By Lance Jenkinson
Bad light was good news for Sunshine Eagles in the Baseball Victoria summer league division 1.
In one of the quirks of the mid-week rules at grounds without sufficient lighting, the umpires can call a halt to play if the light is deemed poor and too dangerous for players.
In the event of bad light stopping play halfway through an inning, the first half of that inning is null and void and the game score entering that inning stands.
Luck was on Sunshine’s side as the beneficiary of this rule in their local derby clash with Newport Rams at Barclay Reserve on Tuesday night.
The Eagles led 3-0 most of the way, but a three-run spot from the Rams had scores locked at 3-3.
Then umpires called the game off without the inning able to be completed, so the game reverted back to the pre-inning score and the Eagles clinched a 3-0 win.
It was a huge result for the top-of-the-table Eagles, as it extended their winning streak to six. Eagles coach Stuart Clayton admitted it was not the way his side wanted to win the game.
“It was a hollow feeling,” Clayton said. “At the end of the game, the boys were a bit flat.
“We controlled the game all night, but it was only the last 15 minutes where it started getting dark and we made a couple of errors and got them back into the game.”
Clayton said the decision by the umpires to pull the pin was unavoidable.
The third game of the series on Saturday was a washout.
Sunshine claimed two of the three games of the series. The Eagles will now prepare for the toughest period in their season, taking on last year’s grand finalists Geelong and Blackburn in consecutive series.
