There's a certain flair that comes with a team leaving their best for last. Sure it's a bit more dramatic, but who doesn't love a bit of theatre in the sporting arena?
In Canberra on Friday night, the Auckland Tuatara looked set for their second straight defeat at the handsof the Canberra Cavalry, but two big innings late in the game steered them to a 10-6 victory.
The Tuatara scored six runs in the eighth innings, before a three-run home run from the bat of outfielder Max Brown in the ninth extended the lead. Canadian pitcher Brandon Marklund, who has been an impressive asset in the team's bullpen all season, pitched a spotless ninth inning to close out the win, which looked all but out of reach early on.
The Auckland side have made a bad habit of allowing runs to be scored against them in bunches this season. They gave up 13 runs across two innings on Thursday night's blowout loss and, after going up 1-0 in the third innings, they suffered another big innings on Friday.
Eric Jenkins' eighth-inning home run sparked the Auckland Tuatara in an important win. Photo / Photosport
Canberra tagged the Tuatara with five runs in the bottom of the fourth innings. Starting pitcher Elliot Johnstone was charged with four of the five runs, but wasn't helped by the bullpen. Reliever Matt Wilson who took over with the bases loaded and one out in the inning and walked the only three batters he faces, accounting for three free runs. He was hooked after the third, and Chen Yu-Hsuan was able to get out of the inning with just one more run crossing the plate.
The Cavalry added another run on a solo home run in the fifth innings to push the margin to five runs and, with the Tuatara often suffering from quiet bats this season, looked poised to take the game.
Instead, an Eric Jenkins solo home run ignited the Tuatara offence in the late stages as the visitors piled on the hurt to claim an important win.
The series against Canberra is a vital one for their playoff aspirations, with the Tuatara still in the hunt for the wildcard spot with four weeks left in the season. Canberra, with six more wins than the Auckland side, currently sit in the wildcard spot, so a series win would be crucial for the Tuatara.
