ROB LAIDLAW

GAWLER Rangers succumbed to Northern Districts 4-6 in the opening round of the Baseball SA’s division two on Sunday at Karbeethan Reserve, after being in control for the majority of the game.
With time running out, Gawler was batting with a few minutes left on the clock and a 4-3 lead.
But the third out was made against Gawler with two minutes remaining, which meant another inning had to be played, where North scored three runs and held the Rangers scoreless.
Gawler started the game well with a run in the first inning, when Ben Strong walked,  stole two bases and scored on a wild pitch.
Then in the second frame, Jon Morton was hit by a pitch, stole second base and scored on Steve Vanpoorten’s shot to right field for a 2-0 start.
North rallied with three runs in the third dig to hit the front, with the Rangers scoring twice in the bottom of the fourth inning to snatch the lead back, after hits to Jake Rodda, Noah Okeil and Strong.
Neither side scored in the following two frames, which led to the ‘extra time’ seventh inning.
Jake Rodda pitched magnificently, collecting five K2s for six hits and three runs over five innings, while Rick Leonard took the loss in two frames of relief.
This Sunday, the Rangers will be looking at opening their winning account when they host Sturt from 12.30pm.
There wasn’t any success in the other grades, although there were plenty of good performances in the junior teams, especially by many first-time players.