Defending club champions MSM Magic picked up where they left off last summer when the penultimate round of the Rotorua softball competition swung into action on Saturday.
Magic emerged as victors at the Rotorua International Stadium following an 8-3 win over Tokoroa Shotz and will now meet an unbeaten Fordlands
side in this weekend's final for the Round One men's trophy.
Magic enjoyed a strong start to their game on Saturday notching up three runs in the opening innings thanks to Austin Gear, Duane Bishop and Eric Short - the latter who came home following strong batting by Lee Clarke.
Shotz endured a scratchy second innings - being shut down by strong Magic fielding, but hit their straps in the third when Steve Petley came home taking the score to 3-1. Shotz continued to counter any opposition attacks until Short smashed the ball onto the roof of the Stadium recording the first of his team's two automatic home runs for the day.
Seventeen year-old right fielder Blake Purcell, who has played most of this season as catcher, put the finishing touches on his team's victory when he hit the ball into right field to advance Clarke home for his team's eighth and final run of the day.
Gerbes faced 27 batters, pitched six strikeouts and conceded two walks and three runs while Shotz pitcher Rob Wiki faced 26 batters, pitched six strikeouts and conceded four walks and eight runs.
Magic will now face off against Fordlands at 11am on Saturday morning - but the competition is expected to be fierce. Firstly Fordlands, who recorded a convincing 8-0 win over Waiohau at the weekend, are in top form this season having won all their games - including a 7-5 win over Magic - in both the RSA club competition and the Super Six Tournament. Secondly Magic will be determined to win the trophy back after being pipped 2-1 by Waiohau in last year's nailbiting round one trophy final.
Meanwhile round one of the women's competition came to a close at the weekend with Waiohau enjoying a 7-3 victory over Ngati Hinekura to take the round one winner's trophy. On points Mitchells finished second overall and Hinekura third.
Tokoroa team Shooters won the division two women's trophy with Strikers second.
