THE Limestone Coast was well represented at the South Australian Country Baseball Championships in Glenelg over the long weekend.
Mount Gambier’s best headed in the hope for a third straight title and knew they would need five wins to make the final.
The weekend consisted of a round robin format, where Mount Gambier finished on top of the table after the rounds with five wins and one draw.
Arch rival Sunraysia also finished on five wins and a draw to set up what would be a hotly-contested final between the two sides.
A warm Monday afternoon in front of a record Glenelg crowd for the carnival saw a hard game played.
In the end Sunraysia proved to be too strong and defeated Mount Gambier 3-0 to take the championship back to Sunraysia for the first time in three years.
“Although the championship didn’t come home, the Mount Gambier side can hold their heads high as they won the hearts of all the spectators in they way they represented the colours and the town of Mount Gambier and the spirit in which the weekend was played,” coach Sean Horrigan said.
Mount Gambier showed its strength early in the carnival, with a 20-0 win over Darwin to open proceedings.
The second game of day one saw a tighter 5-3 victory over Gawler.
Day two saw another strong opening game, with an 8-0 win over Riverland, before a 3-3 draw with Sunraysia.
The Kevin Ryan cup was claimed on day three, with a 7-2 result over Port Pirie.
Despite the championship loss, earlier on the weekend Mount Gambier defeated Port Pirie to retain the Kevin Ryan Cup, which has been held in the Blue Lake city since 2009.
after the championships, three Mount Gambier players were awarded with Ken Wesslink All-Star Team status.
Ethan Chuck gained the honour for the outfield, Dylan Ridding as an infielder, while also named Mount Gambier’s MVP and Dylan Chuck as catcher, along with the David Mitchell Batting Average (.600).
Horrigan was also named in the All-Star team as assistant coach.
In the Junior grades, Mount Gambier’s Under 14 claimed the championship title, while the Under 17s just fell short.
Under 17 Riley Parsons was named MVP for the carnival in his age group, as was Under 14 Phoenix Cole.
