Six exciting semi-finals had teams working hard to take their seasons even further in the VSBL Division 2 Reserves, Thirds and Fourths competitions. Now the Grand Final matchups are set for Sunday, 8 March with premiership titles up for grabs.
Division 2 Reserves
Doncaster Dragons 6 v Moorabbin Panthers 13
Ladder-leaders Moorabbin made sure to enter into a grand final with a five-run win over Doncaster getting them there.
Getting out of the gates early was key for Moorabbin, as the 14-4-1 Panthers kept the 11-7-1 Dragons at bay. "I think the keys to Moorabbin's success was our hot start," player Tom Brookes said. "We came ready to play and scored early, and even later in the game when Doncaster challenged us we rallied and kept scoring runs."
After finishing top of the ladder by a few games, Brooks and his teammates are determined to win the grand final. "I think we have to go out and play our own style of baseball," Brooks added. "All year we have proved ourselves to be the team that doesn't stop fighting. This week we need to play a full nine innings and even if we don't start well, we keep battling until things go our way."
The Panthers will take on Williamstown in the deciding game this weekend. Williamstown won a 7-6 nailbiter in round 10 after Moorabbin one the first game 6-2, and a final meeting between these teams will definitely be exciting.
St Kilda Saints 9 v Williamstown Wolves 10
Second place Williamstown took care of the Saints in a win for the ages, seeing them into a grand final.
With four runs in both the first and the second, St Kilda was in prime position early on in the game. Leading 8-2, the Saints kept things under control until the bottom of the fourth when the Wolves got one back. Williamstown scored another three in the bottom of the fifth to keep things interesting, mounting a comeback that wouldn't be complete until the bottom of the ninth.
Despite the Saints' commendable efforts, the walk off win was huge for Williamstown and sets the Reserves up to chase a highly-anticipated flag.
First pitch for the grand final is slated for 3:30 pm Sunday as both teams look to give it all they've got.
Division 2 Thirds
Williamstown Wolves 3 v St Kilda Saints 7
St Kilda was leading 3-0 after three innings, and the Saints continued to dominate thoughout the course of the game.
Williamstown finally got on the board at the top of the fourth but just managed one run. St Kilda added one to the score in the fifth before the Wolves came out with two at the top of the sixth and it was back to a one-run ballgame.
The Saints made sure of a result in their favour after they batted in three runs at the bottom before closing out with a good defensive inning.
St Kilda will play Moorabbin in the grand final this weekend. The Saints finished in second place at 13-5-1 while Moorabbin ended at 12-6, with the Panthers winning 6-4 over St Kilda back in round four. St Kilda won the second meeting 7-4 but Moorabbin ended up taking the series with a 5-4 victory in game three, meaning this upcoming grand final will be a highly competitive one.
Moorabbin Panthers 8 v Malvern Braves 7
This was a game that had it all, including going into a 10th inning to decide the result, Moorabbin holding up strong to earn the win over Malvern.
The Braves took a two-run lead after the first inning but the Panthers struck back in the next few to lead 4-2 after four.
Throughout the fifth to seventh innings, each team had two one-run digs but Malvern had added two runs to the score in the sixth, helping them to draw level at the end of the seventh.
Moorabbin scored two runs at the top of the 11th while there was also scoring chances for Malvern at the bottom, however the Braves fell short by one run. Mitchell Johnston's double to right propelled Moorabbin in front.
Moorabbin coach Andrew Bloomfield says solid pitching from starter Otto Moje, reliever Adrian (Gus) Fielden and closer Wesley Ka made the win possible. "In the field we made important plays when they had to be made, and this was massive when in the eighth or ninth innings Malvern had bases loaded with none out," Bloomfield said. "Hitting was steady with the main priority of getting on base, letting things happen and executing in major situations."
Now the Panthers are preparing for the big dance. "Plans for the grand final are very simple with keeping the game as one inning at a time," Bloomfield said. "We are looking forward to a tough battle."
The shock win over the top-placed Braves will see Moorabbin with plenty of momentum to take on the Saints in the grand final.
Division 2 Fourths
St Kilda Saints 2 v Malvern Braves 3
The deciding run came in the sixth inning as the Braves took the lead, and later the win with that run after each team scored within the first two innings.
St Kilda scored first with one run coming in at the top of the first, that one-run lead being reversed when Malvern came up to bat. The Braves scored two at the bottom before the Saints levelled the scores at the top half of the second inning.
After a close and highly competitive game, the Braves have booked their place in the grand final against Williamstown. The Wolves will be going after their third straight flag, and it's up to Malvern to stop them.
Geelong Baycats 5 v Williamstown Wolves 15
Williamstown cruised to a big win, earning a home grand final on Sunday after beating the Baycats by 10 runs in a one-sided game.
While the scores were tied at two-apeice after the first inning, constant runs from the Wolves allowed them to have a large enough buffer, especially after scoring five in their fourth inning.
At the top of the fifth, Geelong got back on the board with two runs but the might of Williamstown saw them take three in the bottom. It was much the same for the next inning as the away side scored another one run to Williamstown’s two to see an end to the game.
Williamstown is eager to win yet another premiership, but first the Wolves will have to overcome Malvern, a team they lost to by three runs in round 19.
Division 2 Reserves
Doncaster Dragons 6 v Moorabbin Panthers 13
Ladder-leaders Moorabbin made sure to enter into a grand final with a five-run win over Doncaster getting them there.
Getting out of the gates early was key for Moorabbin, as the 14-4-1 Panthers kept the 11-7-1 Dragons at bay. "I think the keys to Moorabbin's success was our hot start," player Tom Brookes said. "We came ready to play and scored early, and even later in the game when Doncaster challenged us we rallied and kept scoring runs."
After finishing top of the ladder by a few games, Brooks and his teammates are determined to win the grand final. "I think we have to go out and play our own style of baseball," Brooks added. "All year we have proved ourselves to be the team that doesn't stop fighting. This week we need to play a full nine innings and even if we don't start well, we keep battling until things go our way."
The Panthers will take on Williamstown in the deciding game this weekend. Williamstown won a 7-6 nailbiter in round 10 after Moorabbin one the first game 6-2, and a final meeting between these teams will definitely be exciting.
St Kilda Saints 9 v Williamstown Wolves 10
Second place Williamstown took care of the Saints in a win for the ages, seeing them into a grand final.
With four runs in both the first and the second, St Kilda was in prime position early on in the game. Leading 8-2, the Saints kept things under control until the bottom of the fourth when the Wolves got one back. Williamstown scored another three in the bottom of the fifth to keep things interesting, mounting a comeback that wouldn't be complete until the bottom of the ninth.
Despite the Saints' commendable efforts, the walk off win was huge for Williamstown and sets the Reserves up to chase a highly-anticipated flag.
First pitch for the grand final is slated for 3:30 pm Sunday as both teams look to give it all they've got.
Division 2 Thirds
Williamstown Wolves 3 v St Kilda Saints 7
St Kilda was leading 3-0 after three innings, and the Saints continued to dominate thoughout the course of the game.
Williamstown finally got on the board at the top of the fourth but just managed one run. St Kilda added one to the score in the fifth before the Wolves came out with two at the top of the sixth and it was back to a one-run ballgame.
The Saints made sure of a result in their favour after they batted in three runs at the bottom before closing out with a good defensive inning.
St Kilda will play Moorabbin in the grand final this weekend. The Saints finished in second place at 13-5-1 while Moorabbin ended at 12-6, with the Panthers winning 6-4 over St Kilda back in round four. St Kilda won the second meeting 7-4 but Moorabbin ended up taking the series with a 5-4 victory in game three, meaning this upcoming grand final will be a highly competitive one.
Moorabbin Panthers 8 v Malvern Braves 7
This was a game that had it all, including going into a 10th inning to decide the result, Moorabbin holding up strong to earn the win over Malvern.
The Braves took a two-run lead after the first inning but the Panthers struck back in the next few to lead 4-2 after four.
Throughout the fifth to seventh innings, each team had two one-run digs but Malvern had added two runs to the score in the sixth, helping them to draw level at the end of the seventh.
Moorabbin scored two runs at the top of the 11th while there was also scoring chances for Malvern at the bottom, however the Braves fell short by one run. Mitchell Johnston's double to right propelled Moorabbin in front.
Moorabbin coach Andrew Bloomfield says solid pitching from starter Otto Moje, reliever Adrian (Gus) Fielden and closer Wesley Ka made the win possible. "In the field we made important plays when they had to be made, and this was massive when in the eighth or ninth innings Malvern had bases loaded with none out," Bloomfield said. "Hitting was steady with the main priority of getting on base, letting things happen and executing in major situations."
Now the Panthers are preparing for the big dance. "Plans for the grand final are very simple with keeping the game as one inning at a time," Bloomfield said. "We are looking forward to a tough battle."
The shock win over the top-placed Braves will see Moorabbin with plenty of momentum to take on the Saints in the grand final.
Division 2 Fourths
St Kilda Saints 2 v Malvern Braves 3
The deciding run came in the sixth inning as the Braves took the lead, and later the win with that run after each team scored within the first two innings.
St Kilda scored first with one run coming in at the top of the first, that one-run lead being reversed when Malvern came up to bat. The Braves scored two at the bottom before the Saints levelled the scores at the top half of the second inning.
After a close and highly competitive game, the Braves have booked their place in the grand final against Williamstown. The Wolves will be going after their third straight flag, and it's up to Malvern to stop them.
Geelong Baycats 5 v Williamstown Wolves 15
Williamstown cruised to a big win, earning a home grand final on Sunday after beating the Baycats by 10 runs in a one-sided game.
While the scores were tied at two-apeice after the first inning, constant runs from the Wolves allowed them to have a large enough buffer, especially after scoring five in their fourth inning.
At the top of the fifth, Geelong got back on the board with two runs but the might of Williamstown saw them take three in the bottom. It was much the same for the next inning as the away side scored another one run to Williamstown’s two to see an end to the game.
Williamstown is eager to win yet another premiership, but first the Wolves will have to overcome Malvern, a team they lost to by three runs in round 19.