Early losses for softball powerhouse team

Wellington powerhouse Poneke-Kilbirnie will almost certainly fail to add to their 11 national softball titles after two first-day defeats at the men's open tournament in Christchurch.

They were drawn in the Group of Death – Pool A – with three-time defending champions Mt Albert Ramblers (Auckland) and the Waitakere Bears.

Only two teams can advance to the top-eight playoffs, and PK look certain to become the first major casualties after losing 2-6 to the Bears and 3-7 to the Ramblers at Mainland Foundation Ballpark yesterday.

PK now have to rely on either the Ramblers or the Bears dropping three games in Pool A.

Ramblers – with Australian ace Andrew Kirkpatrick on the pitching mound, and Black Sox stars Nathan Nukunuku and Donny Hale devastating in the batter's box – blasted nine safe hits off PK's former Ramblers pitcher Thomas Cameron.

Hale hammered a two-run automatic home run.

PK led the Waitakere Bears 2-0, but the Bears' bats came to life in the fifth, scoring six runs after hits by Patrick Shannon, Reuben Topia and Gerard Long. Waitakere opened with a 10-5 victory over the Wairarapa Giants. Nukunuku and Carlous Te Kawa clouted home runs in the Ramblers' 7-1 win over the Dunedin Dodgers.

Canterbury's Black Sox outfielder Gareth Cook smashed a home run in the first frame of PCU Devils' 7-0 five-innings romp over the Maraenui Pumas (Hawke's Bay) with Daniel Milne pitching a shutout win.

Cook clouted a three-bagger to bring home Darren Davies and Brad Annandale in the top of the first inning for a 3-0 win over Auckland Marist. Devils' strike pitcher Regan Manley took 13 strikeouts.

Canterbury's Richmond Keas had a heartbreaking 1-2 loss to Auckland United in section D after leading for most of the game when Penese Iosefo pounded a solo-shot home run before the Aucklanders triumphed through Michael Niu's two-run homer.

The Gollan brothers, David and Karl, were in top pitching touch as second-seed Miramar had two steady, if unspectacular, wins in section B.

David Gollan struck out 16 of 26 batters faced in the 7-3 starter against the New Zealand Defence Force. Wayne Laulu lashed a sixth-inning homer.

Karl Gollan fanned 11 batters in Miramar's 3-0 win over Canterbury's Albion Pirates.

Nelson club Stoke Eagles upset seven-time champions Hutt Valley Cardinals 2-1 after a two-run homer by Nick Max.

RESULTS

Giants 11 Demons (Southland) 6, Auckland United 10 Roosters 5, Hutt Valley Marist 3 Eden Roskill 2, Stoke Eagles 2 Hutt Valley Cardinals 1, Miramar 7 New Zealand Defence Force 1, Dunedin Dodgers 3 Demons 1, Waitakere Bears 10 Giants 5, Northcote 5 Papanui Tigers 3, PCU 6 Eden Roskill 3, HV Cardinals 1 Howick 0, Roosters 4 Stoke Eagles 3, HV Marist 2 NZ Defence 1, Miramar 3 Albion 0, PCU Devils 7 Pumas 0, Waitakere Bears 6 Poneke-Kilbirnie 2, Auckland United 2 Richmond 1, HV Dodgers 2 Auckland Marist 0, Papanui Tigers 7 Pumas 0, Ramblers 7 Dunedin Dodgers 1, HV Dodgers 9 Northcote 2, PCU 4 Albion Pirates 2, PCU Devils 3 AK Marist 0, Richmond Keas 9 Howick 2, Ramblers 7 Poneke-Kilbirnie 3.

- © Fairfax NZ News