ABL Scoreboard: February 1
The Canberra Cavalry had to win last night to have any chance to defend their title. The Sydney Blue Sox would have taken a trip to Perth with a victory. The Cavs got 4 runs across on only 4 hits. Home runs by Barnes and Sloan accounted for half of the Cavalry offensive output. The Blue Sox collected a dozen knocks and looked poised to blow the game wide open, but only managed to put 3 on the scoreboard. The hometown nine also racked up a quartet of errors.
It came down to the final out. When the hollering was over, it was clear that both teams would have to play another at Blacktown.
Some folks in the industry are totally convinced that an array of robots, replays and reviews will make the game better. They seek to rid flawed and imperfect creatures of flaws and imperfection. Everyone else understands that baseball is a contest of mistakes. The essence of the sport is the humanity on the diamond. When a blown call at first base ended the game on a dissonant note, and gave the visiting Cavs a 4-3 win, the capacity home crowd was not shy about expressing their displeasure. In the end, it was just baseball.
Story by Trish Quayle for ABL | Story by David Polkinghorne for Canberra Times
Story by Kate Orme for Blue Sox | Story for Cavalry
ABL Action: February 2
The Canberra Cavalry and Sydney Blue Sox are all tied up. Each has a rather odd and memorable win in their column. It all comes down to a final game at Blacktown. One more game will decide which club along the Hume Highway will climb into a metal bird, rev up the engines and roar west. The Perth Heat await their arrival.
Game starts at 9:00 p.m. PST on the 1st or midnight EST on the 2nd.
A stream for the game can be found at the Australian Baseball League website. Click on the tab that says “Watch Live” and see the last battle before the finals.