Brown goes long to win winter title for Geelong
GEELONG Baseball Association downed Mt Gambier 4-2 in extra innings to take the State Senior Winter Championship Division One title at Geelong Baseball Centre.
The Division One final was a game for the ages, with pitchers dominating a contest that went three pressure-packed extra innings over the Queens Birthday weekend.
Superb for Geelong, Rudy Jaramillo backed up from three innings in the morning preliminary final with a complete-game, six-hit outing in the decider — including a dozen strikeouts.
Looking good after edging ahead in the top of the last, Mt Gambier conceded the tying run on a muffed flyball and an infield play before Bellarine manager Cameron Brown delivered the decisive blow with a two-out, two-run homer over the left field wall.
One of several offensive livewires for the GBA over the arduous three days, Brown received support from Justin Charles (three hits and an RBI), Chris Durston (two and one), Liam Spence and James Renouf.
Geelong had earlier qualified for the final with a thumping 9-2 win over Dandenong, while Mt Gambier stunned a previously undefeated Ringwood, the favourite.
Winning six of its seven games played — and dropping its Saturday game against Dandenong by a run — Geelong enjoyed an outstanding series.
Wonderfully managed by Aaron Green, the performance was highlighted by individual efforts from its pitching staff, a tight defence and one through nine offence led by Brown, Charles, Lewis Weldon, Keenan Spence, Spence, Jarryd Wood, James Wood, Durston and Renouf.
The win was the second in three years for Geelong, which continues to produce playing personnel to match up against metropolitan leagues in Dandenong, Ringwood and City.
North East beat Latrobe Valley 8-5 for the Division Two title. Geelong 11 d Bendigo 1; Geelong 20 d Latrobe Valley 0; Dandenong 6 d Geelong 5; Geelong 7 d Sunraysia 5; Geelong 6 d Sunraysia 3 (semifinal); Geelong 9 d Dandenong 2 (preliminary final); Geelong 4 d Mt Gambier 2 (final)