It was a bruising and unpredictable night on the diamond for the AutoOne Midland Carine Cats, who walked away from their State League double-header with a 7-7 draw against Thornlie Hawks and a tough 8-1 loss to the Bayswater Monarchs.

Despite flashes of brilliance — including explosive hitting from Tabi Rewell and defensive resilience in pressure moments — the Cats ultimately left with just one point, in a round that delivered equal parts drama, frustration, and learning.

GAME 1: REWELL ON FIRE AS CATS AND HAWKS FIGHT TO A DRAW
The opener against the Thornlie Hawks didn’t disappoint in terms of delivering a tight finish and a great spectacle.

Carine struck early, with Lauren Brown scoring the first run before being forced from the game after taking a ball to the head on a play at second base. Thankfully, Brown was in good spirits post-game thanks to some tough love from Mum, but her absence was felt.

Amy Mather opened on the mound with two scoreless innings before the Cats’ bats exploded in the third. A Sara Riou hit to right, followed by a scorching two-run in-the-park home run from Tabi Rewell, set the tone. Thornlie answered with two runs of their own, closing the margin to one.

Carine responded in the fourth with a triple from Shelby Watts, an RBI single from McKinley Robson, and a bomb to centre from Annaliese Daley. The Cats looked to be in control with a 6-2 lead.

But then, the tide turned.

A flurry of fielding errors allowed Thornlie to plate five runs in a nightmare bottom of the fourth as Ash Harwood entered the circle mid-innings.

Refusing to roll over, the Cats rallied in the final inning. Rewell again sparked the bats with a single before Harwood redeemed her earlier frustration with a game-tying RBI double to left.

Harwood then closed out the bottom of the final inning with three straight outs, preserving the 7-all draw in a game that felt both lost and saved.

Rewell was the standout, going 2-for-3 with a home run and a single, continuing her red-hot form.

GAME 2: CONFUSION, EJECTIONS, AND A TOUGH NIGHT AGAINST THE MONARCHS
Game two against the Bayswater Monarchs began with promise — and a familiar name on the scoresheet.

Sara Riou crossed home in the opening inning courtesy of — who else — Tabi Rewell, who cracked yet another left field triple. But that’s where the highlights ended for the Cats.
Drama erupted in the bottom of the first as Ash Harwood, listed as the Designated Player, entered the circle as pitcher without being formally reported, an error that saw both Harwood and coach Chris McCabe ejected — and had this intrepid reporter reaching for the rule book to learn something about the game that never stops educating.

With barely a warm-up, Amy Mather was thrown back into the pitcher’s role, and the Monarchs pounced, scoring four runs in the chaos.

From there, Bayswater took control. Carine couldn’t generate any meaningful offence, with Riou the only player to consistently threaten, continuing to spray hits into centre field. The rest of the Cats’ bats were stifled.

To her credit, Mather settled in well after the first inning ambush, conceding just one more run in the next two innings, before McKinley Robson took over pitching duties to close out the game. Despite the late defensive stand, the Monarchs ran out comfortable 8-1 winners.

MOVING FORWARD
It was a night that had everything: brilliant hitting, gutsy comebacks, untimely errors, and a rules-based curveball that swung the second game completely out of reach.

While the Cats will be disappointed not to have come away with more, the effort across both games — especially in the draw against Thornlie — shows that this team has heart to match its talent.

With Rewell in unstoppable form, Riou a model of consistency, and Mather and Robson stepping up under pressure, there’s no doubt the Cats will bounce back quickly.