ROB’S RECAPS - STATE LEAGUE DIVISION 1 - GRAND FINAL - GAME 2
BASEBALL (March 22, 2025)
BACK-TO-BACK FLAGS FOR STURT
By Robert Laidlaw [team and MVP photos courtesy Gavin Karjalainen]
STURT HAS WON BACK-TO-BACK FLAGS for the first time in club history, after beating Henley & Grange two games to none in the division one baseball grand final at West Beach Parks.
The Saints backed up Friday’s 7-1 victory by winning Saturday’s clash 4-1, with Damon Arnold leading the way from the mound.
In 7.2 innings, Arnold gave up eight scattered hits for six strikeouts, as he kept the Henley batters off balance with his consistent pitching.
Initially it looked like the Rams were going to take control in the opening frame but had to settle for just one run.
Jack Partington led off with a bunt, which was thrown away and left him on second base. But Liam Bull hit a hard liner to infielder Mitch Lightbody, who caught the ball and doubled Partington off of second base.
Wilson Lee then hit a two-bagger and scored on Lou Helmig’s single, and when Koki Yonezawa also singled, it looked like Henley was going to pull away early, but Arnold struck out the next hitter to defuse the situation.
The Saints equalised at the top of the second frame, when Jackson Brebner-Russ doubled and came home when Zac Altamura’s outfield fly was dropped.
With two out in the fifth dig Sturt took the lead, after Mitch Lightbody doubled and came home on Terrell Joyce’s single, to give the Saints a 2-1 advantage.
At the top of the sixth Matt MacBeth singled, Altamura walked and after two wild pitches, MacBeth scored to make it 3-1, while in the seventh, Jordan McArdle singled and scored on Brebner-Russ’ double for the final score of the game.
While Arnold claimed the win, Lightbody did a good job in relief for Sturt, striking out three hitters in 1.1 innings.
Lee pitched six frames in taking the loss, conceding seven hits for eight K2s, while Partington gave up two hits on three digs for three K2s.
* * * * *
Division one baseball grand final results.
Game one:
Sturt 0 0 0 1 2 4 0 0 0 – 7
Henley & Grange 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 – 1
Hits: Sturt – Knuckey 2, Lightbody 2, Joyce, Baumer, Brebner-Russ, Adkins; H&G – Helmig 2, Bull, Lee. WP: K, Hampton; LP: J. Grose.
Game two:
Sturt 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 – 4
Henley & Grange 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 – 1
Hits: Sturt – Lightbody 2, McArdle 2, Brebner-Russ 2, Knuckey, Joyce, MacBeth; H&G – Yonezawa 2, Partington, Bull, Lee, Helmig, Inglis, Acosta. WP: D. Arnold; LP: W. Lee. GF MVP: Ky Hampton.
All reactions:
28Alexander Jacobs and 27 others