollo knows how it feels to lose in a district final. Some encouraging words were exchanged and the game started. Jason tossed the bat and Tyler from GKA won the toss. They decided to field. Apollo started off pretty shakily by only scoring 3 runs in the first innings. GKA left Apollo with their chins on the floor with 6 amazing runs. Apollo came back firing in the second innings and they scored 6 runs of their own taking the game up to 9-6. Apollo had tight fielding and some great catches to hold GKA to a three run innings. So at the scores were tied up in the second innings. Apollo scored 3 runs in the innings thanks to some brilliant fielding from GKA. Apollo had very tight fielding in the third innings. Jason (the infielder) was amazing with speed and accuracy. Apollo held GKA to 10. So the scores were 12-10 in the third innings. Things started to get personal. GKA's captain and pitcher started to get some strikes and his pitching was faster. Apollo took their time with the innings. Apollo scored no runs in that innings. However Apollo fielded well. Jackson was the game changer catching a spectacular ball in the air which sealed Apollo's victory. GKA were scoreless in that innings. Apollo ran the clock down in the fifth innings to run out 12-10 winners. A great effort by Apollo. Tyler from GKA had great sportsmanship which was praised by both coaches. Apollo are through to zone.

Apollo A vs. GKA Pre Game

Apollo A will face GKA in the second district final match. Apollo A must push away the fact that they had a production the day before and play as they did in training. This will give GKA the upper hand

Apollo A vs. GKA

This was the District Grand Final. Apollo A vs. GKA. GKA beat Apollo last year so Apollo were out to get revenge. However no pitches were thrown as it was a washout and the district final will be called off until next week (16 SEP 2011).

Apollo A vs. BYE

Apollo A's team was again mixed up into boys and girls to play out the bye. Apollo AA's team won the toss and decided to field. I was in Apollo AB's team. Apollo AA's fielding was tight and Apollo AB only scored 1 run. Apollo AA replied with 3 runs. In the second innings Apollo AA were quick to get Apollo AB out. Apollo AB didn't score any runs in that innings. Apollo AA used that advantage to score 7 runs in that innings. Apollo AB were half asleep in that innings. In the third innings Apollo AB scored 1 run. Apollo AA replied in that innings with 2 runs of their own.
In the fourth innings both teams scored 1 run apiece. The final score was Apollo AA 13 to Apollo AB 3.

Apollo A vs. Laurimar

Apollo A were meant to face Laurimar on the 26th of August. However Laurimar were on their camp so the Apollo A boys and girls team played a scratch match with each other. This match was played at Apollo's ground. Apollo AA won the toss and decided to bat. Apollo AA had a good innings with 4 runs added to the scoreboard. Apollo AB replied with an even better first innings with 6 runs. In the second innings Apollo AA scored 7 runs in that innings. Apollo AB replied with 5 runs of their own. So with the scores tied up we went into a third innings. Apollo AA scored 5 runs in that innings talking their score up to 16. The Apollo AB team went into bat. A game changing moment happened when the first batter from the Apollo AB team batted. When the big hitter went up to bat he edged it and the infielder dropped the catch. If the infielder caught that Apollo AA would have won the game. However Apollo AB sneaked home with a 17-16 win over Apollo AA.

Apollo A vs. Yarrambat

Apollo Parkways are in the district finals most would say. Though they had to win every game. Apollo thought that this game against Yarrambat would be a pushover. Yet they were wrong. Apollo was home again and Eric would be captain. However the home side lost the toss and Yarrambaat chose to bat. In the first innings they scored 2 runs. Apollo smashed 7 runs in their first innings to lead 7-2 at the break. Apollo then had better field ing in the second innings with Yarrambat only picking up 1 run. However Apollo couldn't capitalise on their opportunites. They scored 2 runs for that innings. Taking the score up 9-8 to  In the third innings Apollo were just terrible and let 5 runs go through. Then they took their time and scored 0 runs. It proved to be enough with the final score ending up to be 9-8. Apollo's coach wasn't happy with the behaviour and the performance of his team. They will have to lift their game against the newcomers Laurimar next week.      

Apollo A vs. DCE

This was the game that decide the fate of Apollo. If they won this game they were through to the finals. This was played at Apollo's home ground. DCE won the toss and chose to field. In the first innings Apollo scored 7 runs to DCE's 2. In the second innings DCE's "MINTY HIPPO" saying got them within reach of Apollo. "MINTY HIPPO" meant get ready for the sneak. They scored 5 runs to Apollo's 3. In the third innings Apollo dominated scoring 7 runs to 0. Apollo were never really troubled in the game. The final score was Apollo 17 - DCE 7. That meant that Apollo are through to the district finals! This was marred with the injury of Luke and James. Luke rolled his ankle while James hurt his bum.

Apollo A vs. BYE

This was the week for Apollo A as they has the BYE. They rested and got ready for next week's match vs. DCE.

Apollo A vs. Diamond Creek

This ended up to be a nail biting match. This game was to be played at Apollo. Diamond Creek won the toss and chose to bat. Apollo started off well with 3 runs in the first innings. Many Apollo players blamed the Diamond Creek coach/umpire to be a cheat. In the second innings Diamond Creek scored 7 runs to Apollo's 0. In the third innings Diamond Creek scored no runs. Apollo had scored one run when it happened. I am one of the players. I was on 2 strikes and 3 balls. There was 2 people out and one on third base. I needed to hit this run or our campaign was over. The pitch was on the edge of the plate and I hit it into the gap in-between first and second base. I ran for the home run. When I past third base Nick the base coach was yelling WATCH OUT!. I looked back adnd they had retrieved the ball. I ran as if my life depended on it and got to home. I celebrated by jumping on home base and falling into the hands of my team mates. The final score ended up to be Apollo 8 - Diamond Creek 7.

Apollo A vs. Sacred Heart

Apollo A will face this side again as this was the cTch up round. However they didn't play GKB yet. This game was played at Apollo's home ground, Sacred Heart had the early breakthrough however by winning the toss. They won the toss and chose to field. In the first innings Apollo scored 7 runs to Sacred Heart's 0. In the second innings Apollo s oredd7 run us again. However Sacred Heart managed to score 2 runs in that innings. In the third innings Apollo scored 7 runs to Sacred Heart's 0. Sacred Heart's team was made of grade 3's and 4's and should be really proud oftheir efforts. The final score ended up to be Apollo 21 - Sacred Heart 2.

Apollo A vs. GKA

Apollo A vs. GKA was another can't miss game. It was the two finalist from last year. Apollo lead most of the way last year but GKA stole the victory. However this was 2011. Revenge was on the minds of the Apollo players after thinking what happened to them just 12 months earlier. This epic game was tone played at GK's home ground. Apollo won the toss and chose to bat. The first innings was score less for both teams. In the second innings Apollo scored 3 runs to GKA's 0. In the third innings Apollo yet again scoters 3 runs but GKA scored one run themselves. It would have been more runs if Eric hadn't taken a spectacular catch. GKA kept Apollo scoreless in the forth innings and Apollo defended their total not letting GKA score one ruin from that innings. It was 6-1 in Apollo's favor as they headed into the last innings. GKA kept Apollo scoreless in the final innings score 4 of their own, however a controversial decision made GKA lose their runs because of time! Apollo ran down the clock when the score was 6-5. However Apollo ran down the clock and GKA didn't get to finish their innings, so their fifth innings didn't count. The final score was Apollo 6- GKA 1. This was payback for Apollo as GKA beat them last year in the district final. It was a very emotional game.

Apollo A vs. Green Hills A

This game was one of the games that you had to see. Apollo A the best team in the business vs. Green Hills A who have the state pitcher. Apollo's coach said that the pitcher was nothing to be afraid of. Apollo hosted the game but they lost the toss and Green hills chose to bat. Apollo were hopping that Green Hills would field but they chose to bat. Green Hills started their match well with 2 home runs coming in the first innings. Apollo could't answer back so Green Hills lead the first innings 2-0. Apollo fought hard in the next innings and were rewarded. Green hills scored 3 runs in that innings. Apollo batted well and scored 5 runs to level the game. In the next innings Green hills fought hard with a 4 run innings. However Apollo were on fire and scored 7 runs in that innings to take the lead in the third innings. The score was 12-9 when the forth innings started. Green hills hit 2 runs to make he game 12-11. However the score stayed like that. Apollo ran the clock down and hit 0 runs. The final score is Apollo A 12 to Greenhills A 11. This game will haunt Greenhills for a long time as they lead for half of the game.

Apollo A vs. Sacred Heart

This was another game to be played at Apollo. They are unbeaten and are going into thus match as heavy favorites. However this was dampened when rain forced the game to be a washout. Apollo A will face Sacred Heart in the catch up round.

Apollo A vs. BYE

This week Apollo had a bye, so the boys and girl softball teams were mixed to play a scratch match. The teams are as follows. Apollo AA: Jason, Janelle, Rachael, Emily L! Taylor, Matt, Jack, Eric, James W and Nick. Apollo BB: Graeme, Luke V, Malachi, Sarah H, Olivia, Emily C, Ally, Laura L, Brandon, Jackson, Laura R and Abbey. Captains are Nick and Abbey. In the first innings Apollo AA got of to a flyer smashing 7 runs. Apollo BB managed to hit 4 runs. In the second innings Apollo AA were in full stride as they scored another 7 runs. Apollo BB only managed 3 runs with their Apollo AA's tight fielding. In the third innings Apollo BB restricted Apollo AA to only 2 runs while they scored 3 runs themselves in that innings. The final scores were Apollo AA 16- Apollo BB 10.

Apollo A vs. GKB

The second match of Apollo's season was to be played at their home ground vs. Glen Katheine B. The game however, was washed out. There was no result, however the teams will face each other in the catch up round.

Apollo A vs. Hurstbridge

Apollo faced off against Hurstbridge in the first softball game of the season. The new Apollo team consisted of 9 year 6's and 2 year 5's. The game was played at Hurstbridge however they lost the toss and Apollo chose to bat. The home side got off to a bumpy start with Apollo leading the way 7-3 in the first innings. Apollo then scored 5 runs in the second innings to Hurstbridge's 0. In the third innings Apollo scored 7 runs to 2. The final scores ended up to be Apollo 19 Hurstbridge 5.