Baseball Victoria: Blackburn Orioles overcome adversity and heartbreak to win Summer League Division 1
It was a season of adversity and tragedy, but the Blackburn Orioles held firm and made it back-to-back championships.
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Every championship win is special.
But the silverware the Blackburn Orioles added to the collection this year, in the form of the Baseball Victoria Summer League Division 1 title, will be remembered proudly by future generations every time they look up at the trophy cabinet.
Blackburn had to beat not only a dogged Sunshine Eagles outfit to make it back-to-back title wins but it had to overcome adversity, tragedy and heartbreak in doing so.
The Orioles took the lead in their best-of-three grand final series with a 9-1 drubbing of the Eagles at Altona’s Melbourne Ballpark in Game 1.
But, as COVID-19 storm clouds gathered over the sporting landscape and threatened the completion of the series, the Eagles drew level with a 4-1 win in Game 2 before Blackburn saluted 5-4 in an epic Game 3.
At one point in the decider, the Orioles were down 3-1 and, seemingly, on their last legs.
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The championship was secured in the nick of time with suburban sport wiped out by the virus from the following weekend onwards.
“We literally just got there,” Orioles coach Matt Tayler said. “We were a bit panicky about Saturday and Sunday.
“We had a big win in Game 1 but Saturday/Sunday was a far bigger reflection of where the two clubs are at.
‘I think our greater depth got us over the line.”
Beyond the drama of COVID-19, Blackburn’s win came at the end of a season that had severely tested the resolve of all at Billabong Park.
“One of the younger club members died on the Saturday morning and flu went through the club and nine of our 15 were sick,” Tayler said.
Early in the season, Blackburn had, unsuccessfully, tried a couple of import players.
“We had to get over a lot of adversity early in the season,” Tayler said. “And doing it without an import made it all the more special.
“We won 16 of the last 17, the only loss was the Saturday (Game 2). It was great to get that reward we deserved.”
With the winter baseball season uncertain and the Oriole’s presentation night on hold, Tayler said “the sport is now in limbo”.
“We’ll get all the guys back next summer and if there’s no winter (season), everyone will come back really desperate to play,” he said.