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Izz · 09-07-2017, 12:20 AM

2062 Championship - Cairns Crocs vs Adelaide Venom

Preview: A rematch of last year’s Championship, and while history suggested that in these scenarios the challenger usually won it, it was hard to bet against the Venom making it 4 on the trot.

The defending champs had once again been the offensive powerhouse of the AUNZBL, leading the league in BA (.297), OBP (.371), SLG (.474), OPS, runs scored (1009), hits (1722), and walks (643). They’d hit the 2nd-most XBH (553) and the 3rd-most jacks (216). They were mid-league pitching-wise however, their combined ERA of 4.36 only 6th-best, the runs they’d allowed (761) 5th-best, and their hits conceded (1510) 7th-best. They had topped all-comers in strikeouts, though, ringing up 1194 across the season.

The Crocs were midrange when it came to BA (.274 - 7th), OBP (.341 - 8th), and hits (1525 - tied for 8th). However, they’d safely touched home plate 868 times, 2nd only to their opponents. This was perhaps because of their 208 homers (4th), combined with the hustle that saw them steal 131 bases (2nd). Their bullpen was the best in the league, featuring a 3.70 ERA, and their starters 4th-best, with a 4.44 ERA. They’d allowed the 3rd-least homeruns (163), and walked the 3rd-least hitters (466). They were also strikeout experts, fanning 1182, 2nd to the Venom.

The Venom would welcome back Malcolm Pickhills, recovered from his elbow sprain, and were only missing Arthur Hammer, who wouldn’t be playing again until January 2064 at the earliest. Cairns would have to continue to do without Beau Snell, still recuperating the ankle ligaments he tore in December.

Verdict: As nice as it would be to see Cairns get their maiden Championship, as well as best the team that’d beaten them in 2 of the last 3 Championship Series, it was just too hard to go past Adelaide, who didn’t seem quite as deep as last year’s edition but were still nearly breaking offensive records all over the shop. Venom in 6.

Game 1

Two strikeout machines would tangle horns. Victor Doubleday (15-12, 4.54 ERA, 4.22 FIP, 1.28 WHIP, 223 Ks) against Greg Ahern (18-10, 3.48 ERA, 3.92 FIP, 1.10 WHIP, 226 Ks). Doubleday had been wild in the Preliminary Finals, walking 13 in 12 innings while only striking out 7. Ahern had only walked 2 in 11.2 IP while doing ‘The Buzzard’ 11 times.

The first pitch of the game was a cutter over the middle of the plate. Ahern might’ve thought he could get away with a warmup pitch but Lecomte had other ideas, socking it 402 feet into the rightfield bleachers. 1-0 Cairns and the Adelaide fans were stunned into early silence. 2 pitches later and Ahern threw another cutter, this one below Baker’s knees. But Baker’s batspeed was still good and he clobbered it down the narrow side of left. It kept going and going and cleared the fence. 2-0 Cairns, the section of the LF stadium full of Cairns fans in full roar.

Aitken jumped on an 0-1 slider, sending it skidding into the RF alley, and arrived at 2B standing up. Ahern wandered around the mound, muttering viciously. Correa ground out to 2B for the first out of the game, Aitken advancing to 3B in the process. Rodriguez hit a grounder up the middle and Young ranged across, throwing him out at 1B. He had no play on Aitken though, who crossed home-plate to tick the score over to 3-0. Lara walked and stole 2B thanks to a high tag from Acevedo but Dwyer ground out to Young to end the inning.

Zartuche singled to left to begin the bottom of the inning, the home fans beginning to find their voice once more. 2 outs later Young singled to right on a first-pitch hit-and-run, putting runners on the corners. Pickhills, in his first at-bat since the 19th of March, walked to load the bases. Welch took a mighty cut at a 1-1 fastball but could only pop out to the catcher. Threat over, score unchanged.

Ahern was a different pitcher in the top of the 2nd, striking out 2 and getting a regulation groundball to 1B for the final out. Doubleday also collected 2 punch-outs in the bottom of the inning.

Zartuche singled again to begin the bottom of the 3rd, and an out later Moore rifled a single to right. Once again, Adelaide had runners on the corners, young Doubleday working up a sweat. Young walked on 5 pitches and the bases were juiced. Pickhills showed no inclination to swing, walking on 6 pitches to bring home Adelaide’s opening run. Welch ground out to 2B but Pickhills’ hard slide prevented a double-play and allowed a run to score. Benbow walked, Doubleday’s 4th of the night so far, and the bases were again full. Acevedo could only ground out to 3B and Doubleday hurried from the mound with his team somehow still in the lead. 3-2 Crocs.

Hayes made it a tie-game with 2 outs in the bottom of the 4th, sending a mid-strikezone fastball into the LF bleachers. The fans roared, especially when Doubleday (3.2IP, 5H, 3ER, 5BB, 4K) walked Moore and was led from the mound by his manager. He’d thrown 99 pitches in less than 4 innings, the vaunted Venom hitters giving him a good working over. His relief, Hal Massingham, got the final out of the inning on 1 pitch.

By contrast, Ahern had thrown 56 pitches in 4 innings. With 1 out in the 5th he walked Lecomte, who then stole 2B on a changeup, arriving miles ahead of the throw. Baker took one to the shin, yelped and hopped, and then headed to 1B. Aitken struck out and Correa hit a deep fly to left but only as far as the fielder’s glove. 3-3 the score remained.

The 2 walks Pickhills had drawn already had obviously scrubbed off any rust he had, for after fouling a couple off he got a pitch to hit and didn’t miss, recording the 4th four-bagger of the night to give Adelaide the lead. 4-3 Adelaide.

Moore got in on the homerun act in the bottom of the 6th, his solo shot over right-centre making it 5-3. A nice lunging catch by RF Zartuche in the 7th robbed Lee of extra-bases, Cairns having been unable to mount any scoreboard pressure since the opening half-inning.

Fingleson replaced Ahern (7.0IP, 4H, 3ER, 2BB, 6K) for the 8th, and proceeded to strike out Baker, Aitken and Correa, all 3 batters frozen up. Naylor’s card came up for the 9th, and he gave up a first-pitch single up the middle to Rodriguez. Lara struck out looking at a fastball at the knees, and Dwyer swung through a fastball on the outer edge of the plate. Murphy went down swinging too, and this one was in the books.

Final score: 5-3 Adelaide, Cairns completely outclassed after their stellar start. Zartuche, Hayes and Moore both collected 2 hits.

Game 2

League-leader in wins Clint Kline (19-5, 2.82 ERA, 3.48 FIP, 1.09 WHIP) would front for Cairns, while Rafael Hurlson (11-9, 4.97 ERA, 4.37 FIP, 1.53 WHIP), who’d been blown up for 6 earned runs in 3.1 innings in his start against the Thunder, was Adelaide’s choice. So far over his career Hurlson had flattered to deceive. The eye-test said he should strike out plenty while keeping the ball in the park but a career ERA of 5.50 suggested otherwise. His career FIP, however, was a whole run lower, at 4.37. The 2.7 WAR he’d put up in 2062 was the best of his nearly 6-year major-league career.

For the second game running Lecomte was determined to grab proceedings by the scruff of the neck. This time, off the second pitch of his at-bat, he zinged a line-drive over the head of 1B Moore and into the RF corner. He didn’t even slow to contemplate whether he should pull up at 2B, leading off with a stand-up triple! Baker hit the first pitch of his at-bat deep to centre but only as far as the CF’s glove. Lecomte tagged up and jogged home. 1-0 Cairns.

Aitken then doubled into the LF alley before advancing to 3B on Correa’s ground-out. Rodriguez bashed a fastball over the head of the CF for an RBI-double. 2-0 Cairns, and Hurlson had only thrown 13 pitches while facing 5 batters and seeing 2 runs score. A great dive and throw by 2B Young robbed Lara of a potential RBI-single and brought the inning to a halt.

In the bottom of the inning Kline needed only 2 pitches for the first 2 outs before striking out Moore with a 4-pitch combo.

Dwyer singled to lead off the 2nd, Hurlson’s struggles from the previous series continuing. Murphy also singled, both runners advancing on Lee’s ground-out. Lecomte hit an opposite-field single to bring Murphy home and then stole 2B without a throw, Hayes unable to hold onto the ball. Baker struck out and Aitken delivered a long fly-out to centre. 3-0 Cairns.

The first pitch of the bottom of the inning was a 142 km/h fastball in the middle of the zone. Young absolutely flattened it to centre, the ball clearing the 424 foot boundary with ease, crashing into the upper tier. 3-1 Cairns. The official distance on Young's jack was 477 feet.

Adelaide were going after Kline, trying to cash in on his fastballs, which he tended to throw early to get ahead in the count before using his forkball as his out pitch. After 3 innings he’d only thrown 27 pitches to Hurlson’s 51, the only hit he’d given up Young’s mammoth homer.

Dwyer led off the 4th with a single, and an out later Lee weaved a double down the 3B line. Lecomte collected his third hit of the night, his single bringing home both runners. He then stole 2B again, though this time got it done with a hard slide, the impact dislodging the ball from Young’s grip. Baker latched onto a Hurlson changeup, depositing it well back in the left-centre bleachers. 3-run jack, the score now 7-1. Hurlson (3.1IP, 10H, 7ER, 1BB, 2K) got yanked, this performance even worse than his last.

Moore singled in the 4th and Young showed he had Kline’s measure, cracking his 0-1 pitch over leftfield. It didn’t quite have the legs of his first blast but it was long enough. 2-run homerun. 7-3 Crocs.

In the 6th Lecomte, aboard thanks to a fielder’s choice, chanced his luck once too often, finally gunned down trying to swipe 2B. Zartuche found his way to 1B leading off the bottom of the inning thanks to a wayward pitch grazing his ankle. An out later he scampered to 2B without a throw, Baker unable to get a clean grip on the ball out of his glove. Moore’s fly out to the RF warning track enabled Zartuche to ease over to 3B. Could Young hit 3 dingers in 3 at-bats? No, but he did draw a 7-pitch walk. Pickhills cracked a fastball towards the LF alley but Dwyer made a superb lunging catch to end the inning and keep the margin 4.

Welch doubled to begin the bottom of the 7th but could progress no further. Young came up again in the 8th with 2 outs and Moore at 1B via walk. He singled up the middle and Kline was replaced by Sterling Boston. Pickhills could only ground out to 2B to end the inning. Kline (7.2IP, 5H, 3ER, 2BB, 5K) had thrown 105 pitches and allowed all his runs via HR.

Silva took the mound for the bottom of the 9th, the difference still 4. Welch popped a single into shallow CF and decided to try for 2B. Lara’s throw was on point and Welch was tagged out well short. Benbow struck a crisp line-drive towards right only for Correa to snatch it out of the air for the out. Acevedo struck out looking and Cairns had tied the Championship back up.

Final score: 7-3 Crocs. Lecomte had stolen 8 bases already this postseason, and had a 6-game playoff steal streak going. Young, 3-3 with a walk, was the only hitter to have Kline’s number, even though Kline was only throwing an early-140s fastball and a 125-130 km/h forkball.

Game 3

For their first game in enemy territory, Adelaide would start with Robinson Saldana (15-8, 4.65 ERA, 4.31 FIP, 1.49 WHIP). Damian Flemming (9-9, 4.71 ERA, 4.34 FIP, 1.58 WHIP), whose 2062 had been his worst season in recent memory, was Cairns’ choice. A strong wind blowing in from CF would surely put a spring in both pitchers’ steps.

Neither team threatened through 2, though Adelaide accumulated 2 base hits and Cairns had 1 hit batter. Pi led off the 3rd with a single up the middle but got doubled up 6-4-3. Murphy opened the bottom of the inning with a walk and slid hard to stop a double-play. Lecomte walked and then Baker tattooed a 3-2 fastball into the LF bleachers. 3-run HR! Baker had now homered in each of the first 3 Championship Games.

In the 4th, Lecomte muffed a regulation ground-ball from Young to allow the slugger to reach 1B safely. Pickhills singled, giving Adelaide 2 runners aboard with 1 out. Welch doubled into the RF alley, scoring 1. Benbow struck out and then Acevedo blooped a single into shallow right, the ball barely landing on the right side of the foul-line. Pickhills and Welch scored and the game was all tied up.

Rodriguez led off the bottom of the inning with a single and then stole 2B, getting a good jump on the usually alert Saldana. An out later Dwyer’s nubber played itself perfectly for him, allowing him to reach 1B without a throw. Runners on the corners with 1 out. Murphy bounced one to 3B and Pickhills started a crisp 5-4-3 double-play to end the inning.

A Zartuche 0-out walk followed by a steal put Adelaide in a prime position to move ahead in the 5th. Hayes quickly made sure they did just that, doubling past a diving 3B. Moore was walked and Flemming came from the mound. In Game 2 Adelaide were aggressive against Kline, today they were patient, making Flemming throw 84 pitches to 21 hitters. Young singled home another run, both he and Moore advancing a base on the throw home. That’s where they stayed, the score 5-3 after 4 and a half.

Lee hit a 2-out triple in the bottom of the 7th but Lecomte was unable to drive him home. Saldana (7.0IP, 5H, 3ER, 2BB, 3K) retired after 7, Fingleson needing only 5 pitches to retire Cairns 2-3-4 hitters. A throwing error by RF Murphy in the 9th enabled Hayes to score, giving Adelaide a 3-run buffer.

Naylor trotted out for the bottom of the 9th. 1B Moore robbed Rodriguez of at least a single with a nice diving catch. Lara walked on 4 pitches. Dwyer popped out to 3B. Murphy half-swung at a 1-2 fastball and that was enough to end the game. Final score: 6-3 Adelaide. Flemming (4.0IP, 7H, 5R, 2ER, 2BB, 3K) went to 1-2 for the postseason. Cairns could only manage 5 hits all game. Welch was 3-4 with a double, run and RBI.

Game 4

Ahern versus Doubleday, the young Crocs’ ace hoping he could make the Venom hitters swing a bit more than last start.

Doubleday didn’t get off to the best start, walking leadoff man Zartuche on 4 pitches. He atoned himself a couple pitches later, his snap move to 1B catching Zartuche napping. Moore and Young both singled with 2 outs but Pickhills could only ground out to 1B to end the mini-rally.

Correa started off the bottom of the 2nd in the best possible way, cracking the 6th pitch of his at-bat into the RF bleachers. 1-0 Cairns.

Young’s leadoff single in the 4th was followed an out later by Doubleday’s 20th walk of the postseason, to Welch. Doubleday amped up the savage to strike out the next 2 and leave both runners stranded. Doubleday was looking much more at ease at his home ground, striking out 2 in the 5th to give him 6 for the game. Ahern was also looking good, allowing only 2 hits through 5, the majority of contact against him along the ground.

Doubleday walked 2 and fanned 2 in the 6th, finishing the inning with a 12-pitch strikeout. He responded with a double-fist pump but his manager looked a little pensive: Doubleday had already thrown 110 pitches to Ahern’s 63. Ahern needed only 8 pitches to get through the bottom of the inning. Despite movement in the bullpen, Sosa stuck with Doubleday for the beginning of the 7th. Acevedo’s leadoff single put paid to that however, and Kent Wells made his way to the mound. An out later Zartuche ripped his 3rd single of the night to left and Acevedo scampered home from 2B to tie the game up. Zartuche then got caught stealing for the 2nd time in the game and, despite a couple 2-out singles, the inning ended at 1-1. Doubleday (6.0IP, 6H, 1ER, 4BB, 8K) was good but his skipper would surely have liked an extra inning or 2 from him.

Baker’s soft single up the middle to start the bottom of the inning ended up with him at 2B, CF Benbow getting handcuffed by the bounce. Aitken was intentionally walked and Correa ground into a 4-6-3 double-play. Rodriguez continued his strong postseason, pulling a fastball over the RF fence. 2-run homer and Cairns were back in front. 3-1 Crocs after 7.

With 1 out in the 8th, Welch doubled over the head of RF. Benbow fanned for the 4th time in the game and Acevedo ground out back to the pitcher. Fingleson replaced Ahern (7.0IP, 4H, 3ER, 1BB, 4K) for the bottom of the inning and immediately gave up a single to Dwyer. Murphy hit a soft groundball back towards Fingleson who rifled it to 2B in the hope of starting a double-play. His throw, however, was bad and CF Benbow had to break quickly to cut it off. Lee hit a deep fly to left, Zartuche catching it with his back against the wall. Dwyer tagged up at 2B and made it to 3B without a throw. With the count 0-2 Cairns started a run-and-hit. Lecomte watched a splitter miss low and away and Murphy slid in safely to 2B. 9 pitches later and Lecomte had fought his way to a walk. Bases loaded, 1 away. Baker, though, could only ground out to short, starting a 6-4-3 double-play. 3-1 Cairns the score remained, Adelaide still in it.

Silva got Pi to pop out to Lecomte to begin the top of the 9th. Zartuche singled to centre. He was 4-4 on the night, with 1 walk. Hayes struck one firmly along the 3B line. Lee swooped on it and around the horn it went for a game-ending double-play.

Final score: 3-1 Cairns, the series now even at 2 games apiece. It was a frustrating loss for the Venom, as they had 11 base hits and 4 walks to Cairns’ 5 hits and 2 walks.

Game 5

Both teams trotted out pitchers who hadn’t started yet this postseason. Adelaide turned to Teddy Wigley (8-8, 4.96 ERA, 4.18 FIP, 1.47 WHIP), who’d thrown 2.1 scoreless relief innings in the series against Central Coast. Cairns went with southpaw Umashankar Meenakshi (15-14, 5.02 ERA, 4.63 FIP, 1.55 WHIP), who’d been a star in Adelaide’s 2059-2061 Championship-winning teams. This postseason he’d thrown 7.1 innings of relief, 2 of those in the first game of this series.

Correa fumbled a regulation groundball to allow leadoff hitter Zartuche aboard in the top of the 1st. Zartuche then went for the steal and was caught short, as he'd been regularly this postseason.

Lecomte drove the first pitch of the bottom of the inning into RF for a single but Baker’s crisp groundball to short was tailor-made to start a 6-4-3 double-play. Rodriguez led off the bottom of the 2nd with a double down the RF line. Lara punched a single to right and Cairns had runners on the corners with nobody out. Dwyer popped out but Murphy took a pitch to the arm. Bases full. Lee struck out and Lecomte sent the first pitch of his at-bat straight to LF for a regulation out. Wigley wiped the sweat from his brow on his way to the dugout.

Meenakshi looked completely untroubled on the mound, allowing no runners other than the opening error through 3. Zartuche singled to lead off the 4th but wasn’t on the bases for long, the first victim in a 5-4-3 double-play. Wigley wasn’t giving an inch either, keeping Cairns to zero through 4 while allowing 5 hits.

After 5, both pitchers had thrown 69 pitches. A fine catch by Murphy in the 6th robbed Pi of extra-bases and kept Benbow, who’d singled earlier, at 1B. Benbow then stole 2B before Zartuche cracked a line-drive into the LF alley. He slid in safely with a triple and Adelaide had broken the deadlock. 1-0 Venom.

They held the lead for 1 whole out before Rodriguez bashed a fastball high, long and handsome over CF for a solo HR. 1-1 after 6.

Both pitchers got through the 7th but the sound off the bat and the length of the fly outs suggested they were tiring. Cairns subbed Meenakshi (7.0IP, 3H, 1ER, 1BB, 5K) for the 8th. Murphy pulled off another great catch, even better than his last, to again rob Pi of a double and possible RBIs.

Wigley (7.0IP, 7H, 1ER, 1BB, 3K) also sat down for the 8th. The scores were still locked at 1 heading into the 9th. Cairns sent Silva to the mound, and Hayes hit his first pitch, a low curve, off the LF wall for a stand-up double. Lecomte made a great diving catch to retire Young and Moore was walked to set up the double-play. Pickhills also walked, and the bases were drunk, Welch at the plate. He hit a hot grounder towards 2B. Correa broke quickly and fired a bullet home for the force-out. Baker then unloaded to 1B in time for the inning-ending twin killing.

Adelaide also sent their closer, Naylor, out for the bottom of the inning. Lara ground out to 2B. Dwyer was retired 5-3 and Murphy also ground out to 2B. This thing was headed to extras.

Silva retired Adelaide in order in the 10th. Baker singled with 2 outs in the bottom of the inning but was left at 1B.

Hayes singled with 1 out in the 11th and then Murphy pulled off his third stunner of the night, climbing the wall to rob Young of the go-ahead HR. Moore then ground-out to end the inning. Correa singled to open the bottom of the inning but couldn’t progress further.

Pickhills jumped on an inside fastball in the 12th, curling it down the RF line and into the bleachers, too far back for Murphy to steal it. Solo HR, the stadium groaning as one. Pinch-hitter Rex Abbot came to the plate to open the bottom of the inning and was soon retired 5-3. Murphy also ground out in the same fashion, bringing 9-hitter Lee to the plate. He slapped the first pitch he faced to right and into the glove of Pi. Game over.

Final score: 2-1 Adelaide in a fascinating contest. One more win for Adelaide to become the first team to win 4 Championships in a row and the first to reach the 8-Championship threshold.

Game 6

Back in Adelaide, and once again Kline would take on Hurlson, most Venom fans of the opinion Saldana would’ve been a much better option. Hurlson's 2062 postseason ERA was sitting at 17.55.

But Hurlson was the choice of Adelaide skipper Luis Gonzalez so the fans would have to get behind him. He started off well, fanning both Lecomte and Baker. Then he walked Aitken on 4 pitches before getting Correa to ground out. The happy pitcher shared a laugh with 1B Moore as they strolled to the dugout.

Bottom of the inning and leadoff man Zartuche singled to left. Hayes followed with a brisk single up the middle before Moore doubled over the head of CF Lara, scoring both runners. 2-0 Adelaide and there was still 3 outs left in the 1st. Young spanked a 3-0 fastball for a double over the head of RF Murphy. Moore scored but all eyes were on Young who was waving frantically for a trainer. He immediately came from the field. No word was forthcoming on his injury.

This presented a bit of a problem for the Venom, with their infield backup Welch playing as DH. Catcher Norm Donaldson subbed in for Young but where would he field?

The break seemed to settle Kline, who got through the rest of the inning without too much trouble.

The Venom fielders presented themselves for the top of the 2nd. Pickhills moved across from 3B to 2B. Hayes moved from catcher to 3B and Donaldson slotted in behind the plate. The change in defensive alignment didn’t appear to bother Hurlson too much. He struck out 2 of the 4 hitters he faced, allowing just a 2-out single.

Lee led off the top of the 3rd with a single and advanced to 3B on Lecomte’s follow-up single to right. Zartuche made a fine catch to dismiss Baker but Lee tagged up and came home unopposed to put Cairns on the board. Lecomte then decided to steal 2nd but Donaldson showed he still had some zing in his arm, firing to the SS in time. Aitken kept the inning going with a single, as did Correa, his pop-up finding grass near the RF foul line. Rodriguez, however, went down swinging on 3 pitches. 3-1 Adelaide, Hurlson with 5 punch-outs so far.

Moore singled to begin the bottom of the inning and Donaldson, who many felt had been unlucky to be riding the pine for most of the season, doubled into the LF alley. Runners at 2B and 3B, nobody out, Kline struggling to keep his pitches down in the zone. Pickhills squeezed a single past 1B and Moore scored. Welch fanned, Benbow popped out, but Acevedo cracked a single up the middle to score another and keep the inning alive. 5-1 Adelaide after 3.

To add insult to injury in the 4th, Lee’s throw from the 3B-side to retire Zartuche was off target, allowing the speedster to reach safely out of the leadoff spot. Hayes then crushed a waist-high fastball way back over CF. 441 feet back in fact. 2-run homer and Adelaide were well in charge. Kline (3.0IP, 9H, 7R, 6ER, 1BB, 3K) was brought from the mound, his face telling the whole sorry story.

The hurt wasn’t finished for Cairns. An out later Donaldson singled to right and then Pickhills rode the bullet train, sending a fastball into the back of the centre-right lower deck. 9-1 Adelaide.

Aitken nearly got 2 back for Cairns in the 5th, the top 2 inches of the wall robbing him of a HR. Lecomte, who’d singled earlier, did score to inch the Crocs closer.

Dwyer doubled home Rodriguez next inning, and also left the field injured. Hamstring tightness was the verdict from the dressing room. He was replaced by 21 y/o Ernan Pullenza. Dwyer’s double ended Hurlson’s night, which was again all over the place but looked as if it would end with a Championship victory. An error by stand-in 3B Hayes allowed Murphy aboard before Lee’s fly-out to right gave Pullenza the chance to score a postseason run.

And ho, another injury! This time it was RF Pi after throwing home in an attempt to get Pullenza out. Again, the Adelaide medical staff gave no word on the nature or severity of the injury. He was replaced by Wendell Eykelbosch. 9-4 Adelaide after 5 and a half. Hurlson went 5.1 innings for 10 hits, 4 runs (3 earned), 1 walk and 7 strikeouts.

Moore led off the bottom of the 6th with an opposite-field solo HR over left. 2 outs later Acevedo got in on the longball action, this one worth 3 runs. The Crocs’ mood was summed up well when next-up, Eykelbosch, hit a slow grounder between 1B and 2B. Neither player showed any urgency and the ball made it into RF. 13-4 after 6.

Rodriguez jacked a 2-run HR in the 7th to make it 13-6. That was the final scoring act of the game, the Venom players and staff getting closer and closer to bursting out of the dugout until, when the game-ending 6-4-3 double-play was turned, they spilled out and the raucous celebrations began. Cairns, on the other hand, would have hard work consoling themselves, now the unlucky losers in 3 of Adelaide’s 4-Championship run.

Final score: 13-6 Venom, to stamp their mark on AUNZBL history.

Richard Moore (.435/.536/.739, 2HR from 10 hits) took out the Series’ MVP.

Lecomte equalled the postseason record he’d set in 2061, of 9 stolen bases, while Zartuche set a new record for amount of times caught stealing, getting nabbed 5 times from 7 attempts. As they’d done in each of their previous Championship victories in this run, Adelaide didn’t just win the decider, they dominated it.

2062 Championship-winning Venom

09-07-2017, 12:20 AM	#720
Izz Hall Of Famer Join Date: Sep 2012 Posts: 2,469	2062 Championship - Cairns Crocs vs Adelaide Venom 2062 Championship - Cairns Crocs vs Adelaide Venom Preview: A rematch of last year’s Championship, and while history suggested that in these scenarios the challenger usually won it, it was hard to bet against the Venom making it 4 on the trot. The defending champs had once again been the offensive powerhouse of the AUNZBL, leading the league in BA (.297), OBP (.371), SLG (.474), OPS, runs scored (1009), hits (1722), and walks (643). They’d hit the 2nd-most XBH (553) and the 3rd-most jacks (216). They were mid-league pitching-wise however, their combined ERA of 4.36 only 6th-best, the runs they’d allowed (761) 5th-best, and their hits conceded (1510) 7th-best. They had topped all-comers in strikeouts, though, ringing up 1194 across the season. The Crocs were midrange when it came to BA (.274 - 7th), OBP (.341 - 8th), and hits (1525 - tied for 8th). However, they’d safely touched home plate 868 times, 2nd only to their opponents. This was perhaps because of their 208 homers (4th), combined with the hustle that saw them steal 131 bases (2nd). Their bullpen was the best in the league, featuring a 3.70 ERA, and their starters 4th-best, with a 4.44 ERA. They’d allowed the 3rd-least homeruns (163), and walked the 3rd-least hitters (466). They were also strikeout experts, fanning 1182, 2nd to the Venom. The Venom would welcome back Malcolm Pickhills, recovered from his elbow sprain, and were only missing Arthur Hammer, who wouldn’t be playing again until January 2064 at the earliest. Cairns would have to continue to do without Beau Snell, still recuperating the ankle ligaments he tore in December. Verdict: As nice as it would be to see Cairns get their maiden Championship, as well as best the team that’d beaten them in 2 of the last 3 Championship Series, it was just too hard to go past Adelaide, who didn’t seem quite as deep as last year’s edition but were still nearly breaking offensive records all over the shop. Venom in 6. Game 1 Two strikeout machines would tangle horns. Victor Doubleday (15-12, 4.54 ERA, 4.22 FIP, 1.28 WHIP, 223 Ks) against Greg Ahern (18-10, 3.48 ERA, 3.92 FIP, 1.10 WHIP, 226 Ks). Doubleday had been wild in the Preliminary Finals, walking 13 in 12 innings while only striking out 7. Ahern had only walked 2 in 11.2 IP while doing ‘The Buzzard’ 11 times. The first pitch of the game was a cutter over the middle of the plate. Ahern might’ve thought he could get away with a warmup pitch but Lecomte had other ideas, socking it 402 feet into the rightfield bleachers. 1-0 Cairns and the Adelaide fans were stunned into early silence. 2 pitches later and Ahern threw another cutter, this one below Baker’s knees. But Baker’s batspeed was still good and he clobbered it down the narrow side of left. It kept going and going and cleared the fence. 2-0 Cairns, the section of the LF stadium full of Cairns fans in full roar. Aitken jumped on an 0-1 slider, sending it skidding into the RF alley, and arrived at 2B standing up. Ahern wandered around the mound, muttering viciously. Correa ground out to 2B for the first out of the game, Aitken advancing to 3B in the process. Rodriguez hit a grounder up the middle and Young ranged across, throwing him out at 1B. He had no play on Aitken though, who crossed home-plate to tick the score over to 3-0. Lara walked and stole 2B thanks to a high tag from Acevedo but Dwyer ground out to Young to end the inning. Zartuche singled to left to begin the bottom of the inning, the home fans beginning to find their voice once more. 2 outs later Young singled to right on a first-pitch hit-and-run, putting runners on the corners. Pickhills, in his first at-bat since the 19th of March, walked to load the bases. Welch took a mighty cut at a 1-1 fastball but could only pop out to the catcher. Threat over, score unchanged. Ahern was a different pitcher in the top of the 2nd, striking out 2 and getting a regulation groundball to 1B for the final out. Doubleday also collected 2 punch-outs in the bottom of the inning. Zartuche singled again to begin the bottom of the 3rd, and an out later Moore rifled a single to right. Once again, Adelaide had runners on the corners, young Doubleday working up a sweat. Young walked on 5 pitches and the bases were juiced. Pickhills showed no inclination to swing, walking on 6 pitches to bring home Adelaide’s opening run. Welch ground out to 2B but Pickhills’ hard slide prevented a double-play and allowed a run to score. Benbow walked, Doubleday’s 4th of the night so far, and the bases were again full. Acevedo could only ground out to 3B and Doubleday hurried from the mound with his team somehow still in the lead. 3-2 Crocs. Hayes made it a tie-game with 2 outs in the bottom of the 4th, sending a mid-strikezone fastball into the LF bleachers. The fans roared, especially when Doubleday (3.2IP, 5H, 3ER, 5BB, 4K) walked Moore and was led from the mound by his manager. He’d thrown 99 pitches in less than 4 innings, the vaunted Venom hitters giving him a good working over. His relief, Hal Massingham, got the final out of the inning on 1 pitch. By contrast, Ahern had thrown 56 pitches in 4 innings. With 1 out in the 5th he walked Lecomte, who then stole 2B on a changeup, arriving miles ahead of the throw. Baker took one to the shin, yelped and hopped, and then headed to 1B. Aitken struck out and Correa hit a deep fly to left but only as far as the fielder’s glove. 3-3 the score remained. The 2 walks Pickhills had drawn already had obviously scrubbed off any rust he had, for after fouling a couple off he got a pitch to hit and didn’t miss, recording the 4th four-bagger of the night to give Adelaide the lead. 4-3 Adelaide. Moore got in on the homerun act in the bottom of the 6th, his solo shot over right-centre making it 5-3. A nice lunging catch by RF Zartuche in the 7th robbed Lee of extra-bases, Cairns having been unable to mount any scoreboard pressure since the opening half-inning. Fingleson replaced Ahern (7.0IP, 4H, 3ER, 2BB, 6K) for the 8th, and proceeded to strike out Baker, Aitken and Correa, all 3 batters frozen up. Naylor’s card came up for the 9th, and he gave up a first-pitch single up the middle to Rodriguez. Lara struck out looking at a fastball at the knees, and Dwyer swung through a fastball on the outer edge of the plate. Murphy went down swinging too, and this one was in the books. Final score: 5-3 Adelaide, Cairns completely outclassed after their stellar start. Zartuche, Hayes and Moore both collected 2 hits. Game 2 League-leader in wins Clint Kline (19-5, 2.82 ERA, 3.48 FIP, 1.09 WHIP) would front for Cairns, while Rafael Hurlson (11-9, 4.97 ERA, 4.37 FIP, 1.53 WHIP), who’d been blown up for 6 earned runs in 3.1 innings in his start against the Thunder, was Adelaide’s choice. So far over his career Hurlson had flattered to deceive. The eye-test said he should strike out plenty while keeping the ball in the park but a career ERA of 5.50 suggested otherwise. His career FIP, however, was a whole run lower, at 4.37. The 2.7 WAR he’d put up in 2062 was the best of his nearly 6-year major-league career. For the second game running Lecomte was determined to grab proceedings by the scruff of the neck. This time, off the second pitch of his at-bat, he zinged a line-drive over the head of 1B Moore and into the RF corner. He didn’t even slow to contemplate whether he should pull up at 2B, leading off with a stand-up triple! Baker hit the first pitch of his at-bat deep to centre but only as far as the CF’s glove. Lecomte tagged up and jogged home. 1-0 Cairns. Aitken then doubled into the LF alley before advancing to 3B on Correa’s ground-out. Rodriguez bashed a fastball over the head of the CF for an RBI-double. 2-0 Cairns, and Hurlson had only thrown 13 pitches while facing 5 batters and seeing 2 runs score. A great dive and throw by 2B Young robbed Lara of a potential RBI-single and brought the inning to a halt. In the bottom of the inning Kline needed only 2 pitches for the first 2 outs before striking out Moore with a 4-pitch combo. Dwyer singled to lead off the 2nd, Hurlson’s struggles from the previous series continuing. Murphy also singled, both runners advancing on Lee’s ground-out. Lecomte hit an opposite-field single to bring Murphy home and then stole 2B without a throw, Hayes unable to hold onto the ball. Baker struck out and Aitken delivered a long fly-out to centre. 3-0 Cairns. The first pitch of the bottom of the inning was a 142 km/h fastball in the middle of the zone. Young absolutely flattened it to centre, the ball clearing the 424 foot boundary with ease, crashing into the upper tier. 3-1 Cairns. The official distance on Young's jack was 477 feet. Adelaide were going after Kline, trying to cash in on his fastballs, which he tended to throw early to get ahead in the count before using his forkball as his out pitch. After 3 innings he’d only thrown 27 pitches to Hurlson’s 51, the only hit he’d given up Young’s mammoth homer. Dwyer led off the 4th with a single, and an out later Lee weaved a double down the 3B line. Lecomte collected his third hit of the night, his single bringing home both runners. He then stole 2B again, though this time got it done with a hard slide, the impact dislodging the ball from Young’s grip. Baker latched onto a Hurlson changeup, depositing it well back in the left-centre bleachers. 3-run jack, the score now 7-1. Hurlson (3.1IP, 10H, 7ER, 1BB, 2K) got yanked, this performance even worse than his last. Moore singled in the 4th and Young showed he had Kline’s measure, cracking his 0-1 pitch over leftfield. It didn’t quite have the legs of his first blast but it was long enough. 2-run homerun. 7-3 Crocs. In the 6th Lecomte, aboard thanks to a fielder’s choice, chanced his luck once too often, finally gunned down trying to swipe 2B. Zartuche found his way to 1B leading off the bottom of the inning thanks to a wayward pitch grazing his ankle. An out later he scampered to 2B without a throw, Baker unable to get a clean grip on the ball out of his glove. Moore’s fly out to the RF warning track enabled Zartuche to ease over to 3B. Could Young hit 3 dingers in 3 at-bats? No, but he did draw a 7-pitch walk. Pickhills cracked a fastball towards the LF alley but Dwyer made a superb lunging catch to end the inning and keep the margin 4. Welch doubled to begin the bottom of the 7th but could progress no further. Young came up again in the 8th with 2 outs and Moore at 1B via walk. He singled up the middle and Kline was replaced by Sterling Boston. Pickhills could only ground out to 2B to end the inning. Kline (7.2IP, 5H, 3ER, 2BB, 5K) had thrown 105 pitches and allowed all his runs via HR. Silva took the mound for the bottom of the 9th, the difference still 4. Welch popped a single into shallow CF and decided to try for 2B. Lara’s throw was on point and Welch was tagged out well short. Benbow struck a crisp line-drive towards right only for Correa to snatch it out of the air for the out. Acevedo struck out looking and Cairns had tied the Championship back up. Final score: 7-3 Crocs. Lecomte had stolen 8 bases already this postseason, and had a 6-game playoff steal streak going. Young, 3-3 with a walk, was the only hitter to have Kline’s number, even though Kline was only throwing an early-140s fastball and a 125-130 km/h forkball. Game 3 For their first game in enemy territory, Adelaide would start with Robinson Saldana (15-8, 4.65 ERA, 4.31 FIP, 1.49 WHIP). Damian Flemming (9-9, 4.71 ERA, 4.34 FIP, 1.58 WHIP), whose 2062 had been his worst season in recent memory, was Cairns’ choice. A strong wind blowing in from CF would surely put a spring in both pitchers’ steps. Neither team threatened through 2, though Adelaide accumulated 2 base hits and Cairns had 1 hit batter. Pi led off the 3rd with a single up the middle but got doubled up 6-4-3. Murphy opened the bottom of the inning with a walk and slid hard to stop a double-play. Lecomte walked and then Baker tattooed a 3-2 fastball into the LF bleachers. 3-run HR! Baker had now homered in each of the first 3 Championship Games. In the 4th, Lecomte muffed a regulation ground-ball from Young to allow the slugger to reach 1B safely. Pickhills singled, giving Adelaide 2 runners aboard with 1 out. Welch doubled into the RF alley, scoring 1. Benbow struck out and then Acevedo blooped a single into shallow right, the ball barely landing on the right side of the foul-line. Pickhills and Welch scored and the game was all tied up. Rodriguez led off the bottom of the inning with a single and then stole 2B, getting a good jump on the usually alert Saldana. An out later Dwyer’s nubber played itself perfectly for him, allowing him to reach 1B without a throw. Runners on the corners with 1 out. Murphy bounced one to 3B and Pickhills started a crisp 5-4-3 double-play to end the inning. A Zartuche 0-out walk followed by a steal put Adelaide in a prime position to move ahead in the 5th. Hayes quickly made sure they did just that, doubling past a diving 3B. Moore was walked and Flemming came from the mound. In Game 2 Adelaide were aggressive against Kline, today they were patient, making Flemming throw 84 pitches to 21 hitters. Young singled home another run, both he and Moore advancing a base on the throw home. That’s where they stayed, the score 5-3 after 4 and a half. Lee hit a 2-out triple in the bottom of the 7th but Lecomte was unable to drive him home. Saldana (7.0IP, 5H, 3ER, 2BB, 3K) retired after 7, Fingleson needing only 5 pitches to retire Cairns 2-3-4 hitters. A throwing error by RF Murphy in the 9th enabled Hayes to score, giving Adelaide a 3-run buffer. Naylor trotted out for the bottom of the 9th. 1B Moore robbed Rodriguez of at least a single with a nice diving catch. Lara walked on 4 pitches. Dwyer popped out to 3B. Murphy half-swung at a 1-2 fastball and that was enough to end the game. Final score: 6-3 Adelaide. Flemming (4.0IP, 7H, 5R, 2ER, 2BB, 3K) went to 1-2 for the postseason. Cairns could only manage 5 hits all game. Welch was 3-4 with a double, run and RBI. Game 4 Ahern versus Doubleday, the young Crocs’ ace hoping he could make the Venom hitters swing a bit more than last start. Doubleday didn’t get off to the best start, walking leadoff man Zartuche on 4 pitches. He atoned himself a couple pitches later, his snap move to 1B catching Zartuche napping. Moore and Young both singled with 2 outs but Pickhills could only ground out to 1B to end the mini-rally. Correa started off the bottom of the 2nd in the best possible way, cracking the 6th pitch of his at-bat into the RF bleachers. 1-0 Cairns. Young’s leadoff single in the 4th was followed an out later by Doubleday’s 20th walk of the postseason, to Welch. Doubleday amped up the savage to strike out the next 2 and leave both runners stranded. Doubleday was looking much more at ease at his home ground, striking out 2 in the 5th to give him 6 for the game. Ahern was also looking good, allowing only 2 hits through 5, the majority of contact against him along the ground. Doubleday walked 2 and fanned 2 in the 6th, finishing the inning with a 12-pitch strikeout. He responded with a double-fist pump but his manager looked a little pensive: Doubleday had already thrown 110 pitches to Ahern’s 63. Ahern needed only 8 pitches to get through the bottom of the inning. Despite movement in the bullpen, Sosa stuck with Doubleday for the beginning of the 7th. Acevedo’s leadoff single put paid to that however, and Kent Wells made his way to the mound. An out later Zartuche ripped his 3rd single of the night to left and Acevedo scampered home from 2B to tie the game up. Zartuche then got caught stealing for the 2nd time in the game and, despite a couple 2-out singles, the inning ended at 1-1. Doubleday (6.0IP, 6H, 1ER, 4BB, 8K) was good but his skipper would surely have liked an extra inning or 2 from him. Baker’s soft single up the middle to start the bottom of the inning ended up with him at 2B, CF Benbow getting handcuffed by the bounce. Aitken was intentionally walked and Correa ground into a 4-6-3 double-play. Rodriguez continued his strong postseason, pulling a fastball over the RF fence. 2-run homer and Cairns were back in front. 3-1 Crocs after 7. With 1 out in the 8th, Welch doubled over the head of RF. Benbow fanned for the 4th time in the game and Acevedo ground out back to the pitcher. Fingleson replaced Ahern (7.0IP, 4H, 3ER, 1BB, 4K) for the bottom of the inning and immediately gave up a single to Dwyer. Murphy hit a soft groundball back towards Fingleson who rifled it to 2B in the hope of starting a double-play. His throw, however, was bad and CF Benbow had to break quickly to cut it off. Lee hit a deep fly to left, Zartuche catching it with his back against the wall. Dwyer tagged up at 2B and made it to 3B without a throw. With the count 0-2 Cairns started a run-and-hit. Lecomte watched a splitter miss low and away and Murphy slid in safely to 2B. 9 pitches later and Lecomte had fought his way to a walk. Bases loaded, 1 away. Baker, though, could only ground out to short, starting a 6-4-3 double-play. 3-1 Cairns the score remained, Adelaide still in it. Silva got Pi to pop out to Lecomte to begin the top of the 9th. Zartuche singled to centre. He was 4-4 on the night, with 1 walk. Hayes struck one firmly along the 3B line. Lee swooped on it and around the horn it went for a game-ending double-play. Final score: 3-1 Cairns, the series now even at 2 games apiece. It was a frustrating loss for the Venom, as they had 11 base hits and 4 walks to Cairns’ 5 hits and 2 walks. Game 5 Both teams trotted out pitchers who hadn’t started yet this postseason. Adelaide turned to Teddy Wigley (8-8, 4.96 ERA, 4.18 FIP, 1.47 WHIP), who’d thrown 2.1 scoreless relief innings in the series against Central Coast. Cairns went with southpaw Umashankar Meenakshi (15-14, 5.02 ERA, 4.63 FIP, 1.55 WHIP), who’d been a star in Adelaide’s 2059-2061 Championship-winning teams. This postseason he’d thrown 7.1 innings of relief, 2 of those in the first game of this series. Correa fumbled a regulation groundball to allow leadoff hitter Zartuche aboard in the top of the 1st. Zartuche then went for the steal and was caught short, as he'd been regularly this postseason. Lecomte drove the first pitch of the bottom of the inning into RF for a single but Baker’s crisp groundball to short was tailor-made to start a 6-4-3 double-play. Rodriguez led off the bottom of the 2nd with a double down the RF line. Lara punched a single to right and Cairns had runners on the corners with nobody out. Dwyer popped out but Murphy took a pitch to the arm. Bases full. Lee struck out and Lecomte sent the first pitch of his at-bat straight to LF for a regulation out. Wigley wiped the sweat from his brow on his way to the dugout. Meenakshi looked completely untroubled on the mound, allowing no runners other than the opening error through 3. Zartuche singled to lead off the 4th but wasn’t on the bases for long, the first victim in a 5-4-3 double-play. Wigley wasn’t giving an inch either, keeping Cairns to zero through 4 while allowing 5 hits. After 5, both pitchers had thrown 69 pitches. A fine catch by Murphy in the 6th robbed Pi of extra-bases and kept Benbow, who’d singled earlier, at 1B. Benbow then stole 2B before Zartuche cracked a line-drive into the LF alley. He slid in safely with a triple and Adelaide had broken the deadlock. 1-0 Venom. They held the lead for 1 whole out before Rodriguez bashed a fastball high, long and handsome over CF for a solo HR. 1-1 after 6. Both pitchers got through the 7th but the sound off the bat and the length of the fly outs suggested they were tiring. Cairns subbed Meenakshi (7.0IP, 3H, 1ER, 1BB, 5K) for the 8th. Murphy pulled off another great catch, even better than his last, to again rob Pi of a double and possible RBIs. Wigley (7.0IP, 7H, 1ER, 1BB, 3K) also sat down for the 8th. The scores were still locked at 1 heading into the 9th. Cairns sent Silva to the mound, and Hayes hit his first pitch, a low curve, off the LF wall for a stand-up double. Lecomte made a great diving catch to retire Young and Moore was walked to set up the double-play. Pickhills also walked, and the bases were drunk, Welch at the plate. He hit a hot grounder towards 2B. Correa broke quickly and fired a bullet home for the force-out. Baker then unloaded to 1B in time for the inning-ending twin killing. Adelaide also sent their closer, Naylor, out for the bottom of the inning. Lara ground out to 2B. Dwyer was retired 5-3 and Murphy also ground out to 2B. This thing was headed to extras. Silva retired Adelaide in order in the 10th. Baker singled with 2 outs in the bottom of the inning but was left at 1B. Hayes singled with 1 out in the 11th and then Murphy pulled off his third stunner of the night, climbing the wall to rob Young of the go-ahead HR. Moore then ground-out to end the inning. Correa singled to open the bottom of the inning but couldn’t progress further. Pickhills jumped on an inside fastball in the 12th, curling it down the RF line and into the bleachers, too far back for Murphy to steal it. Solo HR, the stadium groaning as one. Pinch-hitter Rex Abbot came to the plate to open the bottom of the inning and was soon retired 5-3. Murphy also ground out in the same fashion, bringing 9-hitter Lee to the plate. He slapped the first pitch he faced to right and into the glove of Pi. Game over. Final score: 2-1 Adelaide in a fascinating contest. One more win for Adelaide to become the first team to win 4 Championships in a row and the first to reach the 8-Championship threshold. Game 6 Back in Adelaide, and once again Kline would take on Hurlson, most Venom fans of the opinion Saldana would’ve been a much better option. Hurlson's 2062 postseason ERA was sitting at 17.55. But Hurlson was the choice of Adelaide skipper Luis Gonzalez so the fans would have to get behind him. He started off well, fanning both Lecomte and Baker. Then he walked Aitken on 4 pitches before getting Correa to ground out. The happy pitcher shared a laugh with 1B Moore as they strolled to the dugout. Bottom of the inning and leadoff man Zartuche singled to left. Hayes followed with a brisk single up the middle before Moore doubled over the head of CF Lara, scoring both runners. 2-0 Adelaide and there was still 3 outs left in the 1st. Young spanked a 3-0 fastball for a double over the head of RF Murphy. Moore scored but all eyes were on Young who was waving frantically for a trainer. He immediately came from the field. No word was forthcoming on his injury. This presented a bit of a problem for the Venom, with their infield backup Welch playing as DH. Catcher Norm Donaldson subbed in for Young but where would he field? The break seemed to settle Kline, who got through the rest of the inning without too much trouble. The Venom fielders presented themselves for the top of the 2nd. Pickhills moved across from 3B to 2B. Hayes moved from catcher to 3B and Donaldson slotted in behind the plate. The change in defensive alignment didn’t appear to bother Hurlson too much. He struck out 2 of the 4 hitters he faced, allowing just a 2-out single. Lee led off the top of the 3rd with a single and advanced to 3B on Lecomte’s follow-up single to right. Zartuche made a fine catch to dismiss Baker but Lee tagged up and came home unopposed to put Cairns on the board. Lecomte then decided to steal 2nd but Donaldson showed he still had some zing in his arm, firing to the SS in time. Aitken kept the inning going with a single, as did Correa, his pop-up finding grass near the RF foul line. Rodriguez, however, went down swinging on 3 pitches. 3-1 Adelaide, Hurlson with 5 punch-outs so far. Moore singled to begin the bottom of the inning and Donaldson, who many felt had been unlucky to be riding the pine for most of the season, doubled into the LF alley. Runners at 2B and 3B, nobody out, Kline struggling to keep his pitches down in the zone. Pickhills squeezed a single past 1B and Moore scored. Welch fanned, Benbow popped out, but Acevedo cracked a single up the middle to score another and keep the inning alive. 5-1 Adelaide after 3. To add insult to injury in the 4th, Lee’s throw from the 3B-side to retire Zartuche was off target, allowing the speedster to reach safely out of the leadoff spot. Hayes then crushed a waist-high fastball way back over CF. 441 feet back in fact. 2-run homer and Adelaide were well in charge. Kline (3.0IP, 9H, 7R, 6ER, 1BB, 3K) was brought from the mound, his face telling the whole sorry story. The hurt wasn’t finished for Cairns. An out later Donaldson singled to right and then Pickhills rode the bullet train, sending a fastball into the back of the centre-right lower deck. 9-1 Adelaide. Aitken nearly got 2 back for Cairns in the 5th, the top 2 inches of the wall robbing him of a HR. Lecomte, who’d singled earlier, did score to inch the Crocs closer. Dwyer doubled home Rodriguez next inning, and also left the field injured. Hamstring tightness was the verdict from the dressing room. He was replaced by 21 y/o Ernan Pullenza. Dwyer’s double ended Hurlson’s night, which was again all over the place but looked as if it would end with a Championship victory. An error by stand-in 3B Hayes allowed Murphy aboard before Lee’s fly-out to right gave Pullenza the chance to score a postseason run. And ho, another injury! This time it was RF Pi after throwing home in an attempt to get Pullenza out. Again, the Adelaide medical staff gave no word on the nature or severity of the injury. He was replaced by Wendell Eykelbosch. 9-4 Adelaide after 5 and a half. Hurlson went 5.1 innings for 10 hits, 4 runs (3 earned), 1 walk and 7 strikeouts. Moore led off the bottom of the 6th with an opposite-field solo HR over left. 2 outs later Acevedo got in on the longball action, this one worth 3 runs. The Crocs’ mood was summed up well when next-up, Eykelbosch, hit a slow grounder between 1B and 2B. Neither player showed any urgency and the ball made it into RF. 13-4 after 6. Rodriguez jacked a 2-run HR in the 7th to make it 13-6. That was the final scoring act of the game, the Venom players and staff getting closer and closer to bursting out of the dugout until, when the game-ending 6-4-3 double-play was turned, they spilled out and the raucous celebrations began. Cairns, on the other hand, would have hard work consoling themselves, now the unlucky losers in 3 of Adelaide’s 4-Championship run. Final score: 13-6 Venom, to stamp their mark on AUNZBL history. Richard Moore (.435/.536/.739, 2HR from 10 hits) took out the Series’ MVP. Lecomte equalled the postseason record he’d set in 2061, of 9 stolen bases, while Zartuche set a new record for amount of times caught stealing, getting nabbed 5 times from 7 attempts. As they’d done in each of their previous Championship victories in this run, Adelaide didn’t just win the decider, they dominated it. 2062 Championship-winning Venom Attached Images __________________ Not only do I play OOTP but I also write science-fiction: My Website A brief history of the Australia-New Zealand Baseball League (AUNZBL 2019-2119)--A Dynasty Report The National Penterham Four-Bases Association--A Dynasty Report Last edited by Izz; 09-07-2017 at 04:57 PM.