Giants Blue have taken the lead in the Intercity Premier Two championship after their 8-0 thumping of Poneke-Kilbirnie Red [PK] at Hataitai Park on Saturday.
PK were expected to provide stern opposition after beating the Blues at the Kapiti premier two tournament over Waitangi weekend and having pushed them close in the first-round clash [9-5] in Masterton in November.
However, Blues player-coach and pitcher Justin ‘Chunky’ Karaitiana was in top form on the mound denying PK scoring opportunities, while the batters cleverly accumulated runs through aggressive batting and good running to seal the victory in five innings.
The win lifts the Blues to 17 points at the head of the table and guarantees a top-two seeding for the semifinals. Cardinals are two points behind and have two games in hand, and could retake the lead next week with the Blues to sit out the bye.
The Giants women got their championship charge in the Hutt Valley Women’s Premier Three back on track. Giants had suffered a shock loss to Demons the previous Saturday, but bounced back with an 11-6 win over Dodgers Divas at Fraser Park, Lower Hutt.
Giants are second and assured of playing semifinal softball. They could still challenge for the top spot with their next clash on Saturday against the unbeaten leaders Totara Park.
Giants Red had the bye and stay in second place in Intercity Premier Three.
