Giants Blue withstood a late comeback and held off Totara Park 10-5 in their Intercity Premier Two clash at South Park on Saturday.
The Blues were on course for a mercy victory by leading by seven runs or more after five innings, but the visitors closed the gap, forcing the game to go the full seven innings.
Giants stalwart Chris Feary watched the game and said the very hot conditions were a big factor in Totara Park’s comeback, but in the end, the Blues did enough to strengthen their grip on second place in the championship.
“It was a good game. The guys batted well, the base running was good, the fielding was spot on, and ‘Chunky’ [Justin Karaitiana] was pitching really well. It was a really good all-round team effort,” said Feary, who then took the field for Giants Red against Dodgers Black.
The visitors came into the top-of-the-table premier three match with an unbeaten record, and they looked on course to extend that after scoring three runs in the first inning.
Feary said that fired up the Reds players, and they took control to win 14-5 in five innings.
“We started getting in there with the bat, and we sort of ground them down.
“One to nine in the batting line-up did their job, Tony Nixon pitched a good game, and defensively we were very good,” he said.
Giants Blue are away to Poneke-Kilbirnie Red this weekend, while the Reds have the a bye.
