Strike won … Werribee’s Tom Webb concedes a strike against Fitzroy. 58835 Picture: EMILY LANE
By Michael Esposito
WERRIBEE’S Division One baseball side remains only percentage points away from the relegation zone after suffering a disappointing 6-1 defeat to Fitzroy on Saturday.
In a game in which Werribee had high hopes of coming away with a result, the Giants ended up at the mercy of Fitzroy pitcher Matt Kemp, who had a sensational game on the mound.
“Sometimes you’ve just got to top your cap to the opposition pitcher. He did throw quite well,” Werribee coach Earl Byrne said.
It was a dirty day for Werribee’s batters, with 14 hitters being struck out.
“You’re not going to win too many games when that happens,” Byrne said.
The coach believed the game was a missed opportunity to give the Giants some breathing space between them and relegation zone teams Newport and Sandringham.
“Fitzroy is a team we have beat-en and can beat. They’re the sides we’ve got to win games against,” Byrne said.
“If we don’t win these games, when you play the top four sides, your chances are smaller. But when you play the bottom six sides, you’ve really got to try and win those games.
“We’re going to have a talk to the players on Tuesday (today), and explain a few things and see if we can get them going.”
Byrne said his side’s preparation was stunted by the constant rain last week.
“We didn’t get the chance to hit,” he said.
Werribee will take on Essendon on Saturday in what Byrne has described as a “massive game”. The Giants will then play bottom side Newport on Australia Day.
