Softball: Falcons swoop to upset UPSU

They made their intentions clear from the off as singles from Graham Boiling and Emma Brown got the Falcons on base with precision batting, allowing the Falcons to take an early lead.

In the field, the well-versed pitcher-catcher combo of Dave Morris and Janice Morgan kept the Shafters at bay while any attempts to puncture the Falcons infield were ably dealt with Matt Tebb and Jenny Dunn covering left-field.

By the middle of the fourth the Falcons were cruising as debutant Tomas Geciauskas smacked a triple through the Shafters outfield, while Jason Mercer and Monty Ciutas worked the bases well.

A tactical change to the Falcons infield paid immediate dividends as James Wheeler took up his favoured spot at first base and worked well with shortstop Max Hookway to frustrate the Shafters at bat, leaving the score at 6-3 entering the final inning.

With victory within their grasp, the Falcons managed to bring in one more run before taking the field to close the game off.

The Shafters swung away, but their eagerness to put runs on the board only allowed the Falcons’ infield to limit them to singles thanks to quick thinking from Zita Racz at third base.

The Shafters loaded the bases at 7-4 before Danielle Clarke showed strength and deft footwork to execute a force-out at second base to end the game.

Chichester Falcons next home match is against Killer Whales next Wednesday (6.30pm) at Oaklands Park. All support welcome.