Division 1 – Tigers v South
BLUE Lake Sports Park will come alive with finals action as the South Indians compete in their first grand final in eight years when they take on Tigers in the 2017-18 Mount Gambier and District Baseball League Division 1 decider this weekend.
Played as a best-of-three series, the first match will be played tonight, with the remaining game/s played tomorrow night.
Both teams will be eager to win game one, giving them the advantage going into tomorrow’s possible double header.
Dean Hamilton was the starting pitcher for South in the preliminary final against Federal, but only lasted three innings.
He was replaced on the mound by coach Bruce Morale, who would have hoped Hamilton could have seen out at least five or six.
However, Hamilton will be the likely starter against Tigers and will look for a solid performance throughout the final series, with relief coming from Morale.
Morale appeared to have a slight issue with his throwing arm in the preliminary final, so the Indians will hope it is nothing major.
Tigers’ coach Jesse Foster will likely start Karl Ransom on the mound, with relief coming from Brandon Telford or Tyler Horrigan.
Telford pitched 14 walks in the losing Division 2 preliminary final, so he will have to have bring his A-game going into the Division 1 matches.
All three games, if played, will be a battle of the batters.
For Tigers, Jesse Foster, Karl Ransom and Dyllan Lane are among the best hitters, while Tyler Horrigan, Lane, Brayden Morton and Brodie Foster lead the way for runs batted in.
Bruce and Ben Morale, plus Dean Hamilton are South’s best hitters and along with Jesse Balshaw are the team’s best for runs batted in.
Over games two and three, both teams may struggle in the pitching department, as neither side possesses a lot of depth.
Batting is certainly going to be the key to winning and the team which bats the best will win the series.
Tonight’s game one will start at 8pm.
Division 2 – Central v Millicent
THE Division 2 grand final will see a fast charging Millicent Bandits face off against Central.
Central last won the premiership in the 2013-14 season, coincidentally against Millicent, which was the Bandits last grand final appearance.
In a game which could be a battle of the pitchers, Central’s Dylan Gull and league best and fairest, Millicent’s Darcy Pink will lock horns on the mound for their teams.
Pink gave up seven hits in the preliminary final against Tigers, while the Bandits recorded only five hits and 14 base on balls.
Both pitchers will have to bring their best to the mound, while it will also be a battle of the batters.
Ben Green, Lachlan Ridding and Rick Jordan are the Magpies’ leading batters and a lot will be expected of them.
Joined by Dylan Scheidl and Dylan Gull for their runs batted in, these will all be key players in the line-up.
For Millicent, Darcy Pink, Matt McRostie and Nigel Tilley lead the way in their batting department, along with Matt Webber, Jack Hateley and Leigh Kent with most runs batted in.
This may be a game won by the team who makes the least errors.
Division 3 – Central v South
CENTRAL will go up against surprise challenger South Indians in the Division 3 grand final at Blue Lake Sports Park.
Fresh from their preliminary final win against minor premier Naracoorte, the Indians will go into the game with a new-found confidence.
On paper Central should have an easy win on its hand, but after last week’s performance anything could happen.
Solid pitching from Jason Henke saw him keep the Naracoorte batters quiet and he is expected to start on the mound tomorrow.
For Central, it has several pitching options.
Shane Frankenburg pitched a winning game in the qualifying final against Naracoorte and could be the starter for the big game.
However, coach Brenton Lockwood has a couple of options as starter or reliever.
Steve Kuhl throws plenty of disciplined pitches, pitching around troublesome batters, while his son Sam Kuhl is another option.
Despite still learning the trade, he has a power arm which could be put to good use.
Errors may be the difference in this game and it will be up to the batters to put the ball into play and apply pressure.
Central’s leading hitters include Scott Page, Frankenburg and Dean Cutting, while for the Indians, Henke, Peter Walter and Rick Poole are the best hitters.
Under 15 – Central v Tigers/South
TONIGHT will see Central go head-to-head with Tigers/South in the Under 15 grand final.
Central headed the premiership table at the end of the minor rounds, leading the combine by a game and a half.
League batting average winner Alex Ridding leads Central’s batting brigade, closely followed by Brad Braithwaite and Josh Chuck.
For the South/Tigers squad, Tyrone May, Blake Lentsment and Tarkyn Morale are best.
This will be another batters game, with both teams sure to pick up a lot of hits.
However, the pitching ability from both teams should not be underestimated.
Under 13 Gold – Millicent v Central
IN a replay of the qualifying final, Millicent and Central will lock horns in the Under 13 Gold final tomorrow.
That final saw Central lose its first game for the season and Millicent will hope to replicate the performance.
However, the game will greatly depend on who lines up for each side and who has their game-day hat on.
It will also be a matter of whether it is the pitchers or the batters who take control.
Millicent’s batting is held together by Ellis Cushion, Daniel Hateley and Gage Morley, while Central is best represented by Cayde Watson, Jed Sims and Harry Hosking.
Under 13 Blue – Central v Central Magpies
WITH two Central teams in the Under 13 Blue grand final, this sees the club with five sides in the big game across all divisions.
Central won its previous encounter with home club rival Central Magpies and it will look to do the same tomorrow.
However, to win in this grade a lot depends on the pitching.
A high number of walks are usually the order of the day and whichever pitchers get the ball in the strike zone may well have the upper hand.
Batting in both teams has improved over the season, so the batters may take advantage of some accurate pitching.
The better batters for Central include Lachlan Broome, Nickolai Greenham and Freddie Muller, while for the Magpies Cooper Smith, Axl Vonstanke and Curtis Page make up the best.
The league wishes luck to all teams in the finals, while full catering and bar facilities will be available Friday night and throughout the final series on Saturday.
