April 2003: Part Four
29 April, 2003
A huge win for the Auckland Aces as they pile on the runs early against Taranaki. They're one win away from the playoffs now. Taranaki need to win both remaining games if they want to keep playing.
Baden Dejong grabs his 50th home run of the season.
Meanwhile, Otago beat Bay of Plenty in a thriller while Northland get thrashed by Waikato. This puts Otago in the driving seat for that 2nd spot as they take a one-win advantage over the Giants.
The Queensland Firebirds needed to sweep their final series against the Green Sox but fall short on day one. The Firebirds made the playoffs last season, but will miss out this time round. Geelong keep their one win advantage over Tasmania for that final spot.
This game is acting both as the final Shield match of the year and a final mad dash for Tasmania to get into the playoffs The Tigers take the first win as the Gold Rush find themselves completely unable to score a run.
Meanwhile, the Illawarra Hawks are still trying to chase the Adelaide Zips down for that 2nd spot but both teams grab the win today so Adelaide retains it's one win lead.
April 30, 2003
And that's it! The Auckland Aces will be in the playoffs and the Taranaki Bulls will have to accept the 5th spot for a second year in a row. Tye Boxsell grabs his 20th win of the season. The first pitcher to do so.
In the other games, the Otago Thunderbolts beat the Steamrollers in a thriller and Waikato beat Northland again. That settles everything. We've got a confirmed top 4 now: 1st Bay of Plenty, 2nd Otago, 3rd Northland, 4th Auckland.
The Tigers have secured The Shield and keep their playoff hopes alive with a 5-4 win over Bendigo. Geelong get a win though. With one game remaining, the Tigers will need to beat the Gold Rush tomorrow and hope that Queensland can get one over on Geelong as well.
As for The Shield, Tasmania will be the Winter Caretaker over the offseason. Bendigo held it for 10 days and failed to successfully defend it. It's been a crazy last 6 weeks for The Shield as it's changed hands 6 times. That compares to the 5.5 months beforehand when it only changed hands 4 times.
1 May, 2003
A grandslam home run in the bottom of the 9th grants Queensland a dramatic victory over the Geelong Green Sox. It makes sense to intentionally walk Zachariah Birss, he did lead the Australian League in home runs after all, but it hurts a bit when the next guy swings on the first pitch for a home run that wins the entire game.
A great way to end the season for the Queensland fans.
Geelong's loss opens up a chance for Tasmania to tie for the 4th spot and force a tiebreaker game. Let's head to Bendigo!
And... the Tigers hold on to win! They've forced a tiebreaker game with Geelong. Whoever wins, will take in part in the playoffs.
2 May, 2003
It's a tight game but it's the Geelong Green Sox that hold on to win with a some good base running in the last innings. The Green Sox have 4th spot and will face the Canberra Power in the first round.
Over-performer: Bay of Plenty +10 wins from preseason prediction
Under-performer: Canterbury -15 wins from preseason prediction
Over-performer: Melbourne +15 wins from preseason prediction
Under-performer: Geelong -15 wins from preseason prediction
