Tyron Bartorillo hammered a triple with the bat in the Canterbury Red Sox's loss to the Junior Black Sox.

ORIGINAL STORY by Tony Smith

The Junior Black Sox squad upset the Canterbury Red Sox to advance to Monday's final at the Southern Cross Challenge softball tournament in Christchurch.

Canterbury had beaten the national under-19 team twice in round robin play at Cuthberts Green, but fielding mistakes proved their undoing in Sunday afternoon's playoff.

Thomas Makea's juniors profited as the Red Sox committed four errors, including wild throws by Black Sox infielders Josh Harbrow and Tyron Bartorillo.

The Junior Black Sox scored two runs in the second inning and another four in the sixth. Jarome McKenzie had two hits, Jacob Zurcher clouted a single and Dante Matakatea beat out a bunt single. 

READ MORE:
* Christchurch calls Queensland softballer home

Bartorillo hammered a triple and scored on an error in Canterbury's first turn at bat. He slammed an automatic home run in Canterbury's 6-0 win over the Junior Black Sox last Friday and picked up two singles in their 6-1 repeat victory on Saturday, which featured three-baggers by Curtis Dove, Antony Stuart and Nopera Stockford.

The Canterbury under-23 team beat Southern Pride Development 5-1 on Sunday. They will play the Canterbury Red Sox on Monday morning for the right to meet the Junior Black Sox in the 2pm final.

The Queensland Heat look the team to beat in the women's competition after impressive form over the first three days.

They are unbeaten and have conceded just one run. That came in the first game on Friday, against the Canterbury Red Hawks, who scored when Leah Stockford batted in Robyn Hall with a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning after Queensland had led 2-0 with runs to former Cantabrian Carmelle Sorensen and Alex Forsyth in the second inning.

Canterbury outbatted Queensland, five safe hits to three with Hall, Nicole Baxter, Emma Frost, Stephanie Kepa and Tessa Metuatini collecting singles.

The Heat completed a 5-0 shutout of New Zealand A, highlighted by three runs in the first inning after a three-bagger by shortstop Georgia Blair.New Zealand A had an emphatic 12-5 win over the Canterbury Red Hawks with Southland's Lucy McIntyre batting 1.000 with three hits, including a triple.

Southern Pride celebrated a 4-0 win over Canterbury in the South Island derby on Saturday.

Guest pitcher Marissa Berkes held Canterbury to five hits and Marlborough outfielder Hannah Cook cracked two doubles.

Southern racked up all their runs in the fourth inning after hits by Cook, Brooke Pennicott, Rome Collins-Cross and Berkes.

Nerissa McDowell, with a triple and a single, was the Red Hawk's best batter.

New Zealand A did the double over Canterbury, 5-2, on Sunday with Keri Simeon batting 1.000 and leadoff Ashley Johnston grabbing two extra-base hits, a three-bagger and a double.

Bohemian Quinn cracked a home run for Canterbury and the experienced Hall and Baxter each had two hits.

 - Stuff