There were upsets in both matches played in the Mount Gambier Softball League in the opening round of finals on the weekend.
The elimination final between Concordes White and Wanderers saw a high scoring game with plenty of hitting from both sides in the first final of the day.
It was a high stakes game with both teams knowing there was no next week for the loser, making for an entertaining contest.
Wanderers scored early in the first whilst keeping Concordes scoreless to take a one nil lead early.
A big five run second innings from Wanderers was quickly pegged back with four of their own from Concordes.
Wanderers scored another four runs in the 4th dig and from there managed to keep Concordes at a manageable distance for the rest of the game.
Rej Smith was the winning pitcher for Wanderers and threw the complete game whilst also picking up two safe hits of her own.
For Concordes Alli Wilson pitched the entire game and also had three solid hits of her own.
Wilson was clearly Concordes’ best player on the day in a losing team.
In the late game the prize on offer was a direct route to the grand final for either minor premiers Concordes United or this year’s biggest improvers Demons.
The clear focus for Demons was to play a defensive game backing up their star pitcher Billie Jones, who always gives her side a fighting chance with her accuracy and consistency.
Demons got out to and early 3-1 lead and were able to defend their buffer thanks to excellent defensive plays such as Sarah Nieuwenhuizen’s throw from centre field to 3rd to nab an out and Cody Manning’s relentless abilities in the short stop position throughout the game.
Concordes put up a fight with the pitching from Dana Jones and batting ability of Leonie McCallum, Codie Jones and Bec Von Duve always threatening, but getting a score on the board was proving difficult.
An RBI from Billie Jones helped Demons skip out to a 6-1 lead by the bottom of the 4th innings, extending this to 7-1 at the end of the 5th, falling one short of a five innings mercy rule.
They were not to be denied for much longer however, with two runs in the 6th securing the victory and a grand final berth.
It was a great show of the progression of Demons this season, and they will watch with interest next week when Concordes United looks to rebound against Wanderers to have a chance to turn the tables.
