Softball: Mustangs lose in semi-final thriller, will face Athletic for third place

The Mustangs lost 10-8 in a tie-breaker thriller versus Dodgers over the weekend. Photo / Lewis Gardner

Castlecliff Club Mustangs and Whanganui Athletic will play off in a local derby for third place in the Manawatu mens reserve A grade softball after losing in their respective semifinals over the weekend.

The Mustangs played the Dodgers who started the game quickly with some great hitting, scoring four runs in their first innings. Lawrence Lianeta and Jefferson Yacap hit back, scoring on two hits for the Mustangs.

The Dodgers came out swinging the second innings, adding three more runs to go up 7-2.

With the game slowly slipping away, the Mustangs needed something special in the next few innings.

Michael Pedorche hit safely and scored on a three base hit from Danny Green, and a Ben Hollis deep ball allowed Green to score.

Holding the Dodgers to no runs in the third, the Mustangs came out and tied up the game in their next bat. Green hit a double, Aaron Mahony had a safe bunt and Art Ayban hit safely to score Green. Captain Lange came in to score two runs when he hit a fly ball to the outfield, levelling the game at 7-7.

The tie breaker rule came into play, with the Dodgers scoring three runs on smart base running. Mustangs runner Matt Ranga scored on a hit from Pedroche, however the next batters failed to reach base, leading to a final score of 10-8 to Dodgers.

The Mustangs will meet Whanganui Athletic for third place this weekend, after Athletic lost 8-0 to the Kingswood Demons.

Whanganui Athletic womens premier side split their two games in Palmerston North on Saturday, winning 9-1 in five innings against Fielding United and losing 8-6 Bramac in their second game. They will take on Kingswood Anahera this weekend in the semifinals.

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