Nelson, NZ - Hutt Valley Dodgers secure a place in NZ men's club softball championship final
Hutt Valley Dodgers will get a valuable and well earned rest after securing the first spot into the final of the New Zealand open men's club softball championships.
Hutt Valley Dodgers pitcher Nik Hayes in action during the major semifinal against Ramblers at the New Zealand open men's club softball championships.
ORIGINAL STORY by Phillip Rollo
Hutt Valley Dodgers will get a valuable and well earned rest after securing the first spot into the final of the New Zealand open men's club softball championships.
Their opponent from Saturday's major playoff, Ramblers, meanwhile will have to get through another sudden death game on Sunday morning if they want to join them in the decider after losing the tense tie-breaker 2-1 at Saxton Ballpark in Nelson.
As Dodgers plan ahead to Sunday's final, Ramblers will take on defending champions Albion after they dumped out Poneke Kilbirnie (9-1) in a one-sided minor playoff.
Japanese international Kento Okazaki in action for Ramblers.
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After playing four extra innings in the marathon tie breaker game that lasted more than two and a half hours, and started raising questions around the lack of lighting at the facility, Dodgers coach Steve Deans said he was glad his team will be going into the tournament's finale with fresh bodies.
"It's an advantage from that perspective because Nik Hayes has pitched the most out of anyone and I don't know how we'd go with another 14 innings, but ultimately the other team that plays tomorrow will have the momentum and I'm sure by the time we kick off it will be evenly matched," Deans said.
Deans described Saturday's clash as "pitching battle" with the batters getting barely any change out of Dodgers' Black Sox international Hayes and Ramblers' Japanese star Kento Okazaki.
"If you've got good pitching then you can back your chances. That's the starting point and there's eight teams that could have won this with good pitchers," he said, acknowledging how even the competition has been with two teams seeded 15th and 16th making the top eight.
"It's good softball to watch because there's no errors and we had our opportunities and and they had theirs, but then we got to the stage where Craig Wallace came up big."
The experienced Wallace hit the game-winning shot, with designated runner Joel Evans scampering home from third base to seal the dramatic victory, sparking scenes of jubilation from the Hutt Valley players, while the crowd were almost just as excited to see the match finally wrap up as the last of the daylight had faded.
The final is scheduled for 1pm on Sunday and Deans said he wasn't prepared to predict which team the Dodgers will be facing.
"Either team we play our boys have just got to hit the ball."
AT A GLANCE
Major semifinal: Hutt Valley Dodgers 2 Ramblers 1
Minor semifinal: Albion 9 Poneke Kibirnie 1
 - Stuff
