The Mount Gambier and District Baseball League has closed out its season with an epic Division 1 grand final between Centrals and Tigers.
Centrals went through the season unbeaten and claimed the minor premiership, while Tigers had to work hard in the last few rounds to secure its place in the big dance.
The scene was set and Friday night served up game one of a three-match series with both teams having plenty of opportunities to get the runs on the board.
However, both teams’ pitchers had other ideas and were ‘on the money’, sending down bullet pitches and refusing to provide any easy hits to the opposition.
Early play seemed even until the eighth innings where Tigers took the opportunity to score three home runs, rattling Centrals who found itself on the receiving end for a change.
But in true Centrals tradition, the players gritted their teeth and fought back hard to get runs on the board at the top end of the innings to level the score.
The scores were tied away for a while until Centrals found clear space in the outfield and managed to round the bases for a safe home, snatching the lead following a Tigers error.
Centrals went on to win game one 4-3 on a chilly Friday night to kickstart the series.
Game two was played on Saturday afternoon and both teams looked well-tuned into what needed to be done, with Centrals gunning to claim the premiership and Tigers looking for a win to force a third match.
The pitchers again set the tone sending rockets down with the match neck and neck, however it was Tigers which got the runs on the board, sending an ominous warning to its opposition.
However, Centrals refocussed and several innings deep ‘got a sniff’ and seemingly had one hand on the premiership.
To the Tigers’ credit the players fought hard until the end but came up marginally short in a classy display of baseball, with the final score Centrals 10 to Tigers 9.
A proud Centrals coach in Dylan Gull spoke with The SE Voice after the premiership win.
“I am very humble … it was one hell of a game Friday night and Tigers threw everything at us and we had to dig deep,” he said.
“Saturday was also one hell of a game and to be honest I am lost for words at the moment.
“It was just a team effort and the young kids in the side did an excellent job under pressure which held us in good stead.”
Centrals’ Nathan Meinck was named the Janette Burner Most Valuable Player as the best player in the finals series.
“Winning this award means a lot to me,’’ he said.
“Just the person that Janette was for the club and the league, it truly is an absolute honour.
“There is a lot of great players on this trophy and now to have my name among them really means a great deal.”
Meinck also praised his teammates for the effort put in during Friday night and again on Saturday afternoon to claim the trophy.
“We knew we had our work cut out for us and Tigers were going to throw the kitchen sink at us, but to get the win is great and to top it of being MVP means the world,” he said.
In Division 2 a battle was played out between Tigers and South and this game went down to the wire with Tigers securing the win thanks to Michael “The Difference” Summers belting one into centrefield to win by one run.
Federals won the Big Bash League with a 11-0 win over South and were crowned as premiers for 22/23.
