The Russell Crowe Invitational

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2006 Queenstown Classic





The Gold Rush became the first team to win the quickfire knockout tournament twice, having previously won it back in 2004. The final was a big win for the Gold Rush, going 11-6 over the Melbourne Sting.

Big game for Bendigo's Seb Buckby who goes 3-5 with 1 double, 1 walk, 5 RBIs and 2 runs.

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January 2006

26 January, 2006
The Hawke's Bay Vikings manage to sweep the Taranaki Bulls in their defense of The Shield but lose it days later to the bottom-of-the-table Wellington Lions.

28 January, 2006
Bad news for the Waikato River Bandits. Their table-topping antics might be coming to an end as they find their top player Ravichandran Prudvi is out for the next 3 months with a fractured ankle. He should be back for the playoffs if Waikato can hold on in a competitive New Zealand conference.

He's been batting at a .360/.480/.767 clip this season with 31 home runs, and 89 RBIs. His 5.9 WAR is almost equal to his 6.1 WAR he got in the 2003-04 season, he's just managed to achieve it in half of the games.

29 January, 2006
More news from The Shield. The Wellington Lions get swept by the Bay of Plenty Steamrollers in their first defense. Not particularly surprised.

January Award Winners

Kiwi Hitter of the Month: Domenic Brusnahan (Otago) .370 BA with 6 home runs, 15 RBIs, 11 runs, and a .525 OBP.
Kiwi Pitcher of the Month: Tye Sverdloff (Northland) 3-0 record. 24.2 innings pitched with 27 strikeouts and a 2.92 ERA.
Kiwi Rookie of the Month: Declan Macpherson (Waikato) .327 BA with 4 home runs, 12 RBIs, 7 runs, and a .370 OBP.

Kangaroo Hitter of the Month: Seb Buckby (Bendigo) .404 BA with 9 home runs, 21 RBIs, 17 runs, and a .522 OBP.
Kangaroo Pitcher of the Month: Baden Wonnocott (Newcastle) 3-0 record. 26.1 innings pitched with 18 strikeouts and a 2.39 ERA.
Kangaroo Rookie of the Month: Koi-Sho Chu (Melbourne) .298 BA with 3 home runs and 8 RBIs.

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February 2006

1 February, 2006
Taranaki's big hitting second baseman Tye Jeffes had high hopes of being the first hitter to reach 200 home runs and he looked set to do it this season with 190 to his name, but, a strained oblique may scutter those chances as he has Geelong's Vaughan Eykelbosch right behind him on 179.

He should return in 5-6 weeks but can he make up for that lost time?

21 February, 2006
Big game for Northland's Jalasa Paramartha had a crazy-good game against the Wellington Lions. 3 Home Runs, 5 RBIs, and 3 runs, and a walk. A key part of his side's 7-2 win over the Lions.

The Shield
A fair bit of jumping around for the Shield this month. The Steamrollers bounce it back to the Auckland Aces, who then lose it to the Waikato River Bandits. The River Bandits stem the flow with a successful defense against the Hawke's Bay Vikings. They'll next defend it against the Taranaki Bulls.

Who will be the first to 200 home runs?


Vaughan Eykelbosch has pipped Tye Jeffes for the spot of most career home runs thanks to 11 home runs over Feburary while Jeffes recovers from injury. At that pace, Eykelbosch may hit 200 during March.

Seb Buckby, about to destroy some records?
Bendigo's Seb Buckby is having a monster power season. With the final third of the season still to come, he's sitting on 40 home runs and 124 RBIs. The current season record is 51 for home runs, and 148 for RBIs. Both easily within range.

February Award Winners

Kiwi Hitter of the Month: Jalasa Paramartha (Northland) .337 BA with 8 home runs, 22 RBIs, and 19 runs.
Kiwi Pitcher of the Month: Baden Belgrove (Waikato) 4-1 record. 37 innings pitched with 19 strikeouts and a 1.22 ERA.
Kiwi Rookie of the Month: Vaughan Weichard (Bay of Plenty) .352 BA with 32 hits, 7 RBIs, and 16 runs.

Kangaroo Hitter of the Month: Vaughan Eykelbosch (Geelong) .389 BA with 11 home runs, 27 RBIs, and 25 runs.
Kangaroo Pitcher of the Month: Zachariah van Buizen (Adelaide) 5-0 record. 34 innings pitched with 25 strikeouts and a 2.12 ERA.
Kangaroo Rookie of the Month: Seb Atteridge (Illawarra) .336 BA with 11 doubles, 1 triple, 2 home runs, 12 RBIs, and 12 runs.





For the first time this season, the league leaders have put a little distance between themselves and the rest. It's a small gap but enough to relax a little it you're a fan of the Giants or Tigers.

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March 2006

4 March, 2006
3-time All-Star Baden Sambandan isn't giving up despite a setback in his injury recovery of an additional 12 months. The last time he played was on the 15th of May, 2005.

His contract with the Waikato River Bandits expires at the end of this season, and at 41 years old, we might not see Sambandan again.





16 March, 2006
Bendigo's Seb Buckby demolished the RBI record in a season today with a man of the match performance against the Illawarra Hawks. His team winning the game 7-4. Buckby's double in the 6th drove in 2 runs which tied and exceeded Baden Dejong's 148 season record. Still 6 weeks to go in the season! Buckby has his eye on the home run record next.

Who will be first to 200 Home Runs?



Tye Jeffes returns to action but he's now a couple of dingers behind Eykelbosch. It's looking likely we'll see someone hit the mark in April.

Some other milestones coming up: Bendigo's Jai Bansfield, the first to 1000 hits looks likely to be the first to 200 stolen bases. He's at 194 at the moment.

Bay of Plenty's Apekaloma Vaka is close to 200 saves, he's on 191. Close behind is Fdrat Lambregts from the Hawke's Bay. He's on 184.

The Shield
The Waikato River Bandits successfully defended against the Taranaki Bulls, Tasman Sunbirds, Otago Thunderbolts, and the Northland Giants before losing The Shield against the Melbourne Sting at the end of the month. Waikato held the Shield for 42 days and successfully defended it 5 times.

This is the first time that an Australian team has held the Shield since October 2004, when the River Bandits won it off the Sting.

March Award Winners

Kiwi Hitter of the Month: Ciaran Macleod (Northland) .410 BA with 8 home runs, 22 RBIs, and 22 runs scored.
Kiwi Pitcher of the Month: Motuha Perelini (Waikato) 6-0 record. 40.1 innings pitched with 27 strikeouts and a 2.01 ERA
Kiwi Rookie of the Month: Declan Macpherson (Waikato) .325 BA with 27 hits, 10 home runs, 22 RBIs, and 20 runs.

Kangaroo Hitter of the Month: Seb Buckby (Bendigo) .357 BA with 7 home runs, 39 RBIs, and 20 runs scored.
Kangaroo Pitcher of the Month: Jai Saggers (Newcastle) 4-1 record. 39 innings pitched with 34 strikeouts and a 2.08 ERA
Kangaroo Rookie of the Month: Koi-Sho Chu (Melbourne) .327 BA with 2 doubles, 4 triples, 11 home runs, 29 RBIs, and 24 runs.





After leading the Australian conference for most of the season, the Tasmania Tigers went 4-23 in March and have slipped down to 5th place. They can still turn it around but would could possibly be the cause of such a losing run?

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April 2006: Part One

6 April, 2006
The Melbourne Sting sweep the Sydney City Sharks in their first defense of The Shield.

The Sharks are one of two teams to never hold The Shield, the Sting defend against the other team: the Queensland Firebirds next.

7 April, 2006
Seb Buckby, Bendigo's 25 year old big hitting outfielder got a step closer to breaking the season home run record with his first ever 3 home run game against the Queensland Firebirds. This gets him up to 50, just one off the record of 51 held by Zachariah Birss (Queensland) and Baden DeJong (Auckland) that was set in the 2002-03 season. This also marks the third 50+ Home Run season in Russell Crowe Invitational history.

Also happening today, Tye Jeffes (Taranaki) hit home runs in two consecutive games to move up to 196 over his career. Vaughan Eykelbosch (Geelong) is on 197.





As we approach the final weeks of the regular season. Northland and Bay of Plenty look to have their playoff spots sewn up in New Zealand. Waikato, Hawke's Bay, and Canterbury are in prime position for the remaining two spots. At this point, Otago and Auckland are longshots.

Over in Australia, Newcastle and Melbourne look safe for some playoff action -- Adelaide as well. It looks like a fierce battle between Queensland, Tasmania, and Canberra for the final spot. Geelong looks on as a long shot.

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April 2006: Part Two

9 April, 2006
The Taranaki Bulls get mathematically eliminated from the playoffs with a 5-4 loss to the Otago Thunderbolts. The moment the team arrives home, their manager is fired. The Bulls have never made the playoffs despite an overall winning record and some of the best players in the game on their roster.

11 April, 2006
Seb Buckby hits a home run in his side's 14-9 loss to the Adelaide Zips. This ties the record for most home runs in a season.

12 April, 2006
Another stellar day at the office for Auckland's Tye Boxsell who gets 15 strikeouts in a 5-0 win against the Hawke's Bay Vikings.

13 April, 2006
Vaughan Eyklebosch provides a key home run for his side in the bottom of the 8th with 2 outs to grab a win over the Newcastle Ducks. This moves him to 198 career home runs. Tye Jeffes is back on 196.

The Melbourne Sting also defeat the Queensland Firebirds 2-1 in their defense of The Shield. Firebird fans will have to wait until next season for a chance at Shield glory.

14 April, 2006
Seb Buckby has done it. He's the new record holder of the most career home runs. It was a man of the match performance for him, he was 3 for 4 with the home run, a double, and a walk. Most importantly, his side defeated the River Bandits 11-4 and he hit the home run off Randolph Alport -- one of the best in the business. We're in for a lot of excitement with this 25 year old.





Meanwhile, in the battle for 200. Tye Jeffes moves to 197 with a home run in his side's 11-8 loss to the Canberra Power.





The top two in New Zealand look like a sure bet but we're a long way from predicting those final two spots.

In Australia, we may have a top 4 of Newcastle, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Canberra. But still a lot of baseball to play. The likes of Queensland, Tasmania, and Geelong will need to pull out some magic if they want to sneak in!

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April 2006: Part Three

April 21, 2006
Geelong's Vaughan Eykelbosch moved to within one dinger of 200 career home runs. His efforts were in vain as he team was thrashed 14-5 by the Northland Giants.Nothing from Tye Jeffes lately as he remains on 197.

April 22, 2006
The Melbourne Sting lose The Shield after two punishing losses to the Canterbury Red Knights: 5-0 and 8-3 in the opening two games. The Sting go on to win the third but it's too late. The Shield shifts back to New Zealand.

The Red Knights will defend The Shield one time this season, they have a series against the Bay of Plenty Steamrollers to finish the regular season. Whoever wins that series will be the Winter Caretaker of The Shield.





Some key matchups in the next week.

Tuesday to Thursday
Northland Giants @ Bay of Plenty Steamrollers
Melbourne Sting @ Newcastle Ducks
Tasmania Tigers @ Canberra Power

Friday to Sunday
Bay of Plenty Steamrollers @ Waikato River Bandits
Canterbury Red Knights @ Auckland Aces

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April 2006: Part Four

25 April, 2006



Vaughan Eykelbosch wins the race for the first to 200 career home runs with 2 home runs in a man-of-the-match performance against the Gold Rush in front of 26,000 Green Sox fans. A perfect way to finish the race.





26 April, 2006
Some results with big impacts. The Northland Giants go 2-1 in their series against the Bay of Plenty Steamrollers to inch closer to sealing the #1 spot. Meanwhile, both Canterbury and Auckland go 1-2 in their series to give a bit of hope to the chasers.

Over in Australia, Tasmania gets a 2-1 series win over Canberra to really open up the race for the fourth spot in Australia. Queensland sweep Adelaide to keep themselves in the race.





6 games to go for each team. Some of the critical matchups:

Friday to Sunday
Bay of Plenty Steamrollers @ Waikato River Bandits
Canterbury Red Knights @ Auckland Aces
Canberra Power @ Newcastle Ducks

Tuesday to Thursday
Bay of Plenty Steamrollers @ Canterbury Red Knights (also Shield Defense)
Melbourne Sting @ Tasmania Tigers
Canberra Power @ Adelaide Zips

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April 2006: Part Five
(also a bit of May)

30 April, 2006
It was a must-win game for Canterbury against Auckland, and tensions were high. It didn't take long for that to boil over, in fact, it was the first innings when it did. Canterbury's Lead-Off Hitter Rhys Macleod didn't appreciate being hit by Pelanekelina Ahotaein's pitch and immediately kicked off a bench-clearing brawl.

Both were ejected and suspensions of 2 and 6 games were handed out.

3 May, 2006





Bay of Plenty sweep Canterbury in their last series, this sees the Red Knights knocked out of the playoffs and sees them lose The Shield to the Steamrollers. Auckland and Waikato end up with the final two spots.

In Australia, an 11 game winning streak from the Queensland Firebirds suddenly see them surge into that fourth playoff spot -- knocking out Canberra and Tasmania.



In addition to the heroics of Seb Buckby's 190 RBI/58 HR season, special mention should also go to Canterbury's Ciaran Mackay who picked up 51 home runs at the age of 39 and nearly got himself into the 150 RBI club with 149.

Auckland's Tye Boxsell also finished up the season with the pitching triple crown. An ERA of 1.77, 21 wins, and 345 strikeouts are the best in both New Zealand and Australia.

Newcastle's Tye Si-Ma nearly became the first member of the 30-30 club, he picked up 42 stolen bases but came up short with 28 home runs.

Bay of Plenty's Apekaloma Vaka also becomes the first player to rack up 200 career saves -- right on the final game of the season.





April Award Winners

Kiwi Hitter of the Month: Ciaran Mackay (Canterbury) .386 BA with 9 home runs, 28 RBIs, 25 runs, and a .421 OBP.
Kiwi Pitcher of the Month: Tye Boxsell (Auckland) 4-2 record. 46.2 innings pitched with 65 strikeouts and a 1.32 ERA.
Kiwi Rookie of the Month: Declan Macpherson (Waikato) .303 BA with 27 hits, 6 home runs, 18 RBIs, and 18 runs.

Kangaroo Hitter of the Month: Seb Buckby (Bendigo) .415 BA with 11 home runs, 27 RBIs, and 27 runs.
Kangaroo Pitcher of the Month: Willem Backhouse (Tasmania) 1-0 record and 6 saves. 11 innings pitched with 12 strikeouts and a 0.00 ERA
Kangaroo Rookie of the Month: Seb Courcha (Queensland) .365 BA with 35 hits, 6 home runs, 27 RBIs, and 18 runs.

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Northland Giants vs Waikato River Bandits

The first of the New Zealand semi finals. The River Bandits had the slight edge on the Giants 7-5 over the season but in a lot of those wins they had the services of their MVP candidate Ravichandran Prudvi, but he is still out with a fractured ankle.

The Giants bring some great cleanup hitters to the equation. With the likes of Ciaran Macleod and Jalasa Paramartha to count on. They top the kiwi conference in runs scored and on-base percentage, and come in second on batting average and home runs.



Disaster for Northland as their top pitcher Rex Uridge goes down injured in the third innings. It's a flareup of his previous elbow inflammation that will see him miss the rest of the playoffs.

There may not be much rest-of-the-playoffs though for the Giants. Their much touted hitters couldn't get any runs on the board against Masamoto van der Meijden, who pitched all but one pitch of the game for Waikato. (Guess he doesn't credit for the shutout then? Stink)



Another day, another shutout. Randolph Alport this time getting it done for the River Bandits. The Giants are in serious trouble now, they're down 2-0 in the series and now have to travel down to Hamilton.



The Giants avoid getting swept and keep their playoff hopes alive with a shutout of their own. Their hitters finally start firing, can the #1 seed claw their way back in?



The answer is no. The River Bandits take this one away from the Giants in the first (and only) non-shutout of the series.

The River Bandits make it to their second straight New Zealand final.

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Bay of Plenty Steamrollers vs Auckland Aces

The Auckland Aces are the only team to make the playoffs each season but they've never made it past the first round. Funnily, every team that has beaten them has gone on to win the New Zealand title. Twice, it has been the Bay of Plenty Steamrollers to knock them out. Will history repeat?



It's a cruel world. Tye Boxsell is the best pitcher in the game at the moment but he just wants some championships to go along with his pitcher of the year trophies and triple crowns.

He pulls out everything he's got. He smashes the playoff strikeout record with 17 strikeouts (his 10th 15+ K game) and gets named player of the game but his team still loses.

The Aces were always in touch, and tied the game up in the 9th with a Rex Vanrenen single but the Steamrollers had no desire for this to go to extra innings. First guy out in the bottom of 9th is 23 year old replacement catcher Lu-Po-Teh Wijma with 4 career home runs to his name.

Naturally he blasts one into the crowd. Boom, done. Bay of Plenty go up 1-0.



The Steamrollers move to within one win away from the New Zealand final with a more dominant performance in game two.



A 9th innings comeback sets the Auckland crowd alight! The Auckland Aces were down 2-0 going into the bottom of the 9th and facing the end of their season they bloody well rallied.

Callum Macdonald gets things going with a double. Cibor van Lieshout strikes out swinging. Randolph Bellett hits a double that sees Macdonald score. Randolph Bursill gets walked. The Aces are now down by one, and having runners on first and second.

Next up is Randolph Akhurst, the Steamrollers pull their pitcher for someone new and his pitches are all over the place. Two balls and a wild pitch sees the Auckland runners get to second and third. The pitcher takes a little time to calm down, and gets hit for a double. Auckland run in in the tying and winning run to take the game. They have hope, only down 2-1 in the series.



It's another tight game but this time round, it's the Steamrollers that rally hard in the 9th to take the game. All kinds of clutch hitting around for Bay of Plenty as 4 of their runs came with 2 outs on the board. They're in their fourth New Zealand final in five years!

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Newcastle Ducks vs Queensland Firebirds

We should be in for an interesting battle here. The Ducks boast the best pitchers in Australia, with the lowest runs against, and lowest starter and bullpen ERA. While the Firebirds have some exciting hitting talent, they're second in Australia for runs scored, on-base percentage, and home runs -- plus they're tied first for stolen bases.



A big 7th innings from the Ducks sees them grab game one in Newcastle. The Firebirds nearly got going in the 9th but was too little, too late.



Huge win for the Ducks in game two. Everyone goes on about the Newcastle pitchers but it was the hitters who put in a display today. A huge 458ft 3-run home run from Domenic Crossingham in the 2nd was just the start. Newcastle is now up 2-0. Queensland needs to get its act together.



They don't. Well, they do. They make the Ducks play right to the 14th innings when a double from replacement catcher Baden Dejong finally cracks it for the Ducks. It's a sweep and the Newcastle Ducks will be in the Australian finals.

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Melbourne Sting vs Adelaide Zips

These two teams have the last three Australian titles to their name so we should be in for a good battle here.

Some players to watch include Koi-Sho Chu, a rookie outfielder from Melbourne who's gone .304/.354/.529 with 107 RBIs and 29 home runs to his name and a 4.7 WAR. He's a lock for rookie of the year.

For Adelaide, keep an eye on Rex Dulihanty. The 34 year old might be on the opposite end of the spectrum to Chu but he's still producing the goods. Going .313/.373/.554 with 119 RBIs and 38 home runs for a 8.0 WAR.



It's a hitting extravagansa to kick off proceedings as the Sting roared to a 11-7 win in game one. Plenty of home runs but Zachariah Layland's in the 6th is the only way to entertain the crowd. The other three came from the Adelaide hitters. Sting up 1-0.



A fielding disaster in the 1st innings from the Adelaide Zips dooms their hopes in game two. Two errors ultimately leads to four unearned runs. It's all the Sting need to take the game out. They're up 2-0.



The Zips keep their hopes alive in game three with a slim 2-1 win. Big game from Adelaide's Jai Waymouth whose solo home run in the 7th turns out to be the game winner.



Echoes of game one here, as both teams score a mountain of runs. Both teams kick off with 3-run home runs in the 1st. Zachariah Layland from Melbourne and Seb Atteridge from Adelaide providing the dingers. The Sting kept the runs rolling but a big 7th from the Zips saw them squeeze in front 7-6.

Melbourne stayed calm though, and racked up another 4 runs over the 8th and 9th including another home run from Zachariah Layland to seal the deal.

The Sting move on to the Australian Finals.

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New Zealand Final: Bay of Plenty Steamrollers vs Waikato River Bandits

These two teams are responsible for the last three titles in New Zealand but have never faced each other in a playoff series before. They split the season series 6-6, so we should be in for an interesting battle here.



A tight game for the opener, a Declan Macpherson single ties it up at the top of the 9th for the River Bandits and force extra innings. A 3-run walk-off home run from Jai Boxsell sees the Steamrollers home.



Waikato's Randolph Alport gets the player of the game award (a good pitching performance also included an RBI) but has to stomach the loss as the Steamrollers squeeze out a slight 3-2 win in game two.



The series moves to Hamilton, only a 90 minute drive from Tauranga so plenty of Steamroller fans make the journey with their team. A big 7th innings gave them plenty to cheer about while pitcher Jai Fewings kept the Waikato hitters under control for a player of the game performance.



That's a sweep folks. Two home runs are the only scoring hits in this game, Willem Hanbridge with a solo home run as he led off in the 4th for Waikato and a 3-run home run from Rex Qualtrough (also series MVP) in the 7th with 2 outs on the board to take it home for the Steamrollers.

THE BAY OF PLENTY STEAMROLLERS ARE THE NEW ZEALAND CHAMPIONS!

This is their third New Zealand title in four years. Their first without the Mackay Brothers.

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Australia Final: Newcastle Ducks vs Melbourne Sting

It's an exciting time to be a Ducks fan. This is the fourth playoff appearance for the Ducks in the last five years. Each and every time, they've been knocked out in the first round, twice by the Canberra Power and swept by the Melbourne Sting last season. Is revenge on the cards?



The pitchers kept in tight in game one but it was the Sting that came through in the end via a Rex Bradnock single to edge it out.



Ducks fans were left in despair after this performance, with the Sting hitters just annihilating the Newcastle pitchers in a big 9-1 win. The series now moves to Melbourne with the Sting looking good for their second straight title.



The Ducks were able to match the Sting hit for hit but not run for run as Melbourne runs in another big win to extend their lead in the series to 3-0. Will the Ducks get swept for the second year in a row by the Sting?



The Ducks make the Sting work for it, but in the end it's another sweep. A solo home run from Zachariah Birss in the 8th ties the game up for the Ducks and forces the extra innings. Finally, it's rookie Koi-Sho Chu with the walk-off hit that gets the Sting the win and the sweep.

THE MELBOURNE STING ARE THE AUSTRALIAN CHAMPIONS! That's their second Australian title in a row, and now they seek to defend their Russell Crowe Invitational title and become the first team to win the Trans Tasman Classic twice.

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2005-06 Trans-Tasman Classic Preview





The battle between the Sting hitters and Steamroller Pitchers is the most intriguing one here. The Melbourne Sting bring together a great collection of young hitters, the top five in the lineup have all gotten at least 20 home runs over the regular season, and apart from Domenic Gordam (who misses out by .002), they all get on-base at least a third of the time.

The scary thing is they're all under 30 and the youngest of all, Koi-Sho Chu has been one of their most impressive at just 22 years old and is a lock for rookie of the year. Expectations were always high for Chu, he was drafted #1 in 2002, but he's certainly lived up to them with an All-Star appearance this season.

Only one injury for the Sting, with Shortstop Jai Collingridge out with a strained hamstring. He was batting .274/.391/.396 with 4.9 WAR

This young team will have a lot of experience and talent to contend with. The Steamrollers starting rotation is elite, even missing En-Guo Trentelman who was have a handy season until he ruptured a tendon in his finger. To finish things off, they have one of the best closers in the business with Apekaloma Vaka.

The Steamroller hitters though have never recovered from losing the Mackay Brothers in the last two seasons. I mean, you couldn't really do much to fill the gap left by two of the finest in New Zealand baseball but injuries have gutted the team to the point where they can only muster up three players with a wRC+ above 100. They have two rookies at the top of the order, a minor leaguer at the bottom, and a veteran (well, a 31 year old) who's well past his 3-time All Star peak and who put up a negative 1.0 WAR this season.

In a fair bit of relief, Melbourne doesn't boast a particularly great group of starters but they have a pretty impressive bullpen. If you can't get your runs early then you're going to have a problem.

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2005-06 Trans-Tasman Classic: Game One







Bay of Plenty's Domenic Sheelah has been cracking a fair bit of criticism from Steamroller fans. It's been a dreadful season for the 3-time All Star that's seen him contribute a negative WAR for his team, but he sure showed up today with a double and a 3-run home run that proved the difference between the two teams.

An outstanding performance on the mound from Randolph Vankrimpen also keeps the Sting hitters in check.

Bay of Plenty Steamrollers take game one. 1-0.

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2005-06 Trans-Tasman Classic: Game Two








After game one saw a left handed pitcher named Randolph with a player of the game performance, game two had to follow through. Unfortunately for the Steamrollers, this means that it was Melbourne's turn to grab the win with Randolph Owbridge providing some excellent work from the mound.

Melbourne's Seb Gillorn got the Sting off to a good start with a solo home run in the 1st innings of the game. The Sting never looked back and tie the series up.

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2005-06 Trans-Tasman Classic: Game Three







Both teams concede 4 runs in the 2nd innings and subsequently pull their starting pitchers and leave it to the bullpen. After that run explosion, neither team manages to get a run on the board until the 8th when the Sting suddenly punish Apekaloma Vaka. Over the course of 19 pitches, he is hammered for 6 runs. Zachariah Layland kicked things off with a solo home run, and Zachariah Dunshea finished it with a 3-run home run. An assortment of singles in between those two hits saw the Sting grab a 10-4 lead.

The Steamrollers fought back with 2 runs of their own in the top of the 9th. But too little, too late. The Melbourne Sting go up 2-1 in the series.

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2005-06 Trans-Tasman Classic: Game Four







Going down 3-1 in the series would have been a disaster for the Steamrollers but pitcher Jai Macleod was having none of that. He may sit at the bottom of the rotation but he put everything into this game to deliver a 7 innings shutout. He also put in a decent contribution at the plate, going 2-4 with an RBI.

The series is all tied up 2-all.