Ramblers, PCU Angels win titles
Nathan Nukunuku’s Mt Albert Ramblers won their fifth national men’s club title on the bounce and 13th in total yesterday while the PCU Angels took their first women’s crown for 21 years.
Christchurch’s PCU club were hoping to win a men’s and women’s double for the first time since 2001 when they became the first Kiwi club to achieve the feat.
But Brock Evans - the tournament MVP – blasted a first pitch home run to set up Ramblers’ 5-3 win over the PCU Devils in the men’s final at Lower Hutt.
The Devils led 3-2 after a three-run safe hit to the fence by Black Sox catcher Cameron Watts.
But Ramblers showed their class to close it out behind New Zealand hurlers Nik Hayes and Daniel Chapman.
Black Sox star Stephen Ratu hailed his young PCU Angels team after their stunning comeback win in the national women’s final in their Christchurch hometown.
The Angels avenged their big defeat in last year’s gold medal game to storm back from a three-run deficit and beat Auckland’s Waitakere Bears 4-3 at Dynasty Ballpark.
Bears leapt out to a 3-0 lead in the fourth inning as catcher Kiara Taimai drove in two runs and then scored on Kyarn Bromhead-Mealamu’s double.
Backed by a partisan home crowd, PCU hit back in the top of the sixth after speedy left-handed hitter Caitlin Henderson forced an error to make base. She scored on Kaiyah Ratu’s sacrifice.
Dutch import Onaisha Franka beat an out infield single to put further pressure on Bears’ New Zealand White Sox pitcher Tyla Morrison, who was tossing her 15th inning of the day.
Kyrstal Werahiko, who had pitched PCU to a win over Bears earlier in the tournament, became a batting hero after smashing a single to score Franka.
Catcher Manaia Makiri, who formed a winning battery duo with pitcher Stephani Fairclough, then stepped up to blast a twoRBI hit to give PCU a 4-3 lead.
Coach Ratu was proud of his whole squad and said he “always felt confident’’ they could comeback in the final ”because the girls had been hitting well all week’’.
“We’re very fortunate with our all-round team. Our whole team is based on speed and putting the ball in play.”