Seeking their first premiership since 2014, the Bellingen Brewers came up short against the Woolgoolga Bluesox, 9-6, in Saturday's major semi-final.
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The Brewers raced to a 5-0 lead against Woolgoolga. After a scoreless first inning, Bellingen was first on the board with two runs in the top of the second. Scott Hansen and Cam Rutherford started the inning off with singles, with Hansen scoring after he was picked off third base on a fumble by the Bluesox third baseman. After Luke Nelson reached on a fielder's choice, David Jeremy drove him in with a double.
The Bluesox put their first two runners aboard in the bottom half of the second, but Hansen, pitching for Bellingen in place of Paul Holding, wriggled out of trouble. First he picked the a Woolgoolga runner off third base, then he struck out the next two hitters to preserve the Brewers' 2-0 lead.
Bellingen extended that lead to 5-0 in the top of the third inning. Callum Rayner and Matt Bryant singled with one out, Rutherford walked with two out to load the bases, then Luke Nelson doubled in two runs and Mick Nelson singled in another.
The Bluesox got one run back in the bottom of the third inning. Then, after Bellingen were retired in order in the top of the fourth inning, Woolgoolga rallied to level the scores 5-all.
The Brewers retook the lead, 6-5, in the top of the fifth inning. Rayner led off with another single, stole second, and scored on Hansen's hit. But Hansen's control deserted him when he took the mound in the bottom half of the inning, with five walks leading to four Bluesox runs on just one hit and a 9-6 lead.
Down to their final at bat, Bellingen put two runners aboard with one out on Jeremy's second double of the game and Jon Lowe's hit by pitch, bringing the tying run to the plate. But the rally ended there.
The win puts Woolgoolga straight through to the grand final in two weeks' time. The Brewers will meet the Sawtell Dodgers in Saturday's final, aiming for a win and a rematch against the Bluesox in the grand final.
In the A grade minor semi-final, Bellingen was without three of their top players and were no match for the Coffs Harbour Allstars, with the Allstars cruising to a 11-1 win.
The Brewers managed to keep things close early. They loaded the bases in the top of the first inning, but could not score. Rob Kozik took the hill for Bellingen, walked the first hitter he faced, and was forced to retire with a sore arm. The Allstars took full advantage, pushing four runs across the plate.
Bellingen stranded two more runners in the top of the second inning without scoring. After holding Coffs Harbour scoreless in the bottom half of the inning, they finally got on the board in the top of the third.
Kozik got things started with a one-out single, then Hansen and Lowe had two-out singles to make the score 4-1. But the Brewers stranded two runners again and from there the Allstars took command. They scored six times in the bottom of third to extend their lead to 10-1, then coasted home, batting out the remaining time in the bottom of the fifth inning for an 11-1 win.
The defeat eliminates Bellingen from the A grade finals. After their first five years in the competition, the Brewers are still looking for their first A grade finals win.