Softball: Ahitana Kuru cracks it for Fast Pitch

Fast Pitch pitcher Ahitana Kuru attempts another strikeout during his side's 4-3 win against Saints in Saturday's final. Photo/Glenn Taylor.

Ahitana Kuru had plenty of motivation to have a cracker for his Fast Pitch side in Saturday's premier men's softball competition's pre-Christmas final against Saints in Hastings.

A large contingent of his whanau including younger brother and former Black Sox infielder Aaron Kuru were home for the Christmas holidays and among the crowd scattered around the main diamond at Akina Park. These days Aaron is making a name for himself as a jockey in Cambridge.

"It was good to turn it on for them all," pitcher Kuru said after his team's 4-3 win.

As he did in the previous week's semifinal Kuru, 27, smashed an error-assisted in-park home run. This one gave Fast Pitch a 2-1 lead in the top of the third.

On the mound Kuru conceded six hits and collected six strikeouts.

"I'm pretty happy as this is my first season back playing after six or seven years away from the game," Kuru explained.

"I've been in Australia but came home for a tangi and ended up staying. I'll probably return to Aussie after the season finishes ... I want to help Fast Pitch try and complete the pre-Christmas, post-Christmas double. We've got to keep going forward and keep getting the wins now," he added.

Fast Pitch opened the scoring with their first turn at bat when player-coach and catcher Te Rangi Chadwick manufactured a double which scored former Junior Black Sox outfielder Rongo Rapaea.

Saints equalised in the bottom of the first when catcher Brad Keane was walked in a loaded bases situation which scored designated player Jacob Zurcher.

Saints tied the game up at 2-all in the bottom of the fourth when left outfielder Taniera Miratana scampered home on an error. Kuru gave his team a 3-2 lead in the top of the fifth when he scored on a hit from third baseman Puhi Rapaea.

Saints equalised in the bottom of the fifth when player-coach and first baseman Brian Dellow hit short stop Jesse Little home. Dellow got on base with all three of his turns at bat.

Fast Pitch second baseman and tie breaker runner Kane Herbert scored what turned out to be the winning run on an error in the top of the tie-breaker as Kuru again got the stamp of approval from his whanau with a three-up three-down scenario when Saints had their final turn at bat.

Taking his side's injury woes into account Dellow was proud of the guts his troops displayed in the final.

Catcher Brad Keane was forced out of the game with a shoulder injury collected in the top of the second while tagging Fast Pitch runner Josh Tipoki out at home plate.

Pitcher Tamihana Hokianga was forced to vacate the mound with a shoulder injury in the top of the fourth.

This meant Dellow had to pitch 18-year-old Mace Price who had earlier pitched for the Saints under-19s in their 7-4 final loss to Maraenui Pumas and for his club's senior B men's side. In his first taste of premier pitching Price only conceded two hits.

"We were also without Luke Woon today because he was at a Make a Wish Christmas function for his brother Bradley and Luke is one of our key batters. So to get this close to Fast Pitch running at about 80 per cent will give us plenty of confidence as we chase a berth in the post-Christmas competition final," Dellow said.