Division 1
The Mount Gambier and District Baseball League’s Division 1 preliminary final was a game for the ages, with second placed Tigers taking on third spot Federal.
Gun pitchers Karl Ransom for Tigers and Federal’s Alex Reppin went hard at it, ensuring it was always going to be a tight affair.
Neither team could push runners across the plate in the first two digs and it was Tigers that broke the drought in the bottom of the third.
Jake England picked a base on ball and eventually scoring on a passed ball.
Federal replied in the fourth when Matt Nicholls also picked a walk and was batted in by Craig Nicholls, leaving the game tied.
Alex Pearson hit safely to second base in the top of the fifth and scored when Alex Reppin’s high fly ball to first base was put down.
Tigers fired back in the bottom of the dig when Jake England picked his second walk and crossed home plate on Karl Ransom’s long drive to centrefield, again tying the game.
Both pitchers were at the top of their game and fielding was as tight as tight can be with no further runs scored until extra inning.
Both pitchers were replaced on the hill in the ninth when they had pitched their allowed number for the game.
Both relievers, Joe Sims for Tigers and Federal’s Clay Carpenter, continued the theme of the game not giving up any runs in the ninth and the tenth inning.
However, the tide turned in the top of the eleventh when the Demons got some bat on the ball.
Jordan Johnson hit deeply to leftfield standing up at second, Nash Lobley clipped a nice ball out to rightfield to bat Johnson in, Roy Hutchesson was on base on a fielder’s choice and Alex Pearson picked a gap in the outfield that scored Lobley.
The hits kept coming with Riley Rolph on board after hitting safely to rightfield followed by Alex Reppin who hit to centrefield and pushed both Hutchesson and Pearson across the plate, giving Federal a lead of four runs.
Matt Thompson mounted the charge for Tigers to pick back the lead when he hit safely to centrefield, Kane Harrison was thrown a walk, Clay Carpenter struck out the next batters, Jake England singled which loaded the bases.
Joe Sims picked a walk which forced Thompson across the dish but Carpenter shut down the charge striking out the next batter, leaving Federal worthy winners six runs to three in what was an enthralling game of baseball.
If it was an indication of what is to come in next week’s best of three grand final series, then it is going to be a beauty.
Federal had 14 safe hits for five runs batted in, two base on ball, one hit batter, five strikeouts and made 0 errors.
Tigers had seven safe hits for two runs batted in, eight base on ball, 12 strikeouts and made two errors.
Division 2
South Indians blew the Division 2 game apart in the first inning as they scored 11 runs from eight safe hits, two base on ball and two hit batters leaving Central with a power of work.
However it to be an insurmountable target.
South added four more for the game giving them a total of 15 with Central making a fight near the end to finish with 10 runs for the game.
The Indians now meet Millicent in next week’s grand final.
Division 3
Central played host to South Indians for the right to challenge Naracoorte in next weekend’s Mount Gambbier and District Baseball League grand final.
South was out of the blocks scoring three in the first while Central replied with one.
In the third South added a further run and Central added three going ahead by a solitary run.
The Indians fought back with another two in the fourth and the black and white scored one, tying the score.
In the fifth Central looked to have the game well in hand when they scored five giving them the lead 10 runs to five.
South piled on a mighty eight runs in the sixth to go ahead, leaving Central with all the work to do in the final at bat.
They added four to win a hard fought game and advance to next week’s grand final.
Big League
South Indians trailed all night against Tigers in the Big League on Friday night.
With a constant duel between bat and ball the game was tight all match.
Tigers scored runs in the first, second and fourth inning for a total of seven runs and held a two run lead going into the last bat to be had by South.
They had scored runs in the first, third and fourth digs and required three in the final dig to steal the game and steal it they did scoring the required winning runs with only one out.
They go on to play Central for the title.
Junior League
Tigers held sway over South-Federal in the Little League preliminary final to advance to the grand final against Central.
It was a low scoring affair with nothing given away by pitchers and fielders from both sides.
Tigers scored two runs in each of the first and fifth innings while South-Federal piled on their three runs in the fourth but unfortunately came up short.
Little League
Federal/Tigers smashed the ball all over the park to run out easy winners against South Indians to head to the grand final against Central in the Little League preliminary final.
They proved too strong for the young South side who will be much better in 12 months’ time.
Federal/Tigers scored three, five and three runs in their three innings while the Indians scored three in the first and four in their third dig.
Minor League
A six-all draw was played out in the Minor League preliminary final between Federal and Central resulting in second placed Federal playing off against ladder leaders Tigers next Saturday.
Federal scored three runs in each of the first two innings and Central battled out the game scoring two in the first, three in the second and could only muster just the one in the third.
