2010 Claxton Shield
The 2010 Claxton Shield was the 76th Claxton Shield tournament, the premier baseball competition in Australia, and was held from 6 November 2009 to 7 February 2010. It was hailed as the precursor to the new Australian Baseball League that will start in the place of the Claxton Shield in late 2010 to early 2011.[1] The Victoria Aces defeated South Australia two games to nil in the championship series to win the tournament; this was the 22nd time the Claxton Shield had been awarded to a Victorian team.[2] The competition was sponsored by Domino's Pizza.[3][4]
| 2010 Claxton Shield | |
|---|---|
 The logo for the 2010 Claxton Shield | |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Defending champions | Perth Heat (2009) |
| Duration | 6 November 2009 – 7 February 2010 |
| Number of teams | 5 |
| Regular season | |
| Season champions | Victoria Aces (17–7) |
| Second place | South Australia (14–10) |
| Third place | New South Wales Patriots (14–10) |
| Fourth place | Perth Heat (12–12) |
| Fifth place | Queensland Rams (3–21) |
| Championship series | |
| Champions | Victoria Aces (22nd title) |
| Runners-up | South Australia |
At the conclusion of the regular season, the Victoria Aces finished in first place with a 17–7 record, earning home-field advantage for the three-game championship series. South Australia hosted the three-game semi-final series against the New South Wales Patriots. Both teams finished with a 14–10 record. The Perth Heat (12–12) and Queensland Rams (3–21) both failed to qualify for the finals.[5]
Overview
In June 2009, it was announced that the rights to the Claxton Shield had been sold to a new Australian Baseball League (ABL), with ownership split between Major League Baseball's 75 percent share and the 25 percent share owned by the Australian Baseball Federation. The 2010 tournament was considered preparation for the inaugural ABL season starting in 2010–11.[6] It varied from the 2009 Claxton Shield by expanding the season to include ten rounds. Since an uneven number (five) teams were involved, four teams paired off for each round and played a three-game series, while the remaining team took a bye. During the season, each team had two bye rounds and played two rounds against each other team, one at home and one away. In total, the schedule allowed for 24 regular-season games per team before a postseason similar to the 2009 edition: the first-place team directly qualified for the championship series and played against the winner of a playoff series between the second- and third-place teams.[7]
During the regular season, games were played on a Friday night and a doubleheader on Saturday; in each doubleheader one of the two games was shortened to seven innings. The exception to this was when Perth played their home games; they played on a Thursday night instead of a doubleheader on Saturday. Each postseason series was scheduled for a Friday, Saturday and Sunday.[7]
Teams
Rosters
The 2010 series allowed each team to make use of a 19-man active roster.[6] Exceptions were made in two cases that allowed teams' active rosters to expand to 21 players, both times for the same reason. Two games during the season had to be postponed because of poor weather. Both games involved teams meeting for the first time during the season; make-up games were scheduled at the start of the return series between the teams, and this resulted in two four-game series. In both cases, the teams had a 19-man roster for the make-up game, and an expanded 21-man roster for the originally scheduled series.[8]
Venues
The 2010 Claxton Shield was contested between five teams from around Australia. In previous years, many of the teams had played their home games at multiple venues. This season each team held their home games at only one venue. There was one scheduled exception to this at the start of the season: the New South Wales Patriots' final home series against the Perth Heat was held at Gilchrist Oval, whereas all of their other home games were held at Blacktown Baseball Stadium.[7]
As a result of poor attendance at Geelong Baseball Park, game one of the fifth-round series between New South Wales and the Victoria Aces was moved to La Trobe University, Melbourne.[9] Although the Geelong games had attracted crowds of no more than 500,[10] the moved game had an attendance of 2,200.[11] Though no further regular season games were moved, the finals series hosted by the Aces was held at La Trobe University as well.[12]
The venues are as follows:
| Team | Stadium(s) | Location(s) |
|---|---|---|
| New South Wales Patriots | Blacktown Baseball Stadium Gilchrist Oval |
Rooty Hill (Sydney) Campbelltown (Sydney) |
| Perth Heat | Baseball Park | Thornlie (Perth) |
| Queensland Rams | Holloway Field | Newmarket (Brisbane) |
| South Australia | Norwood Oval | Norwood (Adelaide) |
| Victoria Aces | Geelong Baseball Park La Trobe University |
Grovedale (Geelong) Bundoora (Melbourne) |
Regular season
The regular season was held from 6 November 2009 through to 23 January 2010. All five teams competed in a double round-robin format; playing each other team in two series of three games each, totaling 24 games played each. The top three teams progressed to the finals series. The top team automatically qualified for the championship series, to face the winner of the semi final series between the second and third placed teams.[7]
The Queensland Rams were the first team to be eliminated from contention for the finals, after being swept four games to nil by the Victoria Aces in round 8.[13][14] The following round saw South Australia clinch a position in the finals, despite finishing the round in second position.[13][15] It was not until the final round that the last two spots in the finals were decided: the Aces clinched top spot by sweeping the Perth Heat, which combined with the New South Wales Patriots sweep of the Rams eliminated Perth from contention and secured the last finals spot for the Patriots.[15][16]
Standings
| Clinched championship series berth | |
| Clinched semi-final series berth |
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victoria Aces | 17 | 7 | .708 | – | 8–4‡ | 9–3† |
| South Australia | 14 | 10 | .583 | 3 | 8–4 | 6–6‡ |
| New South Wales Patriots | 14 | 10 | .583 | 3 | 8–4 | 6–6 |
| Perth Heat | 12 | 12 | .500 | 5 | 7–5 | 5–7 |
| Queensland Rams | 3 | 21 | .125 | 14 | 2–10† | 1–11 |
- †—A game postponed from Round 7, held in Round 8, was played with Victoria Aces as the away team and Queensland Rams as the home team, despite being played at Geelong Baseball Park, Geelong, Victoria.[13]
- ‡—A game postponed from Round 3, held in Round 9, was played with South Australia as the away team and Victoria Aces as the home team, despite being played at Norwood Oval, Adelaide, South Australia.[15]
Round 1
The New South Wales Patriots and the Victoria Aces hosted the opening round of the 2010 Claxton Shield, against the Queensland Rams and the Perth Heat respectively. New South Wales overcame a loss in their first game to take both games in the doubleheader, while Victoria had a first up win, then split their double header with Perth.
| 6 November 2009 | Queensland Rams | 4 – 3 | New South Wales Patriots |  Blacktown Baseball Stadium, Sydney |
| WP: Justin Erasmus (1–0) Sv: Matthew Timms (1) |
Boxscore | LP: Vaughn Harris (0–1) |
| 6 November 2009 | Perth Heat | 8 – 9 | Victoria Aces | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Geelong Baseball Park, Geelong |
| LP: Mark Kelly (0–1) | Boxscore | WP: Casey Jones (1–0) | ||
| HR: Timothy Kennelly (1) | HR: Hayden Dingle (1) |
| 7 November 2009 | Queensland Rams | 1 – 10 | New South Wales Patriots | Blacktown Baseball Stadium, Sydney |
| LP: James Albury (0–1) | Boxscore | WP: Timothy Cox (1–0) |
| 7 November 2009 | Perth Heat | 3 – 8 | Victoria Aces | Geelong Baseball Park, Geelong |
| LP: Travis Murphy (0–1) | Boxscore | WP: Matthew Blackmore (1–0) | ||
| HR: Mitchell Graham (1) |
| 7 November 2009 | Queensland Rams | 3 – 4* | New South Wales Patriots | Blacktown Baseball Stadium, Sydney |
| LP: Matthew Timms (0–1) | Boxscore | WP: Aaron Sookee (1–0) |
| 7 November 2009 | Perth Heat | 11 – 1* | Victoria Aces | Geelong Baseball Park, Geelong |
| WP: Dylan Peacock (1–0) | Boxscore | LP: Greg Wiltshire (0–1) |
- *—Scheduled as a 7–inning game
Round 2
The Perth Heat hosted their first series of the competition, winning their series against the New South Wales Patriots two games to one. South Australia had their first games of the season, hosting and sweeping the Queensland Rams three–nil. The second game of both series featured the first extra innings games of the season, with the respective home teams winning both matches.
As a result of their sweep, South Australia (3–0) took the outright lead of the competition, leaving Victoria (2–1) in second, New South Wales and Perth (3–3) tied, and Queensland (1–5) in last position.
| 12 November 2009 | New South Wales Patriots | 5 – 3 | Perth Heat |  Baseball Park, Perth |
| WP: Matthew Rae (1–0) | Boxscore | LP: Benn Grice (0–1) | ||
| HR: Mitch Dening (1) |
| 13 November 2009 | Queensland Rams | 0 – 7 | South Australia |  Norwood Oval, Adelaide |
| LP: Simon Morriss (0–1) | Boxscore | WP: Darren Fidge (1–0) |
| 13 November 2009 | New South Wales Patriots | 2 – 3 (F/11) | Perth Heat | Baseball Park, Perth |
| LP: Jarrett Commane (0–1) | Boxscore | WP: Travis Murphy (1–1) |
| 14 November 2009 | Queensland Rams | 5 – 6 (F/8)* | South Australia | Norwood Oval, Adelaide |
| LP: Aaron Thompson (0–1) | Boxscore | WP: Wayne Ough (1–0) |
| 14 November 2009 | New South Wales Patriots | 5 – 6 | Perth Heat | Baseball Park, Perth |
| LP: Timothy Atherton (0–1) | Boxscore | WP: Benn Grice (1–1) |
| 14 November 2009 | Queensland Rams | 0 – 9 | South Australia | Norwood Oval, Adelaide |
| LP: Chris Lamb (0–1) | Boxscore | WP: Richard Bartlett (1–0) | ||
| HR: Angus Roeger (1) |
- *—Scheduled as a 7–inning game
Round 3
The Queensland Rams hosted the Perth Heat, while South Australia travelled to Geelong to face the Victoria Aces. After winning the opening game, Queensland (2–7) dropped both games of the doubleheader to fall further behind the rest of the field. With Perth's (5–4) series win, they moved ahead of New South Wales (3–3) into outright third.
South Australia (4–1) and Victoria (3–2) split their series. The final game of their doubleheader suspended in the bottom of the second due to rain with South Australia leading 2–0. At the time the game administrators considered continuing the game from the point of suspension when the teams next met in Round 9, though the game was actually restarted and eventually won by South Australia.[5]
| 20 November 2009 | Perth Heat | 1 – 8 | Queensland Rams |  Holloway Field, Brisbane |
| LP: Mark Kelly (0–2) | Boxscore | WP: Simon Morriss (1–1) | ||
| HR: Andrew Utting 2 (2), Brad Dutton (1) |
| 20 November 2009 | South Australia | 6 – 4 | Victoria Aces | Geelong Baseball Park, Geelong |
| WP: Paul Mildren (1–0) Sv: Wayne Ough (1) |
Boxscore | LP: Donavon Hendricks (0–1) |
| 21 November 2009 | Perth Heat | 7 – 4* | Queensland Rams | Holloway Field, Brisbane |
| WP: Terrence Wohlever (1–0) | Boxscore | LP: Justin Erasmus (1–1) | ||
| HR: Timothy Kennelly (2), Chris House (1) |
| 21 November 2009 | South Australia | 2 – 3 | Victoria Aces | Geelong Baseball Park, Geelong |
| LP: Darren Fidge (1–1) | Boxscore | WP: Casey Jones (2–0) Sv: Lee Hogan (1) |
| 21 November 2009 | Perth Heat | 4 – 3 | Queensland Rams | Holloway Field, Brisbane |
| WP: Dylan Peacock (2–0) Sv: Warwick Saupold (1) |
Boxscore | LP: PJ Bevis (0–1) | ||
| HR: Mitchell Graham (2), Timothy Kennelly (3) | HR: Andrew Utting (3) |
| 21 November 2009 Game suspended – weather Replayed in Round 9 |
South Australia | 2 – 0 (Bot 2nd)* | Victoria Aces | Geelong Baseball Park, Geelong |
| Boxscore |
- *—Scheduled as a 7–inning game
Round 4
South Australia, closely followed by New South Wales, had the first games called prior to their scheduled end due to a mercy rule. South Australia's 10–run win helped to set up their series win against Queensland in Brisbane, while the Patriot's 13–run win over Victoria snapped a 3–game losing streak and was the significant part of the 20 runs they scored in the two games for the day.
South Australia (6–2) extended their tournament lead to a game and a half over New South Wales and Perth (5–4), once again tied. Victoria (4–4) fell to fourth, while Queensland (3–9) remained in last.
| 27 November 2009 | Victoria Aces | 6 – 3 | New South Wales Patriots | Blacktown Baseball Stadium, Sydney |
| WP: Casey Jones (3–0) Sv: Matthew Blackmore (1) |
Boxscore | LP: Todd Grattan (0–1) |
| 27 November 2009 | South Australia | 15 – 5 (F/7) | Queensland Rams | Holloway Field, Brisbane |
| WP: Paul Mildren (2–0) Sv: Hayden Beard (1) |
Boxscore | LP: Simon Morriss (1–2) | ||
| HR: Dan Wilson (1), Stefan Welch (1), Ben Wigmore (1), Michael Collins (1) | HR: Joel Naughton (1) |
| 28 November 2009 | Victoria Aces | 5 – 18 (F/7) | New South Wales Patriots | Blacktown Baseball Stadium, Sydney |
| LP: Donavon Hendricks (0–2) | Boxscore | WP: Timothy Cox (2–0) | ||
| HR: Grant Karlsen (1) | HR: Andrew Graham (1), Mitch Dening (2) |
| 28 November 2009 | South Australia | 3 – 2* | Queensland Rams | Holloway Field, Brisbane |
| WP: Dushan Ruzic (1–0) Sv: Wayne Ough (2) |
Boxscore | LP: PJ Bevis (0–2) | ||
| HR: Michael Collins (2) | HR: Alan Schoenberger (1) |
| 28 November 2009 | Victoria Aces | 1 – 2* | New South Wales Patriots | Blacktown Baseball Stadium, Sydney |
| LP: Dean Barker (0–1) | Boxscore | WP: Wayne Lundgren (1–0) Sv: Matthew Rae (1) |
| 28 November 2009 | South Australia | 7 – 9 (F/8) | Queensland Rams | Holloway Field, Brisbane |
| LP: Chris Lawson (0–1) | Boxscore | WP: PJ Bevis (1–2) Sv: Matthew Timms (2) | ||
| HR: Angus Roeger (2) | HR: Alan Schoenberger (2), Joel Naughton (2) |
- *—Scheduled as a 7–inning game
Round 5
As a result of poor attendance at Geelong Baseball Park, game one of the fifth round series between New South Wales and the Victoria was moved to La Trobe University, Melbourne.[9] Having previously attracted crowds of no more than 500,[10] the moved game had an attendance of 2,200, which the home team won 3–2.[11] The series concluded in a doubleheader at Geelong, split between the two teams, giving the Aces the series win. Despite winning the series at Norwood Oval, South Australia suffered their first defeat at home, losing to Perth in the second game of the series.
At the end of the round, South Australia (8–3) held a two-game lead over Victoria (6–5). New South Wales and Perth (6–6) remained tied, having dropped to third place, while Queensland (3–9) remained in last position.
| 4 December 2009 | Perth Heat | 1 – 2 | South Australia | Norwood Oval, Adelaide |
| LP: Warwick Saupold (0–1) | Boxscore | WP: Hayden Beard (1–0) |
| 4 December 2009 | New South Wales Patriots | 2 – 3 | Victoria Aces | La Trobe University, Melbourne |
| LP: Aaron Sookee (1–1) | Boxscore | WP: Matthew Blackmore (2–0) |
| 5 December 2009 | Perth Heat | 4 – 2* | South Australia | Norwood Oval, Adelaide |
| WP: Mark Kelly (1–2) Sv: Dean White (1) |
Boxscore | LP: Darren Fidge (1–2) | ||
| HR: Matthew Kennelly (1) | HR: Ryan Murphy (1) |
| 5 December 2009 | New South Wales Patriots | 13 – 10 | Victoria Aces | Geelong Baseball Park, Geelong |
| WP: Todd Van Steensel (1–0) Sv: Matthew Rae (2) |
Boxscore | LP: Matthew Blackmore (2–1) | ||
| HR: Andrew Graham (2), Michael Lysaught (1) | HR: Grant Karlsen (2), Matthew Lawman (1) |
| 5 December 2009 | Perth Heat | 3 – 8 | South Australia | Norwood Oval, Adelaide |
| LP: Daniel Schmidt (0–1) | Boxscore | WP: Dushan Ruzic (2–0) | ||
| HR: Matthew Smith (1) |
| 5 December 2009 | New South Wales Patriots | 3 – 9* | Victoria Aces | Geelong Baseball Park, Geelong |
| LP: Wayne Lundgren (1–1) | Boxscore | WP: Donavon Hendricks (1–2) | ||
| HR: David Kandilas (1) | HR: Scott Wearne (1), Paul Weichard (1) |
- *—Scheduled as a 7–inning game
Round 6
For the second time in the season, the Queensland were swept in a series this time by the Heat at Baseball Park. The Patriots hosted South Australia, and after dropping the first game won both games in the doubleheader to win the series, and inflict their first series loss of the season.
Despite their series loss, South Australia (9–5) remained in first place. Perth (9–6) moved to second place on the back of their sweep, only one half game behind. Victoria (6–5) dropped to third without playing a game. New South Wales (8–7) fell to fourth, while Queensland (3–12) remained in last place.
| 10 December 2009 | Queensland Rams | 2 – 5 | Perth Heat | Baseball Park, Perth |
| LP: Justin Erasmus (1–2) | Boxscore | WP: Dylan Peacock (3–0) Sv: Warwick Saupold (2) | ||
| HR: Luke Hughes (1) |
| 11 December 2009 | South Australia | 7 – 2 | New South Wales Patriots | Blacktown Baseball Stadium, Sydney |
| WP: Paul Mildren (3–0) | Boxscore | LP: Timothy Cox (2–1) |
| 11 December 2009 | Queensland Rams | 0 – 1 | Perth Heat | Baseball Park, Perth |
| LP: PJ Bevis (1–3) | Boxscore | WP: Nathan Dreissen (1–0) Sv: Benn Grice (1) |
| 12 December 2009 | South Australia | 1 – 2 (F/9)* | New South Wales Patriots | Blacktown Baseball Stadium, Sydney |
| LP: Hayden Beard (1–1) | Boxscore | WP: Matthew Rae (2–0) |
| 12 December 2009 | Queensland Rams | 3 – 10 | Perth Heat | Baseball Park, Perth |
| LP: Chris Lamb (0–2) | Boxscore | WP: Mark Kelly (2–2) | ||
| HR: Alan Schoenberger (3) |
| 12 December 2009 | South Australia | 5 – 6 | New South Wales Patriots | Blacktown Baseball Stadium, Sydney |
| LP: Richard Bartlett (1–1) | Boxscore | WP: Aaron Sookee (2–1) Sv: Timothy Atherton (1) |
- *—Scheduled as a 7–inning game
Round 7
| 18 December 2009 | New South Wales Patriots | 2 – 8 | South Australia | Norwood Oval, Adelaide |
| LP: Todd Grattan (0–2) | Boxscore | WP: Richard Bartlett (2–1) |
| 18 December 2009 | Victoria Aces | 3 – 2 (F/12) | Queensland Rams | Holloway Field, Brisbane |
| WP: Matthew Blackmore (3–1) | Boxscore | LP: Matthew Timms (0–2) | ||
| HR: Andrew Utting (4) |
| 19 December 2009 | New South Wales Patriots | 2 – 1* | South Australia | Norwood Oval, Adelaide |
| WP: Wayne Lundgren (2–1) Sv: Matthew Rae (3) |
Boxscore | LP: Darren Fidge (1–3) | ||
| HR: Andrew Graham (3) | HR: Ryan Murphy (2) |
| 19 December 2009 | Victoria Aces | 5 – 2 (F/6)* | Queensland Rams | Holloway Field, Brisbane |
| WP: Dean Barker (1–1) | Boxscore | LP: James Albury (0–2) | ||
| HR: Scott Wearne (2), Andrew Russell (1) | HR: Andrew Utting (5) |
| 19 December 2009 | New South Wales Patriots | 1 – 4 | South Australia | Norwood Oval, Adelaide |
| LP: Jarrett Commane (0–2) | Boxscore | WP: Paul Mildren (4–0) Sv: Hayden Beard (2) |
| 19 December 2009 Game postponed – weather Played in Round 8 |
Victoria Aces | – | Queensland Rams | Holloway Field, Brisbane |
- *—Scheduled as a 7–inning game
Round 8
| 8 January 2010 Postponed from 19 December 2009 (Round 7) |
Victoria Aces | 8 – 1* | Queensland Rams | Geelong Baseball Park, Geelong |
| WP: Adam Blackley (1–0) | Boxscore | LP: Simon Morriss (1–3) | ||
| HR: Paul Weichard (2), Brett Tamburrino (1) |
| 7 January 2010 | South Australia | 3 – 8 | Perth Heat | Baseball Park, Perth |
| LP: Paul Mildren (4–1) | Boxscore | WP: Dylan Peacock (4–0) |
| 8 January 2010 | Queensland Rams | 1 – 3* | Victoria Aces | Geelong Baseball Park, Geelong |
| LP: James Albury (0–3) | Boxscore | WP: Matthew Blackmore (4–1) Sv: Russell Spear (1) |
| 8 January 2010 | South Australia | 6 – 4 | Perth Heat | Baseball Park, Perth |
| WP: Richard Bartlett (3–1) | Boxscore | LP: Warwick Saupold (0–2) |
| 9 January 2010 | Queensland Rams | 3 – 9* | Victoria Aces | Geelong Baseball Park, Geelong |
| LP: Drew Naylor (0–1) | Boxscore | WP: Dean Barker (2–1) | ||
| HR: Daniel Lamb-Hunt (1) |
| 9 January 2010 | South Australia | 3 – 11 | Perth Heat | Baseball Park, Perth |
| LP: Ricky Meinhold (0–1) | Boxscore | WP: Todd Murphy (1–0) |
| 9 January 2010 | Queensland Rams | 0 – 2* | Victoria Aces | Geelong Baseball Park, Geelong |
| LP: Justin Erasmus (1–3) | Boxscore | WP: Donavon Hendricks (2–2) Sv: Ross Hipke (1) |
- *—Scheduled as a 7–inning game
Round 9
| 14 January 2010 Postponed from 21 November 2009 (Round 3) |
South Australia | 13 – 6 | Victoria Aces | Norwood Oval, Adelaide |
| WP: Richard Bartlett (4–1) | Boxscore | LP: Lee Hogan (0–1) | ||
| HR: Michael Collins 3 (5) |
| 15 January 2010 | Victoria Aces | 2 – 5 | South Australia | Norwood Oval, Adelaide |
| LP: Adam Bright (0–1) | Boxscore | WP: Paul Mildren (5–1) | ||
| HR: Michael Collins (6) |
| 15 January 2010 | Perth Heat | 2 – 8 | New South Wales Patriots | Gilchrist Oval, Campbelltown |
| LP: Dylan Peacock (4–1) | Boxscore | WP: Tim Cox (3–1) Sv: Lee Ingram (1) | ||
| HR: Mitchell Graham (3), Luke Hughes (2) | HR: Michael Lysaught 2 (3) |
| 16 January 2010 | Victoria Aces | 13 – 5* | South Australia | Norwood Oval, Adelaide |
| WP: Russell Spear (1–0) | Boxscore | LP: Dushan Ruzic (2–1) | ||
| HR: Justin Huber (1), Brett Tamburrino (2), Grant Karlsen (3) | HR: Ryan Murphy (3) |
| 16 January 2010 | Perth Heat | 12 – 8* | New South Wales Patriots | Gilchrist Oval, Campbelltown |
| WP: Dean White (1–0) | Boxscore | LP: Matthew Williams (0–1) | ||
| HR: Luke Hughes (3), Matthew Kennelly (2), Chris House (2) | HR: Michael Lysaught (4) |
| 16 January 2010 | Victoria Aces | 8 – 3 | South Australia | Norwood Oval, Adelaide |
| WP: Matthew Blackmore (5–1) | Boxscore | LP: Darren Fidge (1–4) | ||
| HR: Andrew Russell (2), Josh Davies (1) |
| 16 January 2010 | Perth Heat | 7 – 11 | New South Wales Patriots | Gilchrist Oval, Campbelltown |
| LP: Scott Mitchinson (0–1) | Boxscore | WP: Jarrett Commane (1–2) Sv: Lee Ingram (2) | ||
| HR: Timothy Kennelly (4) | HR: Timothy Atherton (1) |
- *—Scheduled as a 7–inning game
Round 10
Going into the final round, the Perth Heat and the Victoria Aces were the two teams that could have taken first place and assured themselves of a home final. In the first game of their series though, the Aces clinched the top spot, and in doing so made the Patriot's chance of overtaking the Heat and making the finals easier.[17] The following two games saw New South Wales beat Queensland to move them into third position,[18] and Perth drop another game to Victoria to allow South Australia to secure second, and a home semi final series.[19]
The Patriots secured the last remaining finals berth in the first game of their doubleheader, beating the Rams 16–0 and eliminating the Heat from finals contention.[20]
| 21 January 2010 | Victoria Aces | 6 – 3 | Perth Heat | Baseball Park, Perth |
| WP: Donovan Hendricks (3–2) | Boxscore | LP: Scott Mitchinson (0–2) | ||
| HR: Scott Wearne (3) |
| 22 January 2010 | New South Wales Patriots | 7 – 5 | Queensland Rams | Holloway Field, Brisbane |
| WP: Vaughn Harris (1–1) Sv: Lee Ingram (3) |
Boxscore | LP: Simon Morriss (1–4) | ||
| HR: Joel Naughton (3) |
| 22 January 2010 | Victoria Aces | 5 – 4 | Perth Heat | Baseball Park, Perth |
| WP: Matthew Blackmore (6–1) Sv: Adam Bright (1) |
Boxscore | LP: Benn Grice (1–2) | ||
| HR: Brandon Dale (1), Mitchell Graham (4) |
| 23 January 2010 | New South Wales Patriots | 16 – 0 (F/7) | Queensland Rams | Holloway Field, Brisbane |
| WP: Wayne Lundgren (3–1) | Boxscore | LP: Chris Lamb (0–3) | ||
| HR: Trent D'Antonio (1), Patrick Maat (1), Tim Auty (1) |
| 23 January 2010 | Victoria Aces | 6 – 0 | Perth Heat | Baseball Park, Perth |
| WP: Adam Blackley (2–0) | Boxscore | LP: Mark Kelly (2–3) | ||
| HR: Elliot Biddle (1) |
| 23 January 2010 | New South Wales Patriots | 5 – 1* | Queensland Rams | Holloway Field, Brisbane |
| WP: Jarrett Commane (2–2) | Boxscore | LP: James Albury (0–4) | ||
| HR: Patrick Maat (2) |
- *—Scheduled as a 7–inning game
Statistical leaders
|
|
Finals series
| Semi-final series | Championship series | ||||||||
| 1 | Victoria Aces | 2 | |||||||
| SF W | South Australia | 0 | |||||||
| 2 | South Australia | 2 | |||||||
| 3 | New South Wales Patriots | 1 | |||||||
The 2010 Claxton Shield made use of the same finals structure as had been used in the 2009 season. The top three teams at the conclusion of the ten rounds of regular-season games qualified. The second- and third-place teams faced in each other in a best-of-three series hosted by the second-place team. The winner of that series then faced the first-place team for a best-of-three series. South Australia hosted the New South Wales Patriots at Norwood Oval, Adelaide, while the Victoria Aces hosted the championship series at La Trobe University, Melbourne.[7] In the finals, the home team and away team alternated during each of the series. As a result, South Australia was officially the away team for game two of its series against New South Wales,[22] as was Victoria in the championship series.[23]
After defeating the Patriots two games to one in the semi-final series, South Australia progressed to the championship series against the Aces. There they were defeated two games to nil. After game two of the championship series, Victoria's Matthew Blackmore was named both Claxton Shield Final Series MVP and Pitcher of the Year.[24]
Semi-final series
| 29 January Game 1 |
South Australia | 0 – 1 | New South Wales Patriots | Norwood Oval, Adelaide Attendance: 2,157 |
| Boxscore |
| 30 January Game 2 |
New South Wales Patriots | 2 – 3 | South Australia | Norwood Oval, Adelaide Attendance: 2,119 |
| Boxscore |
| 31 January Game 3 |
South Australia | 1 – 0 | New South Wales Patriots | Norwood Oval, Adelaide Attendance: 1,500 |
| Boxscore |
Championship series
| 5 February Game 1 |
Victoria Aces | 5 – 3 | South Australia | La Trobe University, Melbourne |
| Boxscore |
| 6 February Game 2 |
South Australia | 4 – 7 | Victoria Aces | La Trobe University, Melbourne |
| Boxscore |
Awards
At the conclusion of the finals series, the winner of two awards were announced. Matthew Blackmore won both the Pitcher of the Year award and the Finals Series MVP award.[24] At the Baseball Australia Diamond Awards, held on 6 March at the Hotel Grand Chancellor, Adelaide, Wayne Lundgren was announced as the 35th winner of the Helms Award; the Claxton Shield's Most Valuable Player award. Lundgren was the first pitcher to win since 1986. Runners-up by two votes were Paul Mildren and Michael Collins.[25]
References
- Collins, Kingsley (9 October 2009). "Anticipation builds for Claxton Shield". Baseball Victoria. Archived from the original on 18 July 2012. Retrieved 11 October 2009.
- Laidlaw, Robert (6 February 2010). "Victoria claim the 2009/10 Domino's Claxton Shield". Australian Baseball Federation. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 7 February 2010.
- "2010 Claxton Shield website banner". claxtonshield.baseball.com.au. Australian Baseball Federation. Archived from the original (JPG) on 5 December 2010. Retrieved 24 January 2010.
- "Domino's announces sponsorship of Australia's premier baseball competition". Baseball WA. 20 November 2009. Retrieved 26 January 2010.
- "Results and Standings". Australian Baseball Federation. Archived from the original on 5 December 2010. Retrieved 24 January 2010.
- Foster, Ben (25 August 2009). "Australian Baseball League – Player Information and Frequently Asked Questions" (PDF). Australian Baseball League. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 27 August 2009.
- "2010 Claxton Shield Game Schedule". Australian Baseball Federation. 2009. Archived from the original on 14 November 2009. Retrieved 8 November 2009.
- Collins, Kingsley (13 January 2010). "Season at a pivotal stage for both clubs". Victorian Provincial Baseball League. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 8 April 2010.
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External links
- 2010 Claxton Shield – Official Tournament Website
- Official Baseball Australia Website