Easy Giants wins were unexpected

Giants had set themselves the target of winning all four of their Inter-City series and Hutt Valley premier league men's softball matches played over the weekend but the ease of their wins was unexpected.
They kicked off their busy two days on Saturday with an 8-1 victory over Johnsonville and hard on the heels of that came an 11-2 whipping of Wellington-based Royals.
So dominant were Giants in Saturday's matches that both of them only went to six innings before a halt was called.
A double header against Hutt Valley Marist was the challenge on Sunday and here too Giants ruled supreme, winning the first clash 11-2 and the second 7-2.
Pitcher Richard Clarke said Giants had gone into the weekend "very optimistic" over their chances of securing four wins but he admitted the margins of victory were generally more comfortable than anticipated.
"We always thought the four wins were possible but we were expecting a couple of close games at least & to win all of them so easily was surprising," he said.
So dominant were Giants in Saturday's matches that both of them only went to six innings before a halt was called.
In fact, about the only time they were under pressure on either day came in the second Hutt Valley Marist game when they led by just 4-2 after making a couple of uncharacteristic defensive errors.
Clarke described the Giants' batting as "awesome" and no wonder when you consider they scored a massive 37 runs while conceding just seven. Leading the charge were Ryan Shannahan and Blair Thompson but practically every member of the squad made an impression in that sphere.
"I think it's fair to say we batted well right down the order, everybody seemed to do their bit," Clarke said.
On the pitching front Giants were also highly effective with Clarke and Justin Karaitiana, who shared the duties on both days, giving up only three hits on the Saturday and little more than that on the Sunday.
Local sporting fans will have the chance to see the in-form Giants in action this coming Saturday when they will play a double header at Masterton's South Park against Cardinals, one of the most famous softball clubs in the country whose 2007 squad have also made a promising start to their season.