The Australian Baseball League continued on Saturday with a pair of doubleheaders. After losing the first two games of the series on Thursday and Friday, Adelaide Bite came back to sweep the twin bill against Perth Heat en route to the split. In the afternoon game Brendon Pett answered a two-run homerun by Evan McArthur in the top of the fourth with a grand slam in the bottom part of the frame to lead Adelaide to a 4-2 victory.
In the night cap the Bite scored six runs in the third on its way to an 11-4 win. Quincy Latimore and Brandon Batz hit three-run homeruns for Adelaide. Allen De San Miguel and Clinton Balgera went deep for Perth. Dushan Ruzic (W 2-0) picked up his second win of the season with a complete game, striking out eight in the process.
In the second doubleheader the Sydney Blue Sox and the Brisbane Bandits settled for the split. In the afternoon portion of the two-game set the Blue Sox rode eight strikeouts by David Welch (W 1-0) in six five-hit innings for a 3-1 victory. Rory Rhodes had three hits in three at bats for Brisbane. In the evening game the Bandits forced extra innings when they erased a three-run deficit with a sac fly by Mitchell Nilsson and a two-run double by David Sutherland in the sixth. David Kandilas had scored twice for Sydney.
The outcome was decided in the eleventh when Brisbane scored a whopping nine runs in the top of the inning for a 12-3 win. Rory Rhodes, Andrew Campbell and Brad Dutton had big two-run hits during the rally. Sydney actually already looked to limit the damage to a run, when Mitchell Nilsson struck out for the seemingly third out. But the ball got away from catcher Patrick Maat and the following throw to first base went wild. Another error by shortstop Michael Lysaught followed on the next play and the flood gates opened.
There was supposed to be a third doubleheader on Saturday. But like on Friday the weather in Melbourne didn’t play along, as rain led to two more postponements. The Aces now hope to celebrate their home opener against Canberra Cavalry with Mariekson Gregorius and Donald Lutz on Sunday with doubleheader.
Results:
Thursday, November 25:
Adelaide – Perth 7-9
Friday, November 26:
Melbourne – Canberra ppd
Adelaide – Perth 3-9
Sydney – Brisbane 1-6
Saturday, November 27:
Adelaide – Perth 4-2
Melbourne – Canberra ppd
Sydney – Brisbane 3-1
Melbourne – Canberra
Adelaide – Perth 11-4
Sydney – Brisbane 3-12 (11)
Schedule:
Sunday, November 28:
12pm Melbourne – Canberra
1.30pm Sydney – Brisbane
3pm Melbourne – Canberra
Live Play by Play and more information on the Official Website of the Australian Baseball League