GREENWELL Point’s Tim Atherton and his Brisbane Bandits created a slice of Australian baseball history on Saturday night, becoming the first team to claim the Claxton Shield in four consecutive years.
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The Bandits flexed their muscle to wrap up the 2019 ABL Championship Series presented by Boral in two games, powering past Perth 9-4 at OneHub Stadium – after Brisbane defeated Perth on game one 3-2 on Thursday.
Andrew Campbell, Wade Dutton and TJ Bennett homered for Brisbane.
Starter Tim Atherton worked eight innings in another impressive ABLCS outing.
The 2018 ABLCS MVP allowed four runs on seven hits and two walks with 10 strikeouts.
The Bandits struck early to put the visitors on the backfoot.
Campbell homered with two outs in the first to open the scoring for Brisbane.
Dutton’s leadoff homer in the second doubled the Bandits’ advantage.
Brisbane added six runs in the third inning, chasing Heat starter Conor Lourey from the game and blowing its lead out to 8-nil.
Riley Unroe started the inning with a single ahead of Lourey issuing walks to Bennett and Campbell.
Logan Wade drove in a run off Perth reliever Nick Veale before a wild pitch added a fourth run.
David Sutherland’s bases clearing double and a second run-scoring wild pitch capped off a big inning.
The Heat added four solo home runs to cut into the lead.
Robbie Glendinning went deep twice while Pete Kozma and Chris Clare also homered.
Bennett added the Bandits’ third homer of the night in fourth.
Sutherland led the way with three RBI and Unroe had a team-high two hits for Brisbane.
Ryan Searle worked a scoreless ninth for the Bandits to close the door on Perth.
Glendinning finished with a game-high three hits for the Heat.
Brisbane matched Perth’s tally of four titles in the modern-day ABL with its success.
