Preston Baseballers beat Rivergum in the NMCA Jika Shield grand final
Determined to prove last season wasn’t a fluke, Preston Baseballers are now back-to-back premiership thanks to a Jacob Walker masterclass.
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A Jacob Walker masterclass delivered Preston Baseballers a back-to-back NMCA Jika Shield premiership on Saturday.
For the second straight season, Baseballers proved too good for Rivergum in the decider, claiming a 59-run win at Ruthven VC Reserve.
Walker was awarded the best-on-ground medal for a superb all-round performance, scoring a match-high 51 with the bat before turning destroyer with the ball, taking 4-27.
Despite being reigning premier and winning the qualifying final, Baseballers captain Michael Sortino believed his team were underdogs and couldn’t believe they’d gone back-to-back.
“It’s a pretty surreal feeling, all the boys are pretty pumped,” he said.
“It probably didn’t sink in (on Saturday) because a lot of the boys didn’t think we’d win it.
“A lot of people saw us as favourites but we went in as underdogs.
“Playing Rivergum, an amazing cricket team, being there 11 years in a row they would have very hungry to win this one and at 2-2 we were wondering how we’d come back from this.
“We lost to them mid-season, we got pumped by them, and even in the semi, we did win but they probably dominated 80 per cent of the game and we just fought out and won a close one.
“It shows the fight in our team and depth in our team, it’s a pretty amazing feeling.
After winning the toss and batting, Preston were in early trouble at 2-2 before Walker and Sortino steadied the ship.
The pair put on a match-turning 82-run partnership before Sortino fell for 32.
Finn Nielsen then smashed 35 from 25 balls, in a sixth-wicket partnership with John Boughton (15 not out) to lift Baseballers to 6-165.
“He was teasing us throughout the year, Jacob, he’s an amazing cricketer,” Sortino said.
“He’s a home-grown player, played in the Ones at Northcote, and he came back wanting to chase a flag with his childhood friends.
“He left it to the biggest day to perform, he was incredible with the bat – at 2-2 he was very solid and positive – and then with the ball just a class above – he’s arguably the quickest bloke in the comp.
“That partnership was really important, the ball was swinging early – when I came in the ball was hooping – and Jake and I said it’s got to be us two.”
In the chase, Rivergum made a solid start, reaching 0-22 before Kyl Ewart (17 off 13) fell and it went pear-shaped from there.
When Matthew Kiely fell at 2-31 it triggered a 5-25 collapse and in its 11th consecutive grand final Rivergum’s hopes were all but over.
The match ended in bizarre fashion with Walker running out David McAuley at the non-striker’s end after getting a finger on a well-hit straight drive, Rivergum all out 106.
Ian Brincat took 2-10 for Baseballers.
Corey Altis took 4-29 to be Rivergum’s best bowler, while Jack Carlyon top-scored with 20.
It completes a premiership double for Preston Baseballers with the club’s women’s First XI – the Diamonds – claiming the Lorraine Ireland Shield last week.
Sortino is confident the club is well placed for success.
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“We were really keen to go back-to-back to prove it wasn’t a fluke last year and I think we’ll get into it today with the public holiday tomorrow,” he said.
“The club’s in a really good place and we’re in the prime of our careers, the average age is around mid to late twenties, so we’re really hungry to not make this the last premiership.
“We’re really keen to keep this going for the next five or even 10 years, like Rivergum are doing.”
Elsewhere in the NMCA, Old Ivanhoe claimed the Quick Shield premiership with a three-wicket win over Dennis and Lalor Warriors took home the Kelly Shield, destroying Darebin Northern Riders by 96 runs.
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