SILVER LINING
Toowoomba fall one win short of Queensland title
SOFTBALL: They secured the top two finished they desired, but Toowoomba will be thinking about the one that got away at the weekend.
Finishing third after the round robin stage of the championships, the Diamondbacks faced Redlands for a spot in the grand final and the Queensland under-18 men’s title.
Unfortunately the home side were unable to get the job done – falling 6-2 to a Redlands side full of Queensland and Australian talent.
Redlands ability to get runners on base, despite the pace of Toowoomba pitcher Lincoln Walk, proved to be the difference in the match.
“They (Redlands) are a good side,” Toowoomba coach Chris Edards said.
“They have some very good players including the Australian pitcher in their team.
“They batted very well today and that was the biggest difference in the game.”
Edards praised his team’s resilience after their loss.
“The boys stuck with it all weekend,” he said.
“We talked about staying strong in the build up to the titles and they showed that.
“There were three or four games when we were behind but they never gave up or dropped their heads.
“They kept at it and got the wins – that was one of the big positives from our performance.”
Redlands faced the visiting New Zealand Junior Black Sox team in the tournament grand final and were soundly beaten.
Redlands looked competitive early in the game before the Black Sox snatched the game away in the second innings.
Up 7-4 after the first innings, the Black Sox piled on 11 unanswered runs in the second innings.
The visitors then scored a further three runs in the third to secure a 21-4 lead and the game was bought to an end.