The Cougars have run out 13-5 winners in an impressive performance in the Men’s Fastpitch Grand Final on Thursday night at Knox.

By Giacomo Bruno

It would start off business as usual for the Metrans in the Grand Final. After they kept the Cougars scoreless at the top of the first inning, the Metrans would jump out to an early lead.

Brodie Taylor ran home and opened the scoring. Veteran Paul Maisey stepped up with a double to let Glen Rigg and Ricky Wheler run home to put the side 3-0 up at the end of the first.

The Cougars swiftly cut into the deficit in the second inning. Jye Dennis hit a home run and Ryan Martin ran home to cut the margin to just one run. They’d hit the front in the third inning and swung the game.

Joel Hughes opened the inning with a double, Lewis Weldon and Martin ran home to put the side ahead. Hughes then ran home to open the floodgates as Pat White, Ryan Evans, Pat Brackley, George Psimaris and Marcus Ferraro later all ran home to extend the lead to eight runs.

The Metrans would score two runs to trim the margin back to six runs in bottom of the third. In a five-inning game, the side needed to the pile the runs on in the next two innings.

Unfortunately for the ladder leaders, they would go scoreless in the fourth. Cougar’s utility Lewis Weldon’s brilliant pitching had the Metrans quickly all out and his team’s grip on the game.

Weldon would bat first for the Cougars at the top of the final inning and score a home run. Dennis would run home to stretch the lead back out to eight runs, giving the Metrans a hard task to answer.

The Metrans went out early in the final inning, ultimately falling by eight runs 13-5.

The Cougars put in a dominant display in one of the surprise results of the entire Fastpitch season.