Chris Feary puts bat to ball in Giants win over Kapiti Coast. PHOTO/JADE CVETKOV
SOFTBALL
CHRIS COGDALE
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Giants bounced back in the Intercity Premier Reserve softball championship on Saturday with a solid 5-0 win over Hutt Valley Marist.
Giants had suffered a surprising 1-8 loss to a Hutt Valley Dodgers team stacked with Premier players last weekend and were determined to get their season back on track
Giants were dominant from the start of the clash with Marist at Fraser Park. The batters picked up regular runs off some consistent Marist pitching to build a convincing lead.
Giants’ pitchers Justin “Chunky” Karaitiana and Kortez Paku were too good for the Marist batters, restricting their run scoring opportunities.
The win keeps Giants at the top of the championship at the completion of the first round, and confirms them as the team to beat in the championship.
At South Park, the Giants Premier Three side took a while to get on top of a game Kapiti Coast team before they sealed a 9-7 win.
The game was evenly contested through the first five innings, but some strong hitting saw Giants take a 9-6 lead going into the sixth inning.
Good consistent pitching from closing pitcher Chris Feary limited Kapiti to just one run.
The result leaves Giants well-placed in second on the championship after one round.
There was plenty of excitement in the Giants’ Major B Women’s team as they secured their first win of the season with a 17-6 thrashing of Hutt Valley Dodgers.
The score was close for much of the game, with Giants holding a 7-6 lead towards the end. However, some powerful batting had Giants pull away for a dominant victory.
With most of the women in their first season of softball, the result will give them confidence heading into the second half of the season.
In the age group games, Giants beat Wainuiomata 10-5 in the Under 15s, but the Under 13s lost to Wainuiomata 8-6.
