Albion celebrate Canterbury softball premiership double

March 14, 2016

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ORIGINAL STORY by Tony Smith

Black Sox pitcher Penese Iosefo was in compelling form as national champions Albion celebrated their third successive Canterbury men's softball premiership title.

Iosefo hurled Albion to back-to-back 7-3 and 4-1 wins over the Papanui Tigers on Saturday on a memorable day for the club - and his family.

His sisters, Lusia Elisara and Velonita Iosefo, helped Albion Cardinals clinch the women's premiership crown with resounding, mercy rule 11-4 and 12-1 wins over last year's champions Papanui.

The Albion women wore yellow ribbons in memory of the Iosefo's late father Andy, one of Canterbury softball's greatest supporters, along with wife Lyn.

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Albion men's team player-coach Aidan Cocker said Saturday's title double was "a great day for the club" and a confidence booster before they defend their national interclub title in Nelson this week.

"We got the three-peat, back to back to back, and the women also won the season before last."

Cocker praised the pitching efforts of Iosefo, who showed his class against a talented Papanui hitting lineup led by former Black Sox stars Tryon Bartorillo and Thomas Makea, and Australian Ryan Merriman, the top batter at last year's International Softball Congress tournament in North America.

"That was the best I've seen Penese pitch all year," said Cocker, who also hailed the contribution of veteran catcher Clayton Ellis.

"They worked really well together. Penese was focused and threw really well."

While the Albion men did not specifically dedicate their win to Andy Iosefo's memory, Cocker said their stalwart supporter "would have been in the back of the boys' minds," Cocker said. "It definitely was for 'Nese.

​"Andy came away with us last year when we won the national title. He and Lyn were always at every game the kids played."

Cocker said Albion had had some "mixed results" in the recent months, but produced a total team effort on finals day despite missing seasoned star Paul Stead.

It wasn't only the senior hands, Iosefo, Ellis, Black Sox infielder Josh Harbrow, Matt Holmes, Antony Stuart and Cocker to the fore.

"Some of our young lads really stepped up, especially Connor Flynn," Cocker said. "He's only 17 years old and he got a national title with us last year, but didn't get a lot of game-time. But, this year, he started the [club] finals and got two triples with the bat and made some great plays at second base."

Papanui sprang a surprise in the first game, selecting Ben Watts over Ethan Johnston as the starting pitcher after Watts had beaten Albion the previous weekend.

But Albion teed off in the second inning, scoring six runs - highlighted by Stuart's double and Flynn's triple - before Papanui brought in Johnston, who gave up just two more hits - including a seventh inning solo shot home run to Harbrow.

Bartorillo had three hits from three against Iosefo, including an automatic homer in the sixth frame.

Albion got a great start in the second game with leadoff man Stuart singling in the top of the first inning and Flynn blasting his second triple of the day before scoring on Holmes' drive to right-centrefield.

Papanui paid the price for leaving seven runners on base. They should have scored in the second inning when Jackson Watt slugged a three-bagger, but the tail order could not bat him home .

The Tigers pulled back a run in the sixth when Merriman batted in Bartorillo, but they left two more runners on base. 

Bartorillo showed his class in the batter's box with four hits for the day, but got embroiled in a needless slanging match after the last game after reacting to a comment in the crowd.

Sharnae Walsh shrugged off a recent bout of illness to pitch Albion Cardinals to back-to-back wins over Papanui in the women's final series, but she got plenty of help from her hitters.

Mark Hilhorst's team hit top form in the batter's box with 24 hits across both games, winning the first in five innings and the second in four.

Canterbury catcher Te Awhina O'Hara went four from four for a perfect 1.000 average in the first game. Junior White Sox player Katelyn Bayer had two hits, including an in-the-park home run, Elisara clouted a triple and Nic Milne had two hits from three.

Leadoff batter Nerissa McDowell had a triple and two singles in the second game with Walsh slugging a triple and Velonita Iosefo  a double as Albion's extra class and experience told.

AT A GLANCE 

SOFTBALL

Canterbury premiership finals results.

Men

Albion 7 Papanui 3. Albion 4 Papanui 1. CHAMPIONS: Albion.

Women

Albion Cardinals 11 Papanui 4 (5 innings). Albion Cardinals 12 Papanui 1 (4 innings). CHAMPIONS: Albion.