WELLINGTON Khaki Sox continued their impressive start to the season with a resounding victory over bitter rivals Plymouth Mariners.

Match day saw a double-header event being played at Plymouth’s home ground in the blistering hea., In front of a local crowd of Mariners' supporters at their impressive facility, Khaki Sox quickly lay down the gauntlet by batting first and successfully establishing an early lead of 4-1 by the end of the third innings.

The sun was already becoming scalding and the increasing heat felt like a third opponent on the day, but as with the baseball, the Khaki Sox were proving to be more resilient than the Mariners. The Khaki’s lead doubled to 8-2 by the end of the 4th innings through out of the world fielding by Tash Hole, who seemingly plucked very well struck Mariner balls off the ground effortlessly, while running at full speed, resulting in two Plymouth players returning to the bench.

Starting pitcher Damien Goodall and reliever Ramon Martinez pitched consistently well, which proved to challenge the opposition not only physically but mentally and it was clear to see that frustrations were creeping into the Plymouth team. With excellent home plate steals from Jamie Pollard and Ramon Martinez, and an impressive Home Run from Miguel Sanchez, the Wellington Khaki Sox stamped their authority on the game and successfully dispatched Plymouth with a final score of 13-3.

After a break, both teams returned to the baseball field for the second game in the double header event. The momentum and energy had not subdued and was still clear to see in the eyes of the Sox team, making a thunderous start to the first innings, leading 5-0. The focus and competitiveness was inspiring but this was complemented with an air of calm. Team mates coached each other, offered words of encouragement and ultimately appeared to be having fun on the field.

This approach is becoming the Khaki Sox mantra. The Plymouth Mariners were not able to break this building Wellington strength, and innings after innings Wellington were producing excellent plays, batting confidently and making runs. A special mention must be made to Dan Hererra from the Mariners who hit an inside the park Home Run, which is quite a rare occurrence. He struck the ball well, it went deep into the outfield and he just ran. Determination and no thought of ever stopping saw him reach the home plate just before the ball. Great play!

This momentary success was quashed at the end of the 4th innings with the score now 17-2. With such an outstanding lead, Wellington were able to relax even further and play with a fluidity that showed great teamwork and understanding. Plymouth were not able to recover from the barrage of accurate pitching or quick fielding and the sustained damage soon ensured a resounding victory for Wellington of 24-6. This was a momentous away win, which extends Wellington’s lead at the top of the league.

A huge thank you to the family and friends who travelled to Plymouth to show support.

Khaki Sox next play at Wellington Rugby club on Sunday, June 11, at 11:00 against Yeovil Whirlwinds. If you’d like to learn more about baseball, come and meet the team. All abilities welcome, we’re a Baseball Family!