By ADEM SARICAOGLU
THE Werribee Giants are back on the winners list in Division Two baseball after beating St Kilda 2-1 at Presidents Park on Sunday.
The Giants opened the scoring in the third inning before St Kilda replied with one of its own in the fourth.
However it didn’t take long for Werribee to restore its lead, knocking in a second run in the fifth which turned out to be enough for the Giants’ third victory of the season.
Werribee coach Phil Balzer said the slightly windy conditions suited the pitchers throughout the low-scoring affair.
“Aaron Brandt (St Kilda’s pitcher) threw pretty well and with 10 strikeouts against us, we certainly had our work ahead of us,” Balzer said.
“But Wes De Jong pitched seven innings for us, and whilst he only got one strikeout, he only gave up six hits as well.
“So he was outstanding for us keeping them down to just one run, but we had some good defence behind him as well.”
With the fifth-placed Giants now back above .500 with a 3-2 record, Balzer is feeling good about his side’s prospects despite a noted lack of offensive power at the plate.
“I am pretty confident in what we’re doing,” Balzer said.
“We’re very solid defensively. Offensively we’re not overly strong, but if we get a couple of guys on (base), I think we’re the fastest team in the league in terms of leg speed.
“If we get a couple of guys on (base) then we’ll be able to start doing things and put the pressure on the opposition when they make mistakes and capitalise on that.”
Werribee’s next date will be with third-placed Springvale on the road this coming Sunday.
Balzer is bullish about his Giants’ prospects, not only for this weekend’s clash but the entire remainder of the season still to come.
“I’m really confident that we can take that game and move from 3-2 to 4-2, which should move us into the top four,” he said.
“Then it’s up to us after that.”
After the Springvale game, Werribee is scheduled for two meetings with Mulgrave (currently last) and one with Port Melbourne (second-last) through to the end of November.
