Australia Final: Adelaide Zips vs Canberra Power
These two teams are fresh off some pretty dominant first rounds. Adelaide had the upper hand in the regular season 9-3 but Canberra are looking good.
GAME ONE
The first game in Adelaide was finally balanced until the 7th innings when the Canberra Power suddenly took over with 4 runs that'll ultimately turn out to be the winners.
Canberra RF Seb Tsou was named player of the game, he went 2-5 with a home run and a double. He scored 2 runs, and drove in 3. It was his home run that tied the game up and his double that got the Power in the lead.
The Power get an important away win.
GAME TWO
The Power blow away the Zips on their home ground
again as the Zips never looked like getting back into the game. Canberra 3B picks up the player of the match award, he went 2-4 with a home run. He drove in 4 runs and scored once.
The Canberra Power now have a 2-0 lead and the series moves to Canberra for the next three games. Will we even need all three? Can Canberra sweep again?
GAME THREE
The Zips fight back and take it to the 13th innings but it's Canberra that takes the win.
The game-winning run was hit by relief pitcher Seb Vantassell, the single was enough to bring in the win. It was Vantassell's first RBI of the season. Good timing.
Canberra are now up 3-0. A second straight sweep by Canberra is looking likely.
GAME FOUR
Breakthrough! Adelaide finally crack Canberra and hand them their first defeat of the playoffs! Pitcher Rex Tautor is player of the game after throwing 6 innings of 5-hit ball.
The 5-2 win keeps the series alive but can Adelaide overcome a 3-1 deficit?
GAME FIVE
Adelaide tried but couldn't get another win over the Power. They put up an early lead but when Canberra 1B Randolph Dethridge put up a 2-run home run in the 5th innings you could feel the shift. The Power finally locking the game up in the 9th with a walk-off run-scoring single by Seb Tsou.
The Canberra Power win the Australian Championship!
Canberra's 3B Zachariah Wanhalla picked up his second Series MVP of this playoffs. He put up a .474 batting average, .524 on-base percentage, 1 home run, 5 RBIs and 2 runs scored.
Now for the main event, the Trans Tasman Classic.
From New Zealand: the Otago Thunderbolts.
From Australia: the Canberra Power.