Three highly competitive VSBL Division 2 Grand Finals took place over the weekend, with Moorabbin winning the Reserves and Thirds premierships while Malvern overcame Williamstown to take home the Fourths flag.
Division 2 Reserves: Williamstown 6 v Moorabbin 8
Moorabbin wrapped up the regular season as the top side with a 14-4-1 record, and the Panthers prevailed as the eventual winners, taking care of Williamstown with a lineup that heavily featured some of their best junior players.
Seven of their 10 players are juniors, with two junior pitchers contributing to get them the championship.
Williamstown was ahead 4-1 after two innings, but Moorabbin tied it up by the fourth inning before going in front by two runs in the fifth. One more run in the sixth and another in the seventh brought the game to the final score, with Williamstown oh-so-close but still unable to make up the deficit.
Moorabbin was good at home last weekend in the 13-6 semi-final win against Doncaster to get them to the grand final while Williamstown fought it out with St Kilda to win 10-9.
This marked Moorabbin's first Division 2 Reserves Grand Final win since the 2013/14 season.
Division 2 Thirds: Moorabbin 3 v St Kilda 1
Moorabbin made it two from two in Division 2 with many players pitching in for a tight win against St Kilda, with the starting pitcher and catcher coming from Panthers Under 16 side too.
It was a good effort for the Panthers to make it to the grand final after holding onto an 8-7 win over Malvern last weekend while St Kilda beat Williamstown 7-3 on the way to the grand final.
Moorabbin was always in the top four, holding top spot for the first four rounds, before claiming second for the next 13 rounds. Two losses to end the season from teams outside the top four put the Panthers season in peril, scraping into fourth place with a 0.88% gap between them and fifth-placed Doncaster. To have such a scare in the lead-up to the semis and still walk away with the flag is a testament to the Panthers' prowess and drive.
Moorabbin last won the Thirds competition in the 2015/16 season.
Division 2 Fourths: Malvern 4 v Williamstown 0
The Braves came into this matchup ready to face a tough Williamstown side that had won the past two premierships.
Malvern got the shutout win in the final game of the season, claiming top honours over two-time defending champs Williamstown. It was the only time this season that the Wolves have been held scoreless.
Williamstown, the top-placed team and Malvern, the second-placed side for the year were always going to put on a good contest however each had different semi-final experiences.
After beating Geelong 15-5 last weekend to get to the grand final, the Wolves were much quieter in this game. Even so, the Wolves can be proud of their efforts to keep the top run-scoring side Malvern to just four runs after racking up 194 in the regular season to lead the Fourths. Malvern had beat St Kilda 3-2 to book a spot in the last game of the season, with the Braves Fourths walking away with their first Division 2 win in more than 20 years.