The Perth Heat have taken the lead in the first round of the Australian Baseball League playoffs of the 2011/2012 season. They defeated the Melbourne Aces 9-4 on Saturday to improve to 2-1 in the best-of-five set. Four runs in the first and three in the fourth gave them an early commanding advantage. Mychal Givens and Dylan Jones combined for five RBI. On the mound Virgil Vasquez conceded four runs on eight hits in 7 2/3 innings, walking none. Jeff Jamnik got charged with the loss, issuing seven hits, seven runs and three bb in three-plus frames.
The second matchup of the day lasted just until midway of the third inning. Rain and lightning caused power outages and the contest between the Adelaide Bite and Sydney Blue Sox got postponed until Sunday. The Blue Sox were leading 8-0 mainly thanks to a grand slam by Tyler Collins. However when play will resume in game three of the tied series, both teams will start at 0-0 in the first inning, as the game hadn’t reached the fifth inning, when play got suspended.
Results Playoffs Round 1:
Thursday, January 26:
Adelaide – Sydney 3-5
Perth – Melbourne 7-8 (10)
Friday, January 27:
Adelaide – Sydney 8-3
Perth – Melbourne 9-5
Saturday, January 28:
Perth – Melbourne 9-4
Adelaide – Sydney postponed
For more information visit the official website of the Australian Baseball League