Day 4 and final day of the Sydney Women’s Invitational at Blacktown International Sportspark was a Victorian day as the two Victorian teams defeated the local Sydney sides to reach the championship game.
Doncaster beat last year’s runners up Baulkham Hills in the first semi final but not after a nail biting finish. Doncaster looked in cruise control as they tallied up six runs in the first three innings and in defence kept the Baulkham Hills side scoreless.
The Baulkham Hills Kookaburra’s finally registered a run in the fourth dig and then in the bottom of the fifth and final inning they left themselves with an arduous task of trying to pull back five runs.
An error, a walk and a single saw the bases load up very quickly for the Baulkham Hills side and they were sniffing a late fight back.
The Kookaburra’s had the crowd on the edge of their seat as they brought the score back to be down by just one run with bases loaded and two out.
Erin Collis on the mound for the Doncaster Dragons stayed tough and drew a ground out to short stop to ensure the Dragons would play in the championship game.
The two big winners in round one came up against each other in the second semi final, Big Cat Braves and Blacktown Workers.
Starting pitcher for the Big Cat Braves, Kate Psota ensured that the Workers would not have a repeat of their fifteen run opening day.
2010 Women’s World Cup All Star, Psota, shut down the Blacktown line up in her five complete innings allowing just two scattered hits as her offense did the work in the batting box scoring fours over five innings to record the victory and a spot in the championship game against fellow Victorian’s Doncaster.
In the consolation games on the final day, ACT recorded its first win with an 11- 4 victory over the Sydney Pink Sox.
Semi final losers Baulkham Hills vented some of their anger from there loss in the semi final as they defeated Calibre Construction 15 – 0 to finish the tournament on a high.
Ryde delivered their own mercy rule victory with a 15 – 0 victory over the Blacktown Workers.
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In the championship game Big Cat Braves got off to a fantastic start with four runs in the opening inning and two more in the second while the Dragons could only manage the one run in their opening two frames.
Autumn Mills started on the mound for the Big Cats. Mills pitched a complete game allowing just the single run to cross the plate as she struck four Doncaster batters in her five innings of work.
The Big Cat Braves star studded line up which included, three Japanese National players that won the 2010 Women’s World Cup were just too strong over the two day tournament and finished the championship game with a 10 runs to 1 win over the Doncaster Dragons.
The 2012 Sydney Women’s Invitational Most Valuable Player, Kate Psoda (Big Cat Braves) from Canada was the stand out player in the championship game, she registered three hits from her three at bats with two RBI’s and a walk.
In the annual Sydney Women’s Invitational Home Run Derby Brooke Shiels from the Ryde Hawks side claimed the coveted prize. Brooke walks away with the 2012 Home Run Derby Trophy and a new Easton bat from the tournament sponsor Gary White’s Diamond One.
Narelle Gosstray who was recently appointed by the IBAF to their Women’s Commission presented the 2012 Sydney Women’s Invitational Trophy and the $1500 prize money from major sponsors REMA Industries to Head Coach and recent ABF Hall of Fame Inductee, Simone Wearne from the Big Cat Braves.
Next year in 2013 the Sydney Women’s Invitational will be hosted at Aquatic Reserve, Frenchs Forest from 25 January to 28 January.
