State League Predictions – Rounds 11 & 12

Gosnells (6-4) Vs Wembley (1-9)

Following two hard fought wins against Vic Park, Gosnells will be licking their lips to play Wembley who sit in an unenviable position at 1-9 after the first ten games. Wembley’s disappointing season won’t get any easier as Gosnells should account for them quite comfortably. Gosnells import pitcher Kevin Roovers continues to rack up the wins and will be tough to beat and Benn Grice should get his second consecutive win after a solid outing against the Reds. Wembley will probably be without Ben Risinger who was ejected last week, especially since apparently players and coaches are not able to defend against ejections and are given a week no matter how big or small the discretion.

 Prediction: I don’t think Wembley will fare well here.  Gosnells to sweep.

Melville (4-6) Vs Morley (6-3)

The Braves host Morley this weekend in what should be two very competitive games. Melville proved last week that they can be contenders when they did what no other team has been able to and took a win from the Black Ducks. The middle of Melville’s line up is as good as anyone’s and it will be a big challenge for Morley’s pitchers to get by them without too much damage. However, once they get past the big bats of the Kennelly brothers, Mitch Graham and G-Balls Scorer, the remaining Melville line-up shouldn’t pose too much of a threat. Morley, coming off a sweep of Perth (proving that this blogger doesn’t know much, I tipped them to get swept) will go into this weekend with a lot of confidence.  Their import pitcher comes off a good complete game win and will be looking to add to his win tally and Brad Reeves, coming off a 1-hitter against Perth, is always hard to beat. And let’s not forget they have a few big bats of their own. This is a hard one to pick.

Prediction: The safe thing to do would call a split. But, I’m going to be bold here: Morley to sweep. I think the bats of Melville will be good for one win against most teams, but not Morley.

Wanneroo (6-3) Vs Swan Districts (9-1)

The first placed Black Ducks take on the number 2 Giants in the games of the round. Last week the Black Ducks proved that they have human beings playing for them and are capable of making mistakes. After outhitting Melville 11-4 last week, you must figure the 3 errors they made played a part in their loss. But don’t expect to see that again. They will be looking to bounce back immediately and will look forward to the challenge of beating last year’s grand finalists, Wanneroo. Wanneroo’s 2 wins against Wembley may give them some false confidence as playing Swans will be a totally different story.

Prediction: I am tipping the Black Ducks to sweep. They have way too many ways to beat you. They also have a new pitcher landing this week who will bolster their already-impressive rotation.  

Perth (4-6) Vs West Stirling (2-7)

Perth, who have been disappointing the last couple of weeks, have run into the lowly Indians at the right time and should be back to .500 ball after this weekend. After being 1-hit by Brad Reeves, expect the Perth bats to come alive in a big way against the much lesser pitching from West Stirling. Clint Knight will give another honest performance but won’t be able to win without a good defence behind him. Although quite a young team, I think Perth are genuine contenders and this weekend’s games will be a big series for them.

Prediction: Perth to sweep. They have to get their season back on track and this is a great opportunity to do it.

Vic Park Belmont (5-4) Vs South Perth (5-5)

Expect to see two hard fought games if you travel to Grayden Oval this week. The Reds were brought back down to earth by Gosnells last week who beat them at their own game of good pitching, defence and timely hitting. But look for them to continue on as they have all season and give a good honest and hard fought effort against the South’s. South Perth coming off two wins against West Stirling will go into the double header with a lot of confidence. They seem to have their season back on track after some tough games early on and will be looking to keep on their winning ways. A big factor in the two games will be the pitching and Vic Park may have been handed a lifeline here as Mark Kelly travels to Japan for a Major League tryout. I think these two teams are very even with the South’s having some lost experience with the retirements of Brett Walters, Jason Hewitt and the Clayton Barnes and The Reds having gained some experience in the form of Pro catcher Whitney Pierce and Canadian third baseman Chris Duhamel.

Prediction: The Reds will get back on the winners board, but only once. Split.

But that’s just one man’s opinion, what do you think?

On a separate note, congratulations to Travis Kalin, Joe Hughes and Dave Rusin for their Talking baseball show on SportFM 91.3. For anyone who hasn’t caught it yet, make sure you tune in Wednesdays from 6.00pm for a great listen.