Moorabbin took a 6-1 win over Mulgrave in the opening game of the 2021/22 VSBL Division 2 Firsts Grand Final at Melbourne Ballpark on Thursday night.
Nick Veale threw nine innings with four hits and eight strikeouts and Travis Finney and Adam Harris led the side with two RBIs each.
Mulgrave was first on the board with a run in the opening frame, and the Rebels held that advantage through four innings. The Panthers broke through with one run in the fifth and two in the sixth to take control, and eventually they added three more in the ninth for a solid win.
Stewart Mathieson had three hits while Angelo Reale-Rontos and Finney both had two, with the side collecting 12 hits in total compared to four for Mulgrave.
Winning pitcher Veale had 26 first-pitch strikes while Mulgrave starter Jayson Arthur got an 0-1 count in 30 at-bats with nine strikeouts in as many innings.
Mulgrave finished the regular season on top of the ladder with an 18-5 record while Moorabbin came in close second with the same number of wins and losses plus one draw. The two sides face off again on Saturday at Melbourne Ballpark with first pitch at 1:00pm and Moorabbin just one win away from back-to-back premierships, unless the Rebels can take out game two and three.
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