IT’S a script that is written for baseball fans in the west. The division 2 minor premiership will be decided when arch-rivals Newport Rams and Williamstown Wolves play in a western suburbs showdown on Saturday.
At stake is automatic promotion to the first division ‘bigs’ – pending league approval – the No.1 ranking in the finals and bragging rights ahead of the best-of-three semi-final series they have already locked in by finishing in the top two.
Seven days ago, the prospect of this game having so much riding on it were negligible with the Rams holding a two-game lead and seeming unlikely to drop a game.
But circumstances changed at the weekend when the Rams were flogged 22-12 by Bonbeach, while the Wolves dismantled Port Melbourne 9-1.
The Wolves have refused to go away. They’ve been hot on the tail of the ladder-leading Rams all summer.
“We started preseason in early August, so you’re talking about seven months to get to where we are now,” Wolves playing president Ryan Camov told the Weekly.
“It has taken a lot of perseverance from the boys. They’ve continued to chip away and we find ourselves where we are now, so it’s kind of exciting.”
After 22 rounds, both the Rams and the Wolves still have a chance to finish on top of the pile. Another four teams will fight out the other two spots in the division 2 finals.
Similarly in division 1, the finals race and a relegation scrap is as close as ever.
Camov likes what he sees in the big picture for Victorian baseball.
“It’s pretty fascinating to think we play 22 games and it all comes down to the last one to sort that out,” he said. “It’s been a great end to the season in both divisions, 1 and 2.
“They’ve both had a really tight finish and are still deciding finals spots in the last week.
“It’s good to have that balance in the league.”
To win top spot, the Wolves will need to beat the Rams by two runs or more.
Even if the Wolves finish on top, they might not meet Baseball Victoria’s promotion criteria due to their junior program.
“At the moment, we don’t meet the criteria, but we’re working with Baseball Victoria to see if we can sort something out,” Camov said.
“It’d be a little bit disappointing to qualify for division 1 and not be able to go up based on junior requirements.
“Building a junior program takes time and energy and we’re working on it. We had a two-year plan and we might get there a bit quicker than we anticipated.
“It is what it is and we’ll take it in our stride.”
It will not detract from the high-stakes affair at KC White Reserve on Saturday. A big crowd is expected at Park Crescent to see the first pitch at 3.30pm.
