Western Magpies pitcher Jennifer Feret led the Auckland club to the national women's interclub softball final in Lower Hutt.

ORIGINAL STORY by Tony Smith

White Sox pitcher Jennifer Feret has fired Auckland club Western Magpies into the national women's interclub softball final on Sunday.

Feret starred with ball and bat on day four of the national championships at Lower Hutt's Fraser Ballpark on Saturday.

She hammered a bases-loaded grand slam home run over the outfield fence in Magpies' 8-2 win over Hutt Valley club Te Aroha.

Feret pitched a smart game and drove in the winning run as Magpies beat Hutt Valley Dodgers 2-1 in the semifinal.

Magpies, the Auckland club champions, advanced to the final after edging Dodgers, the Wellington-Hutt Valley intercity series winners, in the eighth inning tiebreaker.

Former White Sox outfielder Robyn Hall advanced automatic runner Kaleo Eldredge to third base with a sacrifice bunt and Feret pitched a change-up to drive a single to leftfield and bring Eldredge home.

Dodgers were unable to score off Feret's pitching in the bottom of the eighth. But they still have a shot at making the final.  They will play the winner of the Waitakere Bears-Saints (Hutt Valley) game on Sunday morning to decide who will meet Magpies.

Magpies' regulation innings run came after a triple by Ashley Scott.

Meanwhile, Hutt Valley Dodgers qualified directly for the national men's interclub final after another tiebreaker cliffhanger in Nelson.

Dodgers and Auckland aces Ramblers were locked at 1-1 after seven innings and had to play four tiebreaker phases before the deadlock was broken by Dodgers in the 11th inning at Saxton Field on Saturday evening.

A regulation bunt moved the automatic baserunner to third and brought Dodgers' veteran slugger Craig Wallace to bat. With everyone expecting Wallace to attempt to drive in the run, he cannily executed a squeeze play bunt and the runner, breaking for the plate on the pitch, scampered home for a 2-1 win.

Ramblers will play defending champions Albion on Sunday morning for the right to meet Dodgers, the 2013 champions, in the final.

Albion thrashed Poneke Kilbirne 9-1 with Matt Holmes smashing a huge home run off PK starter Jovaan Hanley.

RESULTS

National inter-club softball tournaments

Women (at Lower Hutt)

Johnsonville-Newlands 6 Poneke Kilbirnie 5, Papanui 8 Auckland Marist 1, Howick 1 Miramar 0 (10 innings), Otahuhu 3 Ramblers 1, Waitakere Bears 4 Saints 2 (8 innings), Magpies 8 Te Aroha 2, Marist 3 PK 2, Dodgers 9 Papanui 2, Magpies 2 Dodgers 1 (8 innings), Bears 6 Otahuhu 2, Saints 5 Ramblers 1.

Sunday's draw: 9am: Bears v Saints. 11am: Dodgers v winner of Bears-Saints. 2pm final: Western Magpies v winner of 11am game.

Men (at Nelson)

Papanui 7 PCU Devils 6, Otahuhu 4 Hutt City United 0, Roosters 6 Stoke Eagles 1, Porirua City United 3 Miramar 0, Hutt Valley Dodgers 2 Eden Roskill 0, Auckland Marist 3 Ramblers 2, Fairfield Otorohonga United 9 Nelson United 0, Waitakere Bears 10 Hutt Valley Marist 2, Albion 7 Johnsonville 0, Poneke Kilbirnie 2 Auckland United 0, Stoke 9 Nelson 0, Central Vikings 7 Roosters 5, Dodgers 2 Ramblers 1 (11 innings), Albion 9 PK 1.

Sunday's draw: 9am: Ramblers v Albion. 1pm final: Hutt Valley Dodgers v winner of Ramblers/Albion.

 

 - Stuff