VOB, on a 3-game losing streak, welcomed Maitland Giants to a very windy Chukker Road on Saturday.

Jesse Johnson took the mound for the Macaws while Giants went with their southpaw foreigner Connor Walsh. Two routine errors allowed Giants to race into a 2-0 lead only for the Macaws to storm back with 4 runs of their own on the back of 4 walks and a double by Matthew Darius. Giants scored 2 more runs over the next two innings while VOB wasted many opportunities with runners in scoring positions. While Walsh labored through his allotted five innings, Johnson kept blanking the Giants. In the fifth inning VOB eventually took their opportunities and went ahead 6-4. Johnson was replaced in the 6th inning by Derick Bayliss. Then, two outs in the 8th a few routine errors again cost the Macaws and Giants ties the game at 6-6.

With bases loaded in the bottom of the 8th Jody Burch was brought on to pinch hit for Luke Budler and smashed the first pitch he saw for to the outfield for the lead. By the end of the 8th VOB had scored four more runs to lead 10-6. With two outs and a runner on first, back to back bad hops allowed Giants to come within one run of tying the game, but Bayliss knuckled down and struck out Alex Fortune to close out the game 10-9 in VOB’s favour.

A good team win for VOB gets them back in the W column.

Best hitters for VOB were Jesse Johnson (1-2, 3BB’s, double), Matthew Darius (2-3, BB, double), Luke Budler (1-4) and Zubair Larney (1-3, 2BB’s, double).