Hutt Valley double

Joel Evans’ vintage softball year continued when the Black Sox slugger led Hutt Valley to their first New Zealand men’s softball title for 18 years. Evans - whose grand slam home run earned the Black Sox a seventh world championship gold medal last July - was the National Fastpitch Championship tournament MVP as Hutt Valley beat Auckland 6-1 in yesterday’s grand final at Albany. Earlier, Hutt Valley women broke Auckland’s stranglehold on the title with an 8-5 win in the grand final. It was Hutt Valley’s first win since 2009.