The Perth Heat won back-to-back Australian Baseball League titles when they defeated the Melbourne Aces 7-6 on Sunday night at Barbagallo Ballpark, Perth.
The Heat dominated the 2011-12 ABL season, finishing 13 wins clear of the second placed Melbourne team with a record of 34 wins and 11 losses.
The Heat stayed true to form by winning the semi-final against the Aces 3-1 and in the first leg of the three-match grand final series on Friday night, when the Heat took the lead in the series with a 4-1 victory.
The second leg on Saturday night continued the trend for the Heat, at least initially, as they quickly took a 2-0 lead and were well on the way to winning the championship in two games.
It was at this point that the Aces found a way back into both the match and the grand final series as a whole.
Justin Huber hit a single on to left field, allowing Josh Davies and Dominic Ramos to score and tie it up.
From there both teams pitched and batted their way through seven scoreless innings until Brad Harman batted in Josh Davies at the top of the 13th, securing a 3-2 victory for the Aces and a third grand final match.
The Aces continued their new-found form, piling on three runs at the top of the first which were matched by the Heat at the bottom of the first.
The Aces pulled away again in the next two innings, building up another three run lead, which again was whittled down by Perth over the fourth and fifth innings.
In a repeat of the second game on the previous day, both teams remained all square for seven scoreless innings at 6-6.
During this period, with tensions high and the Heat regularly filling two or three bases, Aces pitcher, Bubbie Buzachero, kept his team in the contest by retaining his composure and accuracy with a shift that took in more than 100 consecutive pitches.
With the game in such a tight situation, and the Heat holding out the Aces time and again, it was only a matter of time before the Heat would capitalise on the slightest error.
And it came, much to the delight of the big home crowd.
James McOwen’s was the hero for the Heat, scoring the winning run from third base after a wild pitch from Andrew Russell at the bottom of the 13th inning.
With the final two games both going into four extra innings, it was the reigning champ managing to secure back-to-back titles.
Just to underscore the success of the ABL’s second season and an enthralling grand final series, it’s worth mentioning that last week Melbourne Aces 17 year-old pitcher, Daniel McGrath, was signed by the Boston Red Sox on a seven year deal which included a $400,000 sign-on bonus.
It’s not as good as a grand final win, but a proud moment for the Melbourne Aces nevertheless.
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