2010 Claxton Shield regular season
The 2010 Claxton Shield regular season was held from 6 November 2009 through to 23 January 2010. All five teams competed in a double round-robin format; playing each other team in two series of three games each, totaling 24 games played each. The top three teams progressed to the finals series. The top team automatically qualified for the championship series, to face the winner of the semi final series between the second and third placed teams.[1]
Standings
| Clinched championship series berth | |
| Clinched semi final series berth |
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victoria Aces | 17 | 7 | .708 | – | 8–4‡ | 9–3† |
| South Australia | 14 | 10 | .583 | 3 | 8–4 | 6–6‡ |
| New South Wales Patriots | 14 | 10 | .583 | 3 | 8–4 | 6–6 |
| Perth Heat | 12 | 12 | .500 | 5 | 7–5 | 5–7 |
| Queensland Rams | 3 | 21 | .125 | 14 | 2–10† | 1–11 |
- †—A game postponed from Round 7, held in Round 8, was played with Victoria Aces as the away team and Queensland Rams as the home team, despite being played at Geelong Baseball Park, Geelong, Victoria.
- ‡—A game postponed from Round 3, held in Round 9, was played with South Australia as the away team and Victoria Aces as the home team, despite being played at Norwood Oval, Adelaide, South Australia.
Round 1
The New South Wales Patriots and the Victoria Aces hosted the opening round of the 2010 Claxton Shield, against the Queensland Rams and the Perth Heat respectively. New South Wales overcame a loss in their first game to take both games in the doubleheader, while Victoria had a first up win, then split their double header with Perth.
| 6 November 2009 | Queensland Rams | 4 – 3 | New South Wales Patriots |  Blacktown Baseball Stadium, Sydney |
| WP: Justin Erasmus (1–0) Sv: Matthew Timms (1) |
Boxscore | LP: Vaughn Harris (0–1) |
| 6 November 2009 | Perth Heat | 8 – 9 | Victoria Aces | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Geelong Baseball Park, Geelong |
| LP: Mark Kelly (0–1) | Boxscore | WP: Casey Jones (1–0) | ||
| HR: Timothy Kennelly (1) | HR: Hayden Dingle (1) |
| 7 November 2009 | Queensland Rams | 1 – 10 | New South Wales Patriots | Blacktown Baseball Stadium, Sydney |
| LP: James Albury (0–1) | Boxscore | WP: Timothy Cox (1–0) |
| 7 November 2009 | Perth Heat | 3 – 8 | Victoria Aces | Geelong Baseball Park, Geelong |
| LP: Travis Murphy (0–1) | Boxscore | WP: Matthew Blackmore (1–0) | ||
| HR: Mitchell Graham (1) |
| 7 November 2009 | Queensland Rams | 3 – 4* | New South Wales Patriots | Blacktown Baseball Stadium, Sydney |
| LP: Matthew Timms (0–1) | Boxscore | WP: Aaron Sookee (1–0) |
| 7 November 2009 | Perth Heat | 11 – 1* | Victoria Aces | Geelong Baseball Park, Geelong |
| WP: Dylan Peacock (1–0) | Boxscore | LP: Greg Wiltshire (0–1) |
- *—Scheduled as a 7–inning game
Round 2
The Perth Heat hosted their first series of the competition, winning their series against the New South Wales Patriots two games to one. South Australia had their first games of the season, hosting and sweeping the Queensland Rams three–nil. The second game of both series featured the first extra innings games of the season, with the respective home teams winning both matches.
As a result of their sweep, South Australia (3–0) took the outright lead of the competition, leaving Victoria (2–1) in second, New South Wales and Perth (3–3) tied, and Queensland (1–5) in last position.
| 12 November 2009 | New South Wales Patriots | 5 – 3 | Perth Heat |  Baseball Park, Perth |
| WP: Matthew Rae (1–0) | Boxscore | LP: Benn Grice (0–1) | ||
| HR: Mitch Dening (1) |
| 13 November 2009 | Queensland Rams | 0 – 7 | South Australia |  Norwood Oval, Adelaide |
| LP: Simon Morriss (0–1) | Boxscore | WP: Darren Fidge (1–0) |
| 13 November 2009 | New South Wales Patriots | 2 – 3 (F/11) | Perth Heat | Baseball Park, Perth |
| LP: Jarrett Commane (0–1) | Boxscore | WP: Travis Murphy (1–1) |
| 14 November 2009 | Queensland Rams | 5 – 6 (F/8)* | South Australia | Norwood Oval, Adelaide |
| LP: Aaron Thompson (0–1) | Boxscore | WP: Wayne Ough (1–0) |
| 14 November 2009 | New South Wales Patriots | 5 – 6 | Perth Heat | Baseball Park, Perth |
| LP: Timothy Atherton (0–1) | Boxscore | WP: Benn Grice (1–1) |
| 14 November 2009 | Queensland Rams | 0 – 9 | South Australia | Norwood Oval, Adelaide |
| LP: Chris Lamb (0–1) | Boxscore | WP: Richard Bartlett (1–0) | ||
| HR: Angus Roeger (1) |
- *—Scheduled as a 7–inning game
Round 3
The Queensland Rams hosted the Perth Heat, while South Australia travelled to Geelong to face the Victoria Aces. After winning the opening game, Queensland (2–7) dropped both games of the doubleheader to fall further behind the rest of the field. With Perth's (5–4) series win, they moved ahead of New South Wales (3–3) into outright third.
South Australia (4–1) and Victoria (3–2) split their series. The final game of their doubleheader suspended in the bottom of the second due to rain with South Australia leading 2–0. At the time the game administrators considered continuing the game from the point of suspension when the teams next met in Round 9, though the game was actually restarted and eventually won by South Australia.[2]
| 20 November 2009 | Perth Heat | 1 – 8 | Queensland Rams |  Holloway Field, Brisbane |
| LP: Mark Kelly (0–2) | Boxscore | WP: Simon Morriss (1–1) | ||
| HR: Andrew Utting 2 (2), Brad Dutton (1) |
| 20 November 2009 | South Australia | 6 – 4 | Victoria Aces | Geelong Baseball Park, Geelong |
| WP: Paul Mildren (1–0) Sv: Wayne Ough (1) |
Boxscore | LP: Donavon Hendricks (0–1) |
| 21 November 2009 | Perth Heat | 7 – 4* | Queensland Rams | Holloway Field, Brisbane |
| WP: Terrence Wohlever (1–0) | Boxscore | LP: Justin Erasmus (1–1) | ||
| HR: Timothy Kennelly (2), Chris House (1) |
| 21 November 2009 | South Australia | 2 – 3 | Victoria Aces | Geelong Baseball Park, Geelong |
| LP: Darren Fidge (1–1) | Boxscore | WP: Casey Jones (2–0) Sv: Lee Hogan (1) |
| 21 November 2009 | Perth Heat | 4 – 3 | Queensland Rams | Holloway Field, Brisbane |
| WP: Dylan Peacock (2–0) Sv: Warwick Saupold (1) |
Boxscore | LP: PJ Bevis (0–1) | ||
| HR: Mitchell Graham (2), Timothy Kennelly (3) | HR: Andrew Utting (3) |
| 21 November 2009 Game suspended – weather Replayed in Round 9 |
South Australia | 2 – 0 (Bot 2nd)* | Victoria Aces | Geelong Baseball Park, Geelong |
| Boxscore |
- *—Scheduled as a 7–inning game
Round 4
South Australia, closely followed by New South Wales, had the first games called prior to their scheduled end due to a mercy rule. South Australia's 10–run win helped to set up their series win against Queensland in Brisbane, while the Patriot's 13–run win over Victoria snapped a 3–game losing streak and was the significant part of the 20 runs they scored in the two games for the day.
South Australia (6–2) extended their tournament lead to a game and a half over New South Wales and Perth (5–4), once again tied. Victoria (4–4) fell to fourth, while Queensland (3–9) remained in last.
| 27 November 2009 | Victoria Aces | 6 – 3 | New South Wales Patriots | Blacktown Baseball Stadium, Sydney |
| WP: Casey Jones (3–0) Sv: Matthew Blackmore (1) |
Boxscore | LP: Todd Grattan (0–1) |
| 27 November 2009 | South Australia | 15 – 5 (F/7) | Queensland Rams | Holloway Field, Brisbane |
| WP: Paul Mildren (2–0) Sv: Hayden Beard (1) |
Boxscore | LP: Simon Morriss (1–2) | ||
| HR: Dan Wilson (1), Stefan Welch (1), Ben Wigmore (1), Michael Collins (1) | HR: Joel Naughton (1) |
| 28 November 2009 | Victoria Aces | 5 – 18 (F/7) | New South Wales Patriots | Blacktown Baseball Stadium, Sydney |
| LP: Donavon Hendricks (0–2) | Boxscore | WP: Timothy Cox (2–0) | ||
| HR: Grant Karlsen (1) | HR: Andrew Graham (1), Mitch Dening (2) |
| 28 November 2009 | South Australia | 3 – 2* | Queensland Rams | Holloway Field, Brisbane |
| WP: Dushan Ruzic (1–0) Sv: Wayne Ough (2) |
Boxscore | LP: PJ Bevis (0–2) | ||
| HR: Michael Collins (2) | HR: Alan Schoenberger (1) |
| 28 November 2009 | Victoria Aces | 1 – 2* | New South Wales Patriots | Blacktown Baseball Stadium, Sydney |
| LP: Dean Barker (0–1) | Boxscore | WP: Wayne Lundgren (1–0) Sv: Matthew Rae (1) |
| 28 November 2009 | South Australia | 7 – 9 (F/8) | Queensland Rams | Holloway Field, Brisbane |
| LP: Chris Lawson (0–1) | Boxscore | WP: PJ Bevis (1–2) Sv: Matthew Timms (2) | ||
| HR: Angus Roeger (2) | HR: Alan Schoenberger (2), Joel Naughton (2) |
- *—Scheduled as a 7–inning game
Round 5
As a result of poor attendance at Geelong Baseball Park, game one of the fifth round series between New South Wales and the Victoria was moved to La Trobe University, Melbourne.[3] Having previously attracted crowds of no more than 500,[4] the moved game had an attendance of 2,200, which the home team won 3–2.[5] The series concluded in a doubleheader at Geelong, split between the two teams, giving the Aces the series win. Despite winning the series at Norwood Oval, South Australia suffered their first defeat at home, losing to Perth in the second game of the series.
At the end of the round, South Australia (8–3) held a two-game lead over Victoria (6–5). New South Wales and Perth (6–6) remained tied, having dropped to third place, while Queensland (3–9) remained in last position.
| 4 December 2009 | Perth Heat | 1 – 2 | South Australia | Norwood Oval, Adelaide |
| LP: Warwick Saupold (0–1) | Boxscore | WP: Hayden Beard (1–0) |
| 4 December 2009 | New South Wales Patriots | 2 – 3 | Victoria Aces | La Trobe University, Melbourne |
| LP: Aaron Sookee (1–1) | Boxscore | WP: Matthew Blackmore (2–0) |
| 5 December 2009 | Perth Heat | 4 – 2* | South Australia | Norwood Oval, Adelaide |
| WP: Mark Kelly (1–2) Sv: Dean White (1) |
Boxscore | LP: Darren Fidge (1–2) | ||
| HR: Matthew Kennelly (1) | HR: Ryan Murphy (1) |
| 5 December 2009 | New South Wales Patriots | 13 – 10 | Victoria Aces | Geelong Baseball Park, Geelong |
| WP: Todd Van Steensel (1–0) Sv: Matthew Rae (2) |
Boxscore | LP: Matthew Blackmore (2–1) | ||
| HR: Andrew Graham (2), Michael Lysaught (1) | HR: Grant Karlsen (2), Matthew Lawman (1) |
| 5 December 2009 | Perth Heat | 3 – 8 | South Australia | Norwood Oval, Adelaide |
| LP: Daniel Schmidt (0–1) | Boxscore | WP: Dushan Ruzic (2–0) | ||
| HR: Matthew Smith (1) |
| 5 December 2009 | New South Wales Patriots | 3 – 9* | Victoria Aces | Geelong Baseball Park, Geelong |
| LP: Wayne Lundgren (1–1) | Boxscore | WP: Donavon Hendricks (1–2) | ||
| HR: David Kandilas (1) | HR: Scott Wearne (1), Paul Weichard (1) |
- *—Scheduled as a 7–inning game
Round 6
For the second time in the season, the Queensland were swept in a series this time by the Heat at Baseball Park. The Patriots hosted South Australia, and after dropping the first game won both games in the doubleheader to win the series, and inflict their first series loss of the season.
Despite their series loss, South Australia (9–5) remained in first place. Perth (9–6) moved to second place on the back of their sweep, only one half game behind. Victoria (6–5) dropped to third without playing a game. New South Wales (8–7) fell to fourth, while Queensland (3–12) remained in last place.
| 10 December 2009 | Queensland Rams | 2 – 5 | Perth Heat | Baseball Park, Perth |
| LP: Justin Erasmus (1–2) | Boxscore | WP: Dylan Peacock (3–0) Sv: Warwick Saupold (2) | ||
| HR: Luke Hughes (1) |
| 11 December 2009 | South Australia | 7 – 2 | New South Wales Patriots | Blacktown Baseball Stadium, Sydney |
| WP: Paul Mildren (3–0) | Boxscore | LP: Timothy Cox (2–1) |
| 11 December 2009 | Queensland Rams | 0 – 1 | Perth Heat | Baseball Park, Perth |
| LP: PJ Bevis (1–3) | Boxscore | WP: Nathan Dreissen (1–0) Sv: Benn Grice (1) |
| 12 December 2009 | South Australia | 1 – 2 (F/9)* | New South Wales Patriots | Blacktown Baseball Stadium, Sydney |
| LP: Hayden Beard (1–1) | Boxscore | WP: Matthew Rae (2–0) |
| 12 December 2009 | Queensland Rams | 3 – 10 | Perth Heat | Baseball Park, Perth |
| LP: Chris Lamb (0–2) | Boxscore | WP: Mark Kelly (2–2) | ||
| HR: Alan Schoenberger (3) |
| 12 December 2009 | South Australia | 5 – 6 | New South Wales Patriots | Blacktown Baseball Stadium, Sydney |
| LP: Richard Bartlett (1–1) | Boxscore | WP: Aaron Sookee (2–1) Sv: Timothy Atherton (1) |
- *—Scheduled as a 7–inning game
Round 7
| 18 December 2009 | New South Wales Patriots | 2 – 8 | South Australia | Norwood Oval, Adelaide |
| LP: Todd Grattan (0–2) | Boxscore | WP: Richard Bartlett (2–1) |
| 18 December 2009 | Victoria Aces | 3 – 2 (F/12) | Queensland Rams | Holloway Field, Brisbane |
| WP: Matthew Blackmore (3–1) | Boxscore | LP: Matthew Timms (0–2) | ||
| HR: Andrew Utting (4) |
| 19 December 2009 | New South Wales Patriots | 2 – 1* | South Australia | Norwood Oval, Adelaide |
| WP: Wayne Lundgren (2–1) Sv: Matthew Rae (3) |
Boxscore | LP: Darren Fidge (1–3) | ||
| HR: Andrew Graham (3) | HR: Ryan Murphy (2) |
| 19 December 2009 | Victoria Aces | 5 – 2 (F/6)* | Queensland Rams | Holloway Field, Brisbane |
| WP: Dean Barker (1–1) | Boxscore | LP: James Albury (0–2) | ||
| HR: Scott Wearne (2), Andrew Russell (1) | HR: Andrew Utting (5) |
| 19 December 2009 | New South Wales Patriots | 1 – 4 | South Australia | Norwood Oval, Adelaide |
| LP: Jarrett Commane (0–2) | Boxscore | WP: Paul Mildren (4–0) Sv: Hayden Beard (2) |
| 19 December 2009 Game postponed – weather Played in Round 8 |
Victoria Aces | – | Queensland Rams | Holloway Field, Brisbane |
- *—Scheduled as a 7–inning game
Round 8
| 8 January 2010 Postponed from 19 December 2009 (Round 7) |
Victoria Aces | 8 – 1* | Queensland Rams | Geelong Baseball Park, Geelong |
| WP: Adam Blackley (1–0) | Boxscore | LP: Simon Morriss (1–3) | ||
| HR: Paul Weichard (2), Brett Tamburrino (1) |
| 7 January 2010 | South Australia | 3 – 8 | Perth Heat | Baseball Park, Perth |
| LP: Paul Mildren (4–1) | Boxscore | WP: Dylan Peacock (4–0) |
| 8 January 2010 | Queensland Rams | 1 – 3* | Victoria Aces | Geelong Baseball Park, Geelong |
| LP: James Albury (0–3) | Boxscore | WP: Matthew Blackmore (4–1) Sv: Russell Spear (1) |
| 8 January 2010 | South Australia | 6 – 4 | Perth Heat | Baseball Park, Perth |
| WP: Richard Bartlett (3–1) | Boxscore | LP: Warwick Saupold (0–2) |
| 9 January 2010 | Queensland Rams | 3 – 9* | Victoria Aces | Geelong Baseball Park, Geelong |
| LP: Drew Naylor (0–1) | Boxscore | WP: Dean Barker (2–1) | ||
| HR: Daniel Lamb-Hunt (1) |
| 9 January 2010 | South Australia | 3 – 11 | Perth Heat | Baseball Park, Perth |
| LP: Ricky Meinhold (0–1) | Boxscore | WP: Todd Murphy (1–0) |
| 9 January 2010 | Queensland Rams | 0 – 2* | Victoria Aces | Geelong Baseball Park, Geelong |
| LP: Justin Erasmus (1–3) | Boxscore | WP: Donavon Hendricks (2–2) Sv: Ross Hipke (1) |
- *—Scheduled as a 7–inning game
Round 9
| 14 January 2010 Postponed from 21 November 2009 (Round 3) |
South Australia | 13 – 6 | Victoria Aces | Norwood Oval, Adelaide |
| WP: Richard Bartlett (4–1) | Boxscore | LP: Lee Hogan (0–1) | ||
| HR: Michael Collins 3 (5) |
| 15 January 2010 | Victoria Aces | 2 – 5 | South Australia | Norwood Oval, Adelaide |
| LP: Adam Bright (0–1) | Boxscore | WP: Paul Mildren (5–1) | ||
| HR: Michael Collins (6) |
| 15 January 2010 | Perth Heat | 2 – 8 | New South Wales Patriots | Gilchrist Oval, Campbelltown |
| LP: Dylan Peacock (4–1) | Boxscore | WP: Tim Cox (3–1) Sv: Lee Ingram (1) | ||
| HR: Mitchell Graham (3), Luke Hughes (2) | HR: Michael Lysaught 2 (3) |
| 16 January 2010 | Victoria Aces | 13 – 5* | South Australia | Norwood Oval, Adelaide |
| WP: Russell Spear (1–0) | Boxscore | LP: Dushan Ruzic (2–1) | ||
| HR: Justin Huber (1), Brett Tamburrino (2), Grant Karlsen (3) | HR: Ryan Murphy (3) |
| 16 January 2010 | Perth Heat | 12 – 8* | New South Wales Patriots | Gilchrist Oval, Campbelltown |
| WP: Dean White (1–0) | Boxscore | LP: Matthew Williams (0–1) | ||
| HR: Luke Hughes (3), Matthew Kennelly (2), Chris House (2) | HR: Michael Lysaught (4) |
| 16 January 2010 | Victoria Aces | 8 – 3 | South Australia | Norwood Oval, Adelaide |
| WP: Matthew Blackmore (5–1) | Boxscore | LP: Darren Fidge (1–4) | ||
| HR: Andrew Russell (2), Josh Davies (1) |
| 16 January 2010 | Perth Heat | 7 – 11 | New South Wales Patriots | Gilchrist Oval, Campbelltown |
| LP: Scott Mitchinson (0–1) | Boxscore | WP: Jarrett Commane (1–2) Sv: Lee Ingram (2) | ||
| HR: Timothy Kennelly (4) | HR: Timothy Atherton (1) |
- *—Scheduled as a 7–inning game
Round 10
Going into the final round, the Perth Heat and the Victoria Aces were the two teams that could have taken first place and assured themselves of a home final. In the first game of their series though, the Aces clinched the top spot, and in doing so made the Patriot's chance of overtaking the Heat and making the finals easier.[6] The following two games saw New South Wales beat Queensland to move them into third position,[7] and Perth drop another game to Victoria to allow South Australia to secure second, and a home semi final series.[8]
The Patriots secured the last remaining finals berth in the first game of their doubleheader, beating the Rams 16–0 and eliminating the Heat from finals contention.[9]
| 21 January 2010 | Victoria Aces | 6 – 3 | Perth Heat | Baseball Park, Perth |
| WP: Donovan Hendricks (3–2) | Boxscore | LP: Scott Mitchinson (0–2) | ||
| HR: Scott Wearne (3) |
| 22 January 2010 | New South Wales Patriots | 7 – 5 | Queensland Rams | Holloway Field, Brisbane |
| WP: Vaughn Harris (1–1) Sv: Lee Ingram (3) |
Boxscore | LP: Simon Morriss (1–4) | ||
| HR: Joel Naughton (3) |
| 22 January 2010 | Victoria Aces | 5 – 4 | Perth Heat | Baseball Park, Perth |
| WP: Matthew Blackmore (6–1) Sv: Adam Bright (1) |
Boxscore | LP: Benn Grice (1–2) | ||
| HR: Brandon Dale (1), Mitchell Graham (4) |
| 23 January 2010 | New South Wales Patriots | 16 – 0 (F/7) | Queensland Rams | Holloway Field, Brisbane |
| WP: Wayne Lundgren (3–1) | Boxscore | LP: Chris Lamb (0–3) | ||
| HR: Trent D'Antonio (1), Patrick Maat (1), Tim Auty (1) |
| 23 January 2010 | Victoria Aces | 6 – 0 | Perth Heat | Baseball Park, Perth |
| WP: Adam Blackley (2–0) | Boxscore | LP: Mark Kelly (2–3) | ||
| HR: Elliot Biddle (1) |
| 23 January 2010 | New South Wales Patriots | 5 – 1* | Queensland Rams | Holloway Field, Brisbane |
| WP: Jarrett Commane (2–2) | Boxscore | LP: James Albury (0–4) | ||
| HR: Patrick Maat (2) |
- *—Scheduled as a 7–inning game
References
- "2010 Claxton Shield Game Schedule". Australian Baseball Federation. 2009. Archived from the original on 14 November 2009. Retrieved 8 November 2009.
- "Results and Standings". Australian Baseball Federation. Archived from the original on 5 December 2010. Retrieved 24 January 2010.
- "Claxton Shield baseball game at La Trobe University". La Trobe University. 30 November 2009. Retrieved 15 January 2010.
- Green, Bradley (24 November 2009). "Claxton Shield baseball moved from Geelong due to poor crowds". Geelong Advertiser. Archived from the original on 28 December 2009. Retrieved 15 January 2010.
- "New South Wales vs Victoria (Dec 04, 2009)". Australian Baseball Federation. 4 December 2009. Archived from the original on 5 December 2010. Retrieved 15 January 2010.
- Laidler, Gemma (22 January 2010). "Victoria record 17 hits against WA". Australian Baseball Federation. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 22 January 2010.
- Laidler, Gemma (22 January 2010). "NSW still in with a chance for finals berth". Australian Baseball Federation. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
- Laidler, Gemma (22 January 2010). "Victoria win second game in a row against WA". Australian Baseball Federation. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
- Bray, Eddie (23 January 2010). "NSW Patriots clinch playoff berth!". Baseball NSW. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 23 January 2010.