BANDITS SPLIT TWIN BILL WITH CAVALRY
Bandits Split Twin Bill with Cavalry
The first contest saw a pair of familiar faces take the hill for Canberra as Queensland native Tristan Crawford started the game for the Cavalry. Opposing him, and making his ABL and Bandits debut, was Alex Maestri, the Italian sensation formerly of the Chicago Cubs organization.It was a day of highs and lows for Brisbane as they looked to rebound from their opening night defeat with a double header against the Canberra Cavalry on Saturday.
The two starters cruised through the first few innings only allowing a run each. After Tristan Crawford got out of trouble in the 5th inning, he gave way to his younger brother Nathan, and that, for the first time all season, is when the Bandits offense finally arose from its slumber.
“It was great to finally see our bats get hot,” said Bandits rookie manager Kevin Jordan. “This line-up is so balanced and strong on paper, we knew it was only a matter of time.”
In the 6th inning, after hits by Brad Dutton and David Sutherland, the Bandits finally cashed in on some golden opportunities as Keiji Nakahara, the Bandits speedy new Japanese center fielder, singled in a run to knot the game up at 2. The next batter Mitch Nillson then walked with the bases loaded to put the Bandits up 3-2 and give them a lead they would not relinquish.
In the 7th inning, the Bandits broke the game wide open and sent their former ally Nathan Crawford (1.2 innings, 6 runs, 8 hits allowed) to an early shower.
“We had 2 outs and nobody on in the 7th and from there we scratched together 4 runs. Shows a lot about the level of fight we have on this team,” said Jordan.
David Sutherland, who had a monster 4-for-4, two RBI game at the plate, smacked a rocket double to right field and scored Josh Roberts (who finished with a 2-for-5 day). Nakahara followed with a ball hit to centerfield which was mishandled by Calvary outfielder Ty Morrison and allowed both Rory Rhodes and Sutherland to score and the boys in black would never look back.
“What can you say about Goofy (David Sutherland). He’s just a professional hitter, so smooth and disciplined up there, days like this make me excited to see what he can produce this season,” Jordan remarked.
Maestri (1-0) finished the day with a spectacular line, 5 innings pitched, no earned runs, scattering 2 hits and a walk while picking up his first career ABL victory.
“It was great to get a win during my first game here with the Bandits,” said Maestri. “Credit to the bats for a strong performance. Hopefully this is the first of many W’s on the year.”
Bandits veteran Jon Veitch pitched 1/3 of an inning to pick up his first save and put an exclamation point on a 7-4 Bandits victory.
“It’s a relief to get win number one as the new manager of this team,” said Jordan. “That’s the thing about baseball though, you need to celebrate and exhale then put it behind you right away because tomorrow’s another day. And in this case, we have less time to celebrate as we play again today.”
The second game was shaping up to be another fruitful game for hitter’s.
Play intensified early with each team posting runs in the second frame. Canberra led at the end of two due in part to outfielder Ty Morrison’s 2-RBI double. In the third, the Bandits answered with two runs. David Sutherland (2-for-4 in the nightcap raising his batting average to .500) continued his torrid start with a two-out RBI double and then was plated on an RBI triple by Keiji Nakahara.
The Bandits sent Japanese newcomer Yohei Yanagawa to the bump in game two. After allowing 3 second inning runs, Yanagawa settled in nicely by not allowing a run in 3 straight frames before allowing a single run in the sixth. His line at the end of day was 6 innings pitched, allowing 4 earned runs while striking out 6.
The Bandits held a 4-3 lead until the bottom of the sixth when Cavalry first baseman Brian Burgamy reignited Canberra’s bats with a solo home-run to deep centerfield. Hits followed off the bats of John Tolisano and catcher Travis Scott but the Cavalry only managed to produce one run from the offensive output.
The game remained at a 4-4 standstill until the 9th inning. Bandits flamethrower Chris Mowday took the mound attempting the send the game into extra innings when Canberra’s second baseman Tolisano capped the evening with a walk-off home-run on the first pitch in the bottom of the ninth inning.
“It was a high change up just over the plate,” Tolisano said after being named player of the game for the second straight night. “It’s a great feeling off the bat. It’s a great way to win.”
“We’re disappointed in the way the second one ended,” said Bandits manager Kevin Jordan. “Only thing we can do is pick ourselves up and come out here tomorrow and get the series split.”
The Canberra-Brisbane series will conclude tomorrow with a 1pm game at Narrabundah Ballpark.