The Bellingen Diggers scored their first sweep of both grades in the club's short history on Sunday, defeating the Coffs Harbour Allstars 15-12 in B grade, then 10-6 in A grade. Fast starts at bat and strong finishes on the mound keyed both wins.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
In the B grade opener, the Diggers jumped on top with six-run rallies in both the first and second innings to grab a commanding 12-1 lead. Charles Wolfson's two-out two-run single was the big blow in the first inning, with Rob Kozik and Braiden Spalding driving in runs in the second inning.
The Allstars came back to score seven runs after two were out in the second inning to narrow Bellingen's lead to 12-8. Kozik and Spalding responded with hits as the Diggers added three runs to their total. The Allstars put their first four batters on base in a final rally but veteran Toshi Kuwahara, pitching in relief, put out the fire to secure the 15-12 win.
Bellingen got off to an even better start in A grade, pushing nine runs across the plate to open the match. Hunter Bake-Smith ripped a double to lead off the game and Kozik finished of the scoring with a perfectly-placed hit with the bases loaded that scored three runs.
The Allstars got three runs back with the help of some shaky Diggers fielding, but from then on both offenses were held down by solid pitching and defense. Kozik, Spalding, Kuwahara, Nate Dailey and Jon Lowe all made sharp plays in the field to frustrate the Allstars hitters. Terry Booth's crafty pitching kept the Allstars off balance until a long two-run home run in the bottom of the 4th inning narrowed Bellingen's lead to 10-6.
At that point, David Edgecock came on in relief for the Diggers and "Edgey" closed the match out in style. He got the final two outs of the 4th inning without the Allstars adding to their run total. Then, after Bellingen failed to score, he struck out the side in the bottom of the 5th to secure the 10-6 win for the Diggers.
With just two rounds remaining in the regular season, Bellingen's wins mean that a rematch between the two teams in both grades in the CHBA Minor Semifinals is a virtual certainty.