Grand Final Game 1
Berwick vs. Preston 6-4
This competitive game was a testament to why these two teams finished at the top. In their three regular season meetings, they were 1-1 with a draw, and last night Berwick managed to take a 1-0 series advantage after a big rally.
The Pirates started off strong against pitcher Blake Cunningham and the Cougars’ defense, capitalizing on first-inning errors and a massive double from Lewis Weldon to make it 0-1. Preston’s Hayden Godbold struck out two in the first, but couldn’t stop Berwick from tying it up in the second. The Pirates answered in the third with one run, making it 1-2, before taking a 1-4 lead in the fifth off another hit from Weldon and a sacrifice fly.
Their lead didn’t last long as the rest of the game belonged to Berwick. The Cougars tied it up in the sixth on a string of unearned runs and eventually took a two-run lead against pitcher Satoshi Maekawa in relief. The Pirates couldn’t come back from the deficit as Berwick took home a 6-4 game one victory. Game two is scheduled for 1:00 pm at Altona, with a possible game three set for Sunday afternoon.
Berwick added one more in the seventh, but they struggled to hold back Preston in the bottom half of the inning. The Pirates took advantage of five walks and a hit-by-pitch batter to record two more runs. Berwick simply couldn't make up that four-run deficit against shutout pitching from Ley, and the series went to game three.
Grand Final Game 3
Berwick vs. Preston 1-2