THE Mitchell Majors stamped its authority on the A3 grade finals series at the weekend, dominating the Footscray Bulldogs 14-5 in an elimination final in the Melbourne Winter Baseball League.
Coming off an anomalous poor performance last week against Greenhills Montmorency, the Majors needed a positive start to get the wheels in motion.
A fourth-place finish meant a road trip to Footscray was on the menu for the Broadford-based side who claimed a win there just three weeks ago against the same opponent.
This visit to McIvor Reserve was under blue skies and with plenty more on the line. A do-or-die clash where early momentum proved the difference.
The ever-reliable Majors top order drove in the only run of the first inning, but it was the big-hitting lower order that really got the game going in the second, thanks to a massive home run from Ben Owen which scored two.
Lachlan Ruyter, recently named as a finalist in the A3 grade MVP race, was on the mound once again, and held Footscray scoreless through the first two innings.
Heading into the third with a 5-0 lead, the game turned on its head quickly and threatened to get out of hand for the visiting Majors.
A bumper home crowd finally had something to cheer for when fielding errors snuck into the Majors’ infield, and it cost them three runs in a matter of minutes.
Whispers started going around on the sidelines about the similarities to the calamitous final inning against Heathmont earlier in the season where errors cost the Majors the game, but on this occasion, the team was able to steady.
Strong hitting from Will Gurnett, Eden Hardy and Tom Flannery kept the Majors in front, and Hardy’s first career home run – a bomb over left field – extended that lead.
Although the Majors were well in control, the game remained in the balance until the fifth inning where they added a further five runs to put it out of reach.
Ruyter finished off the job at the bottom of the fifth, ably assisted by short stop Steve Bertucci who was instrumental throughout the game, ensuring base-hits were hard to come by for the Bulldogs.
A nine-run win was the perfect start to a finals run for a Majors side that is capable of going the whole way.
They will travel to the eastern suburbs to face off against the Knox Falcons this Saturday afternoon after they lost to Greenhills Montmorency 7-6 in a 10-inning thriller.
The Majors have won their past two meetings against the Falcons, including a 14-9 win just two weeks ago, which sets them up well for what should be an epic battle for a spot in the grand final.
