Southern Mariners win gold over Macarthur All Stars in final of Australian Senior League Championship at Lismore

Victory, despair, jubilation, frustration, extra innings, rain delay and a nail biter of final ‒ this gold medal baseball game at Lismore had it all and kept fans on the edges of their seats.

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Southern Mariners were jubilant after they won in extra innings against Macarthur to secure the 2021 Australian Senior League Championships at the baseball complex at Albert Park in Lismore on May 12, 2021. Photo: Alison Paterson

Shouts of delight echoed throughout the Southern Mariners dugout as pitcher Genevieve Beacom’s final throw sealed the deal to secure the gold medal against Macarthur All Stars in an 8-7 win and take the 2021 Australian Senior League Championship.

On Wednesday night under lights, the Southern Mariners players and officials ran onto the field leaping and screaming with joy, fists pumping and hugging each other as their families and supporters cheered and took photos at Lismore’s Albert Park Baseball Complex.

Victory came after extra innings in which Otto Moje drove in the go-ahead run in the top of the eighth, while Beacom, 16, shut the door against a determined Macarthur.

It was an exciting night of baseball with everyone literally on the edge of their seats keen to see play after a two-hour delay due to rain.

Amid the shouting and jubilation, Mariners manager Ben Laux could not stop smiling.

“I am extremely proud of the week they had and extremely proud of the people they are,” he said.

“This team has been together since U12s and this is their last go at age charter baseball.

“A lot will go on to represent their state and at nationals and hopefully go on to a college (playing) career.”

Laux said the team lost the same final in the Junior League but took the silver.

Genevieve, 16, said the team win was sensational.

“The last pitch was crazy I was so nervous and I knew I had a team to back me up,” she said.

“And Lachy (Lachlan Smith) made the play right and Ryan (Williams) caught it, the whole team were amazing.”

SILVER MEDAL: The Macarthur All Stars took the silver after they played a rugged game but lost in extra innings to the Southern Mariners in the 2021 Australian Senior League Championships at the baseball complex at Albert Park in Lismore on May 12, 2021. Photo: Alison Paterson

Laux said Macarthur were worthy opponents.

“Two years ago this team lost the 2019 junior title in the same way,” he said.

“I know haw devested and empty they must feel.”

Laux said the previous Mariners senior league team won the event in 2019 and went on to play in the World Series in the US.

But thanks to the pandemic, this opportunity is denied to the Mariners.

Meanwhile, the Macarthur players stood looking stunned before quietly moving to the opposite side of diamond, where team manger Cody Glover and other squad officials consoled the devastated players.

Glover told his team, many who were fighting back tears, that they could hold their heads up and there was no shame in taking silver after their fantatsic effort.

“They fought hard all tournament and this would have been our fourth come from behind win,” he said.

“It’s been fantastic, no-one gets this far on luck and we went through state undefeated to this point.

“These guys are bit down at the moment (but) they will bounce back, there are other teams who would love to be in second spot, there’s other teams playing for consolation spots.”

“You win some, you lose some, professional players fail seven out of 10 times and they are considered Hall of Famers.”

Lismore mayor Cr Vanessa Ekins presented medals and the shield to the teams.

BRONZE TEAM: Victoria's Eastern Athletics baseball team took the bronze medal after a win over Cronulla in the 2021 Australian Senior League Championships at Lismore's Albert Park complex on Wednesday May 12, 2021. Photo: Alison Paterson

How the match was won

According to Baseball Australia’s editor in chief, David Penrose, Tyler Ellis sent the contest to the bottom of the seventh after delivering a two-out, two-run double in the top of the inning.

“Moje worked around a lead-off walk to keep Macarthur off the board and send the game to extras,” Penrose said.

“He then delivered with the bat in a lengthy at-bat after Beacom reached on a dropped third strike to start the inning.”

Beacom retired all three Macarthur hitters she faced in the bottom of the eighth, including two via strikeouts.

Macarthur took the lead on a two-run error in the bottom of the sixth after Blake Gooding’s single levelled the score.

But the Mariners had another comeback in them after earlier overturning a 3-0 deficit.

Starter Adam Bates set the tone, striking out the Mariners in the top of the first.

He was handed a lead in the bottom of the second inning after Koby Chesterton singled and scored on a sacrifice fly from Fynn Bannura.

Christopher Fergie singled to start the bottom of the third and scored on an error ahead of Bates making it 3-0 with an RBI-double.

Southern threatened in the top of the fourth and put two runners in scoring position.

Ryan Williams singled with two out and Ellis doubled.

But Bates used his eighth strikeout of the contest to escape the inning.

The Mariners were able to hit the scoreboard an inning later.

Charlie Pierson’s single ignited Southern’s fifth-inning rally after Beacom started the frame with a walk.

Ryan Langworthy’s ground ball pulled the Mariners in one ahead.

Lachlan Smith’s sacrifice fly and a throwing error allowed Joel Poole and Wesley Ka to score and put Southern up 4-3.

The Mariners added a fifth run of the frame on a wild pitch.

Earlier, Victoria’s Eastern Athletics rode a strong offensive performance to a 17-4 mercy-rule win over Cronulla in the bronze medal game.