City Reds sneak home in CBL final
BASEBALL CAIRNS City Reds are CBL champions after sweeping the underdog Cairns Bandits in the best-of-three series held at Trinity Park at the weekend.
The Bandits, featuring Olympic silver medallist Brett Roneberg, narrowly lost the first game 5-4 on Friday night and were poised to challenge the favourites late in the eighth inning of game two before eventually falling 8-4.
The Bandits trailed by just two runs at the bottom of the eighth when Wayne Schaffer struck out to a low curveball with two runners on base and power hitter Roneberg on deck.
But Bandits coach Al Connors said his team were outplayed by a much-improved Reds outfit.
“It was a really good series,” Connors said.
“We’ve been premiers the last two years and we played Reds in the grand final last year and we got it done in two games fairly handily.
“But credit to them, they’ve been rebuilding their club and done an amazing job of putting together a great group of players.”
Reds catcher Tory Williams claimed finals MVP honours following an outstanding series behind home plate.
Williams commuted each weekend from Townsville, where he’s training to become a police officer.
Reds coach Kerry Ahlberg said Queensland junior representatives Brock Wollin, Kyle Ashby and Ricki Ward had helped lift the performances of the team’s veterans.
“Bringing young guys helped our older players because they want to mentor your younger guys and it makes you more aware of what you do,” Ahlberg said.
“The standard lifted around the group as a result.”
Ahlberg said his team’s poise in pressure situations showed through when the more experienced Bandits threatened to win both games one and two.
“I don’t really try to motivate the guys too much,” he said. “I just wanted them to stay calm and focused.”
The Bandits were forced to play without talented young third baseman Kaiki FurutaniBurns, who fractured his knuckle in game one.
Along with the Reds’ trio, he and Bandits shortstop Ryota Kusumoto are Queensland junior representatives.
WE’VE BEEN PREMIERS THE LAST TWO YEARS ... THEY’VE BEEN REBUILDING THEIR CLUB AND DONE AN AMAZING JOB OF PUTTING TOGETHER A GREAT GROUP OF PLAYERS
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