THE Newport Rams sunk to their first loss since November on Sunday but coach Grant Weir remains comfortable with where his side is poised close to the finals series.
The ladder still has Newport perched atop Division Two with a game in hand over Williamstown, but their stunning run of recent form came to a halt against Fitzroy.
In a low-scoring affair at Newport’s KC White Reserve, Fitzroy pitcher Adam Rowe restricted the Rams’ offence to just a single run as his side ran home two of their own.
Despite the setback against a fellow finals contender Weir insists his Rams simply fell short in a game that could have just as easily gone the other way.
“In games like that you’ve got to take all the chances you get and we didn’t quite do that,” he said.
“We played pretty well but (Rowe) is probably the best pitcher in the competition.
“We missed opportunities but they missed opportunities as well and in the end it was 2-1, so there was nothing in the game.
“In a really tight game it’s those little things that come back to haunt you.”
Newport pitcher Griffin Weir was again impressive on the mound, but ultimately couldn’t match his much more experienced counterpart.
Coach Weir says little could be done about the two strikes that handed the visitors a win that promoted them into third place.
“They scored off two infield hits that we could do nothing about,” Weir said.
“The balls just snuck over second base and they were basically identical, so that was probably the difference.”
However while small, that difference could prove more significant with four rounds to come.
Williamstown easily accounted for Chelsea in their clash on Sunday and, like the Rams, have won 14 games.
However after the Rams travel to St Kilda this Saturday, they will head for Port Melbourne the following Wednesday to make up for their game in hand.
