Back-to-back-to-back solo home runs in the bottom of the seventh inning powered the Adelaide Bite to a 3-2 win over Perth Heat in Game One of the Australian Baseball League Championship Series on Friday night.
Stefan Welch, Tom Brice and Mitch Dening all went deep over the right-field fence in the seventh off of Heat starter Mike McClendon, who had tossed six shutout innings and only allowed three hits prior to the start of the seventh.
Welch went deep to lead off the frame, followed by the game-tying blast off the bat of Brice and the game-winning dinger from Dening.
"That was definitely the coolest thing I've ever been a part of in baseball," Dening said.
"I couldn't write a better script; that's what our season has been like in a nutshell."
The game's beginning was similar to its conclusion, with Canadian Tim Smith getting the Heat on the board in the first inning with a towering solo shot to right field.
From there, both McClendon and Bite starter Morgan Coombs cruised in a fast-paced pitchers duel fitting of the ABL's highest stage.
After surrendering the early run, Coombs went seven deep with one earned run and five strikeouts, getting the Bite out of a one-out bases-loaded jam in the top of the seventh.
Perth tacked on another run in the top of the fourth inning and held a 2-0 lead entering the fateful seventh.
The Heat loaded the bases with one out in the top of the ninth frame, but Bite closer Tyler Brunnemann got Brian Pointer to ground into a game-ending double play.
"McClendon threw a gem tonight and we were fortunate to get some quality at bats in the seventh and blow it open," Adelaide manager Brooke Knight said.
"Perth are a quality club and we're going to have to bring it again tomorrow night."
The win puts the Bite one win away from South Australia's first Claxton Shield victory since 1980.
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