STURT HOMER ITS WAY INTO GRAND FINAL

By Robert Laidlaw, 20-21 March 2021

CRUCIAL HOME RUNS paved the way for Sturt to qualify for the 2021 division one baseball grand final, with an extra inning 8-6 victory in game one, and a 13-3 mercy win in the second contest, against West Torrens at Mitcham.

After absorbing an Eagles fightback in Saturday’s opening clash, Terrell Joyce hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the 10th inning to give Sturt a huge advantage in the best of three preliminary final.

Earlier the Saints were travelling well, with three runs in the second inning, on Matt Macbeth’s three-run dinger, then added single runs in the following two frames on sacrifice flies to Jordan McArdle and Rixon Wingrove.

West Torrens had scored a pair of runs at the top of the fourth, after hits to Max Stagg Darcy Barry and Dan Turner.

Then the game’s momentum completely changed, as the Eagles scored three runs at the top of the seventh to level the scores at 5-5, after an error, and RBI doubles to Sam McGarry and Mitch Neunborn.

But Sturt had a quick answer in the bottom of the seventh, when Angus Roeger smashed a home run to put his side 6-5 up.

Then the ninth inning!

First West Torrens loaded the bases after hits to the Vanderlinden brothers, Nico and Nathan, and Tom McGarry, with none out. One run scored on Sam McGarry’s sacrifice fly to level the contest, but that was it.

Then in a tense bottom of the ninth, Wingrove led off with a double, McArdle was intentionally walked, while Roeger bunted the runners into scoring position.

Dylan Ridding was then intentionally walked to load the bases, but a strikeout and an infield out saw extra innings required.

After the Eagles could not threaten in the top of the 10th, the Saints needed just three pitches to win through.

Tyler Chappell singled on the first pitch to leftfield, then Harry Knuckey bunted his first pitch, putting Chappell on second base, and Joyce wasted no time, belting the first pitch he faced over the centrefield fence, for a walk-off win.

With two innings of relief pitching Josh Tindall claimed the win, while West Torrens reliever Nathan Vanderlinden took the loss.

Game two wasn’t pretty for West Torrens, as big home runs helped the Saints to an early lead, with a 10-run fifth inning by Sturt destroying any chance the Eagles had of climbing back into the contest.

The Saints took advantage of two errors in the second frame to score a run, then back-to-back dingers from Terrell Joyce and Rixon Wingrove in the third dig made it 3-0.

West Torrens scored a run at the top of the fourth, but then Sturt bludgeoned its way to a match-winning lead with a 10-run fifth.

Harry Knuckey and Wingrove singled, then after a K2, Angus Roeger was hit by a pitch, another K2, and consecutive RBI hit by pitched balls to Jackson Brebner-Russ and Mitch Lightbody got the ball rolling.

Then Tyler Chappell had a two-run single and Knuckey smashed a three-run homer. And that wasn’t all, as Joyce, Wingrove, McArdle (two RBIs) and Roeger all collected singles before the final out was made – another K2!

With a two-run dinger at the top of the sixth, Mitch Neunborn gave the Eagles a chance to avoid a mercy-rule ending, but West Torrens was shut out in the seventh to end the game.

Josh Tindall collected his second win of the weekend, pitching six innings for five hits and five strikeouts. Wil Kortekaas took the loss.

Sturt now has a chance to win its second flag in three years, after just three premierships in the previous 100 years – in 1921, 1978 and 1991.

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RESULTS:

West Torrens 0 0 0 2 0 0 3 0 1 0 – 6

Sturt 0 3 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 2 – 8

Hits: Sturt – Wingrove 2, Chappell 2, Knuckey, Joyce (hr), Roeger (hr), Ridding, Macbeth (hr); WT – Stagg 3, Ni. Vanderlinden 2, Na. Vanderlinden, T. McGarry, S. McGarry, Neunborn, Barry, Turner. WP: J. Tindall; LP: Na. Vanderlinden.

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West Torrens 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 – 3

Sturt 0 1 2 0 10 0 x – 13

Hits: Sturt – Wingrove 3 (hr), Knuckey 2 (hr), Joyce 2 (hr), Chappell 2, McArdle, Roeger, Ridding; WT – T. McGarry 2, Na. Vanderlinden 2, S. McGarry, Neunborn (hr), Turner, Ni. Vanderlinden. WP: J. Tindall; LP: W. Kortekaas).