ABL update

Two games today in the Australlian Baseball League.

The Brisbane Bandits (with Donald Lutz from Germany in their ranks) hosted the Sydney Blue Sox in game one of a four game series.

The Blue Sox took an early 2-0 lead in the first inning, but after the Bandits were kept from scoring in the first inning, they jumped on Blue Sox starter Craig Anderson and scored four runs in the second inning.

Sydney cut the lead in half in the top of the third when they scored one run but Brisbane scored two more in the bottom of the fifth, still with Anderson on the mound.

But the Blue Sox rallied in the top of the sixth when they scored twice on a double to right field hit by Trent D’Antonio. But once again Brisbane showed some flexibility as they answered with a run in the bottom of the sixth.

Sydney had a golden opportunity to score the tying run when the two first batters in the ninth got on base, but then closer Ryan Searle got out of the inning thanks to a double play and a 1-3 groud out for the save and a Brisbane 7-5 win.

Donald Lutz went 1 for 4 with a double to right field in the top of the third inning. Big man for the Bandits was T.J. Bennett, who cleared the fences twice and drove in four runs.

The Adelaide Bite hosted the Canberra Cavalry.

Two doubles in the bottom of the first, gave the Bite a 1-0 lead. But the Cavalry charged (sorry for the pun) and scored three runs in the top of the second when Bryan Pounds scored on Jason Sloan’s fielders choice “hit”and Jason Leblebijian’s double to left field with two outs and runners on first and second.

But the Bite tied in in the bottom of the third when they had runners on first and second with two outs and Marc Wik doubled to right field to drive in two.

After the Bite had taken a 5-4 lead in the seventh, a bloop single by Cord Sandberg got passed left fielder Angus Roeger on a fielding boner that allowed Derek Loveless to score all the way from first base to tie the game at five.

In the top of the ninth, reliever Kody Kirski got two quick outs but could not get out of the inning as he gave up a walk and a single, followed by a wild pitch to put both runners in scoring position. Bryan Pounds hit the ball to right field and what normally would have been a fly out was fumbled by right fielder John Schultz and allowed two more runs to score and give the Cavalry a 7-5 lead. When Pounds tried to reach second base he was tagged out on the throw by right fielder Schultz.

Michael Click retired the side in the bottom of the ninth for the save.

Even though Loek van Mil was warming up in the ninth, he wasn’t brought in after the Cavalry scored the two runs in the ninth.

The defense late in the game was the Achilles Heel for the Bite as two errors led to three runs and thus the loss for the Bite.