The Wangaratta Rangers enjoyed a strong weekend across multiple grades, highlighted by dominant victories in B grade and C grade, while the A grade and under 15s sides showed encouraging signs despite defeat.

A grade

The Rangers A grade side went down 12-4 to Albury Bears Green at Targoora Park but produced plenty of positives against one of the competition’s strongest teams.

Wangaratta collected nine hits and turned two impressive double plays while competing hard throughout the contest.

Tanner Godenzi and Rob Seymour led the offence with two hits each, with Godenzi also blasting a triple in the final inning.

Josh Wells and Nathan Pool both drove in runs as the Rangers rallied after trailing early, narrowing the margin to 4-3 in the third inning before Albury pulled away with a six-run fourth.

Defensively, Godenzi featured in both double plays alongside Damien French, Seymour and Tetsu Kamiyama, while Pool and reliever Mei Sato battled hard on the mound.

The Rangers will look to build on the encouraging performance when they host Albury Bears Gold this weekend.

B grade – Rangers Black

Wangaratta Rangers Black delivered one of their most complete performances of the season, crushing Albury Bears Green 16-1 at Targoora Park.

After conceding the opening run, the Rangers responded with 15 unanswered runs, including seven-run innings in both the second and third.

Daniel Wells starred with three hits and four RBIs, while Josh Wells, Jonothan Taylor and Paul Maiden all played key roles in the offensive explosion.

Taylor was outstanding on the mound, allowing just three hits and one run while striking out seven across four innings.

Oscar Maiden completed the job with a scoreless relief appearance.

Daniel Wells, Taylor and Damien French each collected three hits as Wangaratta piled up 16 hits in a dominant all-round display.

B grade - Rangers Orange

Rangers Orange suffered a 13-5 loss to Porepunkah Panthers despite outhitting their opponents 11-10.

Wangaratta raced to a 3-0 first-inning lead through RBIs from Chris Tracy and Cameron Scott before Porepunkah responded with a six-run inning.

The Rangers continued to battle throughout the game, consistently generating scoring opportunities.

Darcy Sanders led the way with three hits and two stolen bases, while Alex Williams, Brad Murdoch and Kelsey Burder each recorded multiple hits.

Scott, Tracy and Angus King also contributed RBIs in a positive offensive display.

C grade

Rangers Orange produced an impressive 8-2 victory over Porepunkah Panthers, using aggressive baserunning and a five-run third inning to secure the win.

After building a 3-0 lead, Wangaratta broke the game open in the third through contributions from Matt Sanders and Mark Sianda, along with relentless pressure on the bases.

Taylor Jones starred on the mound, allowing just one hit and no earned runs over three innings. Candice Jones led the offence with two hits, while Jones and Sanders each drove in two runs.

The Rangers stole an astonishing 20 bases, with Candice Jones, Taylor Jones, Darcy Sanders and Matt Sanders all recording multiple steals in a dominant team performance.

Under 15

The Rangers Under 15s were beaten 10-4 by Albury Bears Green but produced another encouraging offensive display, outhitting the visitors eight to five.

After falling behind 3-0 early, Wangaratta rallied to take a 4-3 lead in the second inning, highlighted by a two-run single from J Dean.

Dean finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs and five stolen bases, while Riley Coyne and Ryder Penney also collected two hits each.

Hinston Lai struck out five batters on the mound, and the Rangers swiped seven bases as they continued to apply pressure throughout the game.

Although Albury regained control with a five-run third inning, Wangaratta’s eight-hit performance provided plenty of positives heading into next week’s clash with Wodonga Warriors.

Under 12

Wangaratta Orange 17 def by 21 Porepunkah Panthers.

Wangaratta Black 20 def 17 Albury Green.