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12
FEB 2012
- HEAT
BACK-TO-BACK CHAMPS AFTER EPIC FINAL! |
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OVERVIEW: It
would be stating the very obvious to repeat that this best-of-five series
included two epic games that were both decided by one run after 13 innings so,
of course, we would expect the series totals to be quite similar. With ten hits
to five in Game 1 and a four to one win, the Perth Heat owned an advantage of 13
runs from 33 hits as opposed to ten runs from 26 hits by Melbourne. Perth
committed four errors versus two by the Aces yet, thankfully, none of those
really impacted on a solid defensive series where hitting and scoring was quite
a challenge. The Perth Heat had been a supremely dominant team all season, but
the resilient Melbourne Aces earned themselves plenty of friends by making this
Championship series a genuine showcase. |
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CHAMPIONSHIP Final - Game
1 - 10 FEB 2012 -
Baseball Park,
Thornlie
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Team
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1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
R |
H |
E |
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MELBOURNE
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0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
5 |
0 |
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PERTH
|
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
X |
4 |
10 |
0 |
|
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REPORT:
Such was the supreme quality of the pitching
that the opening game of this ABL Championship
series seemed to be in “speed-up mode” and it
was all over in a tick over two and a half
hours. Recent major league pitchers Virgil
Vasquez and Travis Blackley went head to head
and they put on a show worthy of this stellar
Australian baseball event for an international
audience. In the wash-up it was Vasquez who
reigned supreme with his complete game victory
that saw only one run on five hits against his
name, while he posted eight strike outs on the
positive side. Only a spanking home run from
Melbourne catcher Kevin David in the top of the
second inning spoiled what would have been a
monumental shutout. Blackley was also brilliant,
especially after three none out hits opened the
game with loaded bases for him to deal with. He
eventually limited this damage to just one run
and, as always, he tried his very best to keep
the Aces in the contest. The man that caused
Blackley most trouble was Adelaide’s 2011 ABL
Most Valuable Player James McOwen who broke a
1-1 deadlock with his leadoff homer in the
fourth and then he added a RBI to cash in Allan
de San Miguel’s leadoff double in the sixth.
Perth’s fourth and final run of the game came
after Blackley hit Corey Adamson with a pitch to
lead off the seventh and he eventually scored on
Tim Kennelly’s RBI single. Those four runs were
plenty for Vasquez to pilot Perth to a pivotal
1-0 series lead. McOwen’s 3-4 with two RBIs was
a standout offensive effort in a tough pitching
duel, to overshadow Tim Kennelly’s two hit
contribution. Kevin David and Dominic Ramos had
a pair of hits each to leave Brad Harman as the
only other man to hit for Melbourne on this day.
We mentioned after his dominating semi-final
victory that the Melbourne Aces management were
entitled to scratch their heads about how the
already loaded Perth Heat were further blessed
with the late addition of Virgil Vasquez. Well,
after another similar effort in the Championship
opener, those same people could be excused for
gnashing their teeth. Once again Virgil Vasquez
has been a massive stumbling block for opponents
and a terrific bonus for the defending Champions
who are now just one win away from doing just
that.
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PERTH HEAT
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MELBOURNE ACES
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PITCHING: |
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Virgil VASQUEZ (W,2-0) 9.0ip 5h 1er 0bb 8k |
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OFFENCE: |
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James McOWEN 3-4 (HR-2RBI); Tim
KENNELLY 2-4 (RBI);
Corey ADAMSON 1-2; Matt KENNELLY 1-3;
Brenden WEBB 1-4; Allan de SAN MIGUEL 1-4 (D);
Mychal GIVENS 1-4; Mitch GRAHAM 0-4 (RBI) |
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PITCHING: |
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Travis BLACKLEY (L,1-2) 7.0ip 9h 4er 0bb 5k;
Kevin REESE 1.0ip 1h 0er 0bb 0k |
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OFFENCE: |
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Kevin DAVID 2-3 (HR-RBI); Dominic RAMOS 2-4;
Brad HARMAN 1-4 |
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CHAMPIONSHIP Final - Game
2 - 11 FEB 2012 -
Baseball Park,
Thornlie
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Team
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1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
R |
H |
E |
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MELBOURNE
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0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
11 |
2 |
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PERTH
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0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
11 |
2 |
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REPORT:
Descriptive words like epic and gripping are
perhaps overused in sports writing, yet there
are few descriptions more fitting for a contest
like this one... our American friends would
possibly go for a phrase like “barn burner”. In
stark contrast to the quick-fire result in Game
1, this 13-inning drama played out over nearly
four hours before the Melbourne Aces, perhaps
fittingly, kept this Championship series alive
and set up a decider to the best-of-three title
race. Starting pitchers Nic Ungs for Melbourne
and Warwick Saupold for Perth kept the
scoreboard empty until the bottom of the fifth
when the Heat scored two after Mychal Givens
raked a leadoff double and Allan de San Miguel
also doubled later in the frame. This sent Ungs
packing and caused the introduction of Bubbie
Buzachero who seems to thrive while pitching at
Thornlie. Relief pitchers Buzachero, Andrew
Russell and Kevin Reese were major stars for the
Aces as they prevented any more scoring from the
hosts by combining for eight-plus shutout
innings in the cauldron of a pressurised extra
innings affair. Meanwhile Melbourne finally
found some traction against Saupold in the top
of the sixth when a leadoff error allowed them
to mount a rally that tied the game via Justin
Huber’s two out, two RBI single. Pitcher of the
Year Saupold had nothing to be ashamed of after
pitching strongly into the seventh inning but,
critically for them, the Aces had squared the
game. Star Perth relievers Cameron Lamb and Benn
Grice took over to take the game into the 13th
inning when, finally, Melbourne was able to
scratch out the winning run. It all started with
a leadoff single by Josh Davies, a sacrifice
bunt and a clutch RBI single from Brad Harman to
break a sequence of six scoreless innings. Perth
fans are known to be quite parochial and,
although they were disappointed not to win this
one, many of them joined with delighted
Melbourne supporters in agreeing that the
competition deserved a third and final game to
decide the Championship. Game on tomorrow!
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PERTH HEAT
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MELBOURNE ACES
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PITCHING: |
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Warwick SAUPOLD 6.1ip 6h 0er 2bb 2k;
Cameron LAMB 3.2ip 3h 0er 0bb 2k;
Benn GRICE (L,0-2) 3.0ip 2h 1er 1bb 2k |
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OFFENCE: |
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Mitch GRAHAM 4-6 (RBI); James
McOWEN 2-6;
Corey ADAMSON 1-4; Tim KENNELLY 1-5 (D-RBI);
Brenden WEBB 1-5; Mychal GIVENS 1-6 (D);
Allan de SAN MIGUEL 1-6 (D) |
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PITCHING: |
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Nic UNGS 4.2ip 6h 2er 1bb 4k;
Bubbie BUZACHERO 3.1ip 1h 0er 1bb 1k;
Andrew RUSSELL 2.0ip 1h 0er 0bb 2k;
Kevin REESE (W,2-0) 3.0ip 3h 0er 0bb 2k |
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OFFENCE: |
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Brad HARMAN 2-5 (RBI); Dominic RAMOS 2-5;
Kevin DAVID 2-5; Josh DAVIES 2-5; John EDWARDS 1-4;
Joshua HENDRICKS 1-4; Justin HUBER 1-5 (2RBI) |
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CHAMPIONSHIP Final - Game
3 - 12 FEB 2012 -
Baseball Park,
Thornlie
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Team
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
R |
H |
E |
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MELBOURNE
|
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
10 |
0 |
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PERTH
|
3 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
7 |
12 |
2 |
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REPORT:
International TV viewers and local fans alike
were treated to nail-biting, nerve wracking
deciding Game 3 of the ABL Championship with an
exciting battle that was worthy of the event
status. Following after the 13-inning thriller
in Game 2, what better way to cap off a
wonderful series than to repeat the dose with
another 13-inning classic. There had to be a
loser in the end and, while Perth celebrated
their back-to-back titles, it all ended in tears
for the gallant Melbourne Aces who in many ways
punched above their weight this season and in
the playoffs. What made it particularly
distressing for the Aces was the fact that they
twice established a three-run cushion early in
the game, only to see those leads erased while
their own scoring dried up. Melbourne had sent
Perth starter Geoff Brown for an early shower so
it was the relief crew of Jacob Clem, Brendan
Wise and Jack Frawley who not only stopped the
bleeding for the Heat, but also delivered the
Championship as Frawley took the win at the
death. Clem was an unsung hero with 6.1 innings
of “heavy lifting” in long relief for Perth, yet
not any more heroic that Melbourne reliever
Bubbie Buzachero who toiled through eight
innings of middle relief for the Aces. Buzachero,
who had thrown three-plus innings the previous
night, took his huge heart to the hill for
Melbourne and he struck out seven in an effort
that surely deserved more than a hard-luck loss
at the end. Unfortunately for Melbourne their
own starter Jeff Jamnik was unable to maintain
the early advantage for Melbourne after Elliot
Biddle had given him a three run lead with his
bases clearing three RBI triple in the very
first inning. Mychal Givens hit back immediately
with a leadoff double for Perth, followed by Tim
Kennelly’s RBI single and Allan de San Miguel’s
two run bomb that levelled the scores at 3-3
after one inning. The Aces had a chance to do
more damage in the second before settling with
two runs from Brad Harman’s two RBI single. A
sacrifice fly by Dominic Ramos in the third had
restored the three run buffer for the Aces, but
Matt Kennelly clawed one back with his RBI
single in the bottom of the fourth. The game was
tied up in the bottom of the sixth when Brenden
Webb led off with a single and was later driven
home by Mitch Graham, then James McOwen lofted a
sacrifice fly. With either bullpen refusing to
allow another run the game anxiously rolled into
the thirteenth inning and a tiring Bubbie
Buzachero hit James McOwen with a pitch to lead
off the home half. Live arm sidewinder Andrew
Russell was called to the mound to be greeted by
a sacrifice bunt and a groundout that pushed
McOwen to third base with two out. Obviously
seeking a strikeout, Russell delivered a sharp
low and away pitch with late break that could
not be handled by the catcher, allowing McOwen
to scamper home for the winning run. Wild
pitch?... passed ball?... call it either way...
it didn’t matter much to the Heat fans who
howled with glee while the disconsolate Aces
packed their bags for home, minus the trophy. It
may have been a slightly unsatisfactory way for
such a series and such a game to end, yet it
does not in any way diminish the quality of the
contest or the worthiness of the Championship
winning Perth Heat. Import Mychal Givens had
four hits for Perth, as did Melbourne’s Josh
Davies. Allan de San Miguel homered as one of
two hits for the Heat to counter the three run
triple from Elliot Biddle who also hit twice.
Perth’s Matt Kennelly was the only other man to
own two hits for the game. The Perth Heat have
now taken the first two titles of the new
Australian Baseball League era and those who
witnessed this series will remember it for a
very long time. Congratulations Heat!
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PERTH HEAT
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MELBOURNE ACES
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PITCHING: |
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Geoff BROWN 1.2ip 5h 4er 2bb 0k;
Jacob CLEM 6.1ip 4h 1er 2bb 2k;
Brendan WISE 1.0ip 0h 0er 0bb 0k;
Jack FRAWLEY (W,1-0) 4.0ip 1h 0er 0bb 4k |
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OFFENCE: |
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Mychal GIVENS 4-5 (2D); Matt
KENNELLY 2-6 (RBI);
Allan de SAN MIGUEL 2-6 (HR-2RBI); Brenden WEBB 1-5;
James McOWEN 1-4 (RBI); Mitch GRAHAM 1-6 (RBI);
Tim KENNELLY 1-6 (RBI) |
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PITCHING: |
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Jeff JAMNIK 4.0ip 8h 5er 0bb 1k;
Bubbie BUZACHERO (L,0-2) 8.0ip 4h 2er 1bb 7k;
Andrew RUSSELL 0.2ip 0h 0er 0bb 0k |
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OFFENCE: |
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Josh DAVIES 4-6; Elliot BIDDLE 2-6 (T-3RBI);
Dominic RAMOS 1-4 (D-RBI); Brad HARMAN 1-6 (2RBI);
Scott WEARNE 1-6; Joshua HENDRICKS 1-6 |
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SUMMARY:
For those who feel that there are disparities caused by the addition of unequal
import players around the league, they could point to Perth’s imports James
McOwen and Mychal Givens as evidence of this with their offensive production at
the sharp end of the summer. McOwen homered among six hits with three RBIs, to
be matched for hits by Givens who doubled three times among his six hits. Tim
Kennelly and Mitch Graham shared the RBI leadership with McOwen on three. Allan
de San Miguel had the other big fly for the Heat. Melbourne’s Josh Davies showed
his liking for big occasion with four hits in the final game to lead the Aces
with six for the series, just edging Dominic Ramos who hit five times. Elliot
Biddle’s triple in Game 3 allowed him to join Brad Harman with three RBIs as a
team high. Kevin David clocked the only home run for Melbourne in Game 1 as the
solitary run scored against Championship Series MVP Virgil Vasquez who was
clearly the pitcher of the series. Relievers Bubbie Buzachero, Kevin Reese and
Andrew Russell were important for the Aces as were Clem, Frawley and Lamb for
the Heat. Game 2 starters Nic Ungs and Warwick Saupold were also very worthy of
mention. With two 13 inning tussles there could not be much to separate these
teams. |
