Curtis Huata's grand slam inspired top Hawke's Bay men's softball side Fast Pitch to a memorable comeback on the third night of the North Island Classic last night.
"After last night's loss to Saints we needed something to get things back on track," said short stop Huata as he reflected on his grand slam, an automatic home run with bases loaded, during Fast Pitch's 7-0 win against Napier Vikings.
It came in the third inning and it also scored catcher Te Rangi Chadwick, designated hitter Josh Tipoki and third baseman Josh Gettins. It was his first grand slam on a closed diamond and his first automatic of the season.
"I only had three games before this one this season because of work commitments," said the car industry worker.
"Now I'm back I'm keen to help the boys do as well as we can in this tournament. I also want to help Hawke's Bay improve upon last summer's sixth placing at the NFC and if things go well make the Black Sox squad again and have a stint overseas," added Huata who made the national squad last season.