Press Release Australian Baseball League
One of the best things about baseball (and sports in general) is their unpredictable nature. Anything can happen, literally and figuratively. Two crucial sweeps in Round 9, winsome walk-offs, and more mean that the 2016/17 Australian Baseball League postseason picture will enter the final round of the season still undefined.
Here’s a look back at the season-defining action that happened in Round 9.
ADELAIDE (20-16) swept MELBOURNE (24-12)
The Bite added interesting colour to the playoff picture, sweeping the Aces in Melbourne. It was just the second series Melbourne have lost this season, both at the hands of Adelaide. Jordan Cowan and Jordan McArdle hit RBI doubles in the top of the eleventh inning, leading Adelaide to a 3-1 extra-inning win in Game 1. Mitch Dening was the hitting hero in Game 2, driving in three runs as the Bite won 4-3.
Chris Horne (1-1, 6.39) was solid on the mound and Texas Rangers prospect Josh Altmann hit a three-run home run in Adelaide’s 6-2 Game 3 victory. The Bite flexed their muscles in the series finale, clubbing two home runs to back Zach Cooper’s strong start and win the game 5-1 to complete the series sweep.
BRISBANE (18-17) swept PERTH (12-24)
Brisbane’s quest to repeat as Claxton Shield champions continued last weekend as they swept Perth in a dramatically dominant series that featured a pair of walk-off wins. Homegrown stud Logan Wade smashed a two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth to lead the Bandits to a 3-2 walk-off win in Game 1. Mitch Nilsson, David Rodriguez, and Wade Dutton drove in a pair of runs apiece as Brisbane took Game 2 by an 8-6 final score.
As great as he was in Game 2, Nilsson exploded at the plate in Game 3, homering twice and driving in four runs in the Bandits’ series-winning 8-7 victory. Tampa Bay Rays prospect Kevin Padlo was the magic man in the finale, leading off the bottom of the ninth inning of the tie ballgame with a solo home run that sealed the 9-8 win and the series sweep.
SYDNEY (14-21) split with CANBERRA (19-17)
After last weekend’s series split in Sydney, the Cavalry won the 2016/17 Hume Highway Cup matchup 5-3, in a combination of the split and Canberra’s series win back in Round 2. The Cavalry scored three runs in the final three innings of the series opener, taking the game 5-3. But the Blue Sox tied the series the next day behind a seven-inning complete-game effort by Luke Wilkins (3-3, 3.99), who allowed one unearned run and struck out five batters to lead Sydney to a 5-1 win.
However, the Cavalry countered with Louis Cohen (3-0, 2.88) in the nightcap of Saturday’s doubleheader, and Cohen continued his recent stretch of dominant outings with a seven-inning, 10-strikeout performance that led Canberra to a 2-1 win. The Blue Sox emerged victories in the finale, thanks to a ninth-inning rally that resulted in a 7-6 home win and the series split.