By JARROD POTTER
ON SUNDAY around 4.30pm, a great thud echoed around Pakenham.
It was no usual noise though, and wasn’t something anyone in the town had heard before.
This was the sound of Pakenham winning its maiden summer baseball premiership 14-4 over Mulgrave.
James Mills had completed the dogged task he put on his own shoulders – to pitch the Pumas to the pennant.
No-one knew quite how to react as Mills’ last pitch flew past the Mulgrave batter and straight into the glove of Scotty Dale, ending Pakenham’s season on the highest note possible.
The thud was followed by a roar as the crowd erupted and players scrambled to jump on Mills and begin the greatest celebration in the Pumas’ 16-year history.
The Division 3 debutants had swept aside the minor premiers Mulgrave.
This was no ordinary task as the Rebels were virtually unstoppable during the regular season, but the Pumas had done the impossible and bested them through two finals to take the trophy.
Pakenham raced out to a five-run lead on the back of loaded bases walk, but had to endure a tough middle-phase to the match as Mulgrave managed to contain the hitting.
Stuart Phillips had to leave the mound in the first innings, setting up an interesting battle between Rebels’ Matthew Young and the Pumas’ roster.
Young held the Division 3 newcomers down as long as he could – keeping the Pumas scoreless in the second, third and fourth – but fatigue started to set in down the stretch.
Sensing the moment, Pakenham coach Shaun Fahy dragged the side out of the dugout at the bottom of the fifth and revved them up.
He wanted nothing less than the Pumas finishing the job they started in October – getting the win and executing everything that got them to the grand final in the first place.
What happened from there was clinical.
While the Rebels had to rotate the pitchers, there was always going to be just the one man on the Pumas’ mound.
Mills endured the tough conditions as the Pumas starring pitcher stood tall throughout seven innings in the baking heat.
The Atlanta import struck out five and offered up no walks and most importantly kept the Rebels quiet after the top of the third.
Mills combined with Fahy and John Beech to tip the scales in the top of the fifth – making a huge double play to halt Mulgrave’s advance.
On the batting side of the ledger, Pakenham loaded up on the opportunities made from Mills and the fielders, as the fifth and sixth brought renewed hitting.
Pakenham cashed in another eight trips around the bases as every Puma made their way around the bases.
Mulgrave struggled to contain Pakenham’s hitting with its relief pitchers; from the two-run single by Simon Ferris in the first – bringing home Dale and Jay Ziersch – to kick things off in the first, to huge plays from Wayne Porter and Ziersch, the Pakenham batting
Ferris finished his season the way he’s gone about it all year – monster-hitting and bringing in the Pumas with three RBIs to cap off another great outing, while Porter went one better to knock in four RBIs from three hits.
But it all ended with the thud and the celebrations afterwards left the team and especially the coach a little awestruck.
“For the club to come down, play its first summer season and beat a team like Mulgrave, it’s a pretty good feeling and hard to put into words,” Fahy said. “This group of guys wanted this day – for the last two weeks they’ve been talking about it.
“They’re the benchmark all year and with the group of guys we’ve got – the hard-nosed, life-long baseballers – it was great.
“Play hard and win and we did it and it’s just fantastic.”
