Won by Queensland - 9 runs to 4

Playing rightfield
Batting #3

Queensland - bottom first innings
Bylett reached on a throwing error by ss (2-2)
Dutton reached on a fielding error by 3b (3-1)
----------Bylett advanced to second
Roneberg walked (3-1)
----------Dutton advanced to second
----------Bylett advanced to third
Utting struck out swinging (2-2)
Sutherland grounded into double play ss to 1b (0-2)
----------Roneberg out on the play
0 runs - 0 hits - 2 errors - 2 LOB

Queensland - bottom second innings
Studerman fouled out to p (1-1)
Naughton reached on a fielding error by 2b (2-1)
Nilsson walked (3-1)
----------Naughton advanced to second
Bradford singled to center field RBI (0-1)
----------Nilsson advanced to third
----------Naughton scored unearned
Bylett reached on a fielder's choice to first base (0-0)
----------Bradford advanced to second
Dutton flied out to lf (1-2)
Roneberg flied out to 2b (2-0) ........ "a mile high pop up"
1 run - 1 hit - 1 error - 3 LOB

Queensland - bottom fourth innings
Bradford flied out to rf (0-1)
Bylett flied out to cf (1-2)
Dutton hit by pitch (0-0)
----------Dutton stole second
----------Dutton advanced to third on a wild pitch
Roneberg walked (3-1)
Dutton out at home c to p
0 runs - 0 hits - 0 errors - 1 LOB

Queensland - bottom sixth innings
Bradford singled to right field (0-2)
Bylett doubled to right field (1-2)
----------Bradford advanced to third
Dutton doubled to left field 2RBI (1-1)
----------Bylett scored
----------Bradford scored
Roneberg flied out to lf (0-0) ........ "just missed this - caught on the fence"
Utting walked (3-2)
Ryan to p for Hardy
Sutherland singled to right field RBI (2-1)
----------Utting advanced to third
----------Dutton scored
Studerman flied out to cf SF RBI (1-0)
----------Utting scored
Naughton doubled to center field RBI (1-1)
----------Sutherland scored
Nilsson struck out looking (1-2)
5 runs - 5 hits - 0 errors - 1 LOB

Plate appearances - 4
At bats - 2
Walks - 2
Infield fly out - 1
Outfield fly out - 1
Runners left on base - 4
Runners left in scoring position - 3
Batting Average - 0.000
Slugging Percentage - 0.000
On Base Percentage - 0.500

Plate appearances - 4
At bats - 2
Walks - 2
Infield fly out - 1
Outfield fly out - 1
Runners left on base - 4
Runners left in scoring position - 3
Batting Average - 0.000
Slugging Percentage - 0.000
On Base Percentage - 0.500

It would be a great thing just to see baseball being played in southern Queensland after the flooding rains that have just about brought normal life to a halt up there!
Game One of the series would finally get underway at the wee small baseball hour of 9:00am at Holloway Field, not at the originally scheduled Redlands Baseball Club

There would be no sighting of David Nilsson in uniform on the baseball diamond, but someone reported that Elvis Presley and Lord Lukin were hiding in the cubicles of the men's toilets! - if anyone got a sighting we'd love to hear about it!

The scoreboard at the end of the shortened seven inning game would make comfortable 9-4 reading for the home standing Queensland fans, who were watching Claxton Shield baseball for the first time since the identical 2000 format, but this perhaps belied a much tighter game that was locked at 2-2 after four innings

The Rams would finally take advantage of a Provincial pitching melt-down to slam on seven runs in their home-half of the fifth and sixth stanzas

The rain-threatened series and the shortened games would cause both teams to re-jig their planning in terms of the use of their pitching resources
Both teams would eventually use regular starting pitchers in middle-relief and both might regret that they did?

Queensland's former Chicago Cubs professional Chris Mowday was strong for three innings and he finished his stint with a 1-2-3 third inning before handing over to usual ace starter John Veitch

Much like his opposing number today, Cam Hardy, who we will discuss later, Veitch was victimised by a two-out error for his two runs in his first inning today, but he finished his three innings of work very strongly with another breezy 1-2-3 sixth inning to conclude his day

Tristan Crawford reached 'AAA' level with the Minnesota Twins during 2007, but he would not have enjoyed his closing of the seventh inning today that began with three successive hits and resulted in two runs
Only a ground ball double-play prevented further damage
It demonstrates what kind of level Claxton Shield baseball can be!

AMLB "grand pappy" Phil Brassington lasted one more inning than he did in opening the first series against NSW, but again he was milked for too many pitches with a walk per inning pitched, three errors and a hit batter during his tenure on the mound
Only one of the two runs allowed by Brassington was earned in what was a, sort of, typical performance for a knuckleballer

We have long admired the stalwart work of Provincials' warhorse Cameron Hardy, but the regular starting pitcher, like John Veitch, clearly did not enjoy being summoned from the bullpen in long relief today
However, Hardy was only one pitch away from escaping from the fifth inning after securing two outs, before Joel Naughton tagged him for a game breaking two-run homer - it happens!
Hardy's confidence may have been sagging when he returned for the sixth but, by that stage, he was reduced to cannon fodder with a single and two doubles greeting him before a one-out Andrew Utting walk saw him given the hook

Re-converted pitcher-outfielder Matt Ryan cashed in both of Hardy's base runners before, mercifully, ending a five-run sixth with a strike out - it wasn't brilliant

For the Rams, highly rated Phillies catcher Joel Naughton jumped onto the big AMLB stage with 3-4 and three match-winning RBI's that came via a double and a home run
One of the nice things about this type of Claxton Shield competition, that we don't have time to discuss here, is the roster moves that allow a previously unknown player like Keiran Bradford to emerge with 2-3 and a RBI on his Claxton Shield debut
Matt Studeman, who last played AMLB with the 1999 Gold Coast Cougars, produced two-RBI's, while Independent League hitter and former Helms Award winner Brad Dutton also produced two
Former LA Dodgers professional David Sutherland also added a run batted in to his fine Claxton Shield record
Andrew Utting walked three times, while another Helms Award winner and new 'F&D Hall-Of-Famer' Brett Roneberg also walked twice!

For the Provincials, former Victorian softballer James Brooks continues his development in the baseball world with a most valuable 2-4 and two RBI's, while another new face Sam Brown contributed a terrific 2-4 with a run batted in on debut
Popular Victorian veteran Andrew McKenzie supplied the other RBI for the Provincials in a game where they appeared soundly beaten, yet the line score showed that they were out-hit by the narrow margin of 8-9

The spoils go to the home-standing Rams who deserved their win in the delayed opening game but, as we very often say when the Australian Provincials play, they were far from disgraced yet again!
Still, 1-0 is one-nil for the Queenslanders and they will, quite rightly, feel that they are matching their primary adversary New South Wales at this stage

The Aussie Provincials yet again proved their undoubted value as part of the Claxton Shield landscape

The Queensland Rams opened their 2008 IndependentAdvice.com Claxton Shield campaign with a convincing 9-4 victory over Australian Provincial in stifling conditions at Queensland’s Holloway Park

With torrential rain and localised flooding causing havoc in South-east Queensland, it was remarkable that any baseball was played at all, but when a brief reprieve from the weather, and a last minute change of venue opened the door, Rams supporters were treated to their first Claxton Shield action on home soil in more than 20 years

Starting pitching for both sides was impressive with Chris Mowday (QLD – 3.0ip 1 h 0er 1k) and Phil Brassington (AP – 4.0ip 3h 1er) both calling on years of top level experience to guide their respective teams at the outset

Their presence was clear in a tight early contest that saw both teams fail to capitalise on scoring opportunities in the first inning, before the Rams opened up a slight advantage plating runs in the second and third frames respectively

Provincial answered immediately in the top half of the fourth with two runs of their own, tying the game on a loaded bases two-out double from shortstop James Brooks

With the game in the balance, Rams catcher and Philadelphia Phillies prospect Joel Naughton launched a 2-run home run over the right field wall and into the neighbouring property to stake the home side a 4-2 advantage

From there the Queensland offence began to roll scoring five times on five hits (three doubles) in the bottom of the sixth inning

With a seven run lead, Rams closer Tristan Crawford entered the game to close out the win but was quickly tagged for 2 runs on four hits, giving the Provincial side a glimmer of hope, before striking out Mark Saunderson to end the game