The winning Dapto Chiefs baseball team, who took out the Illawarra premiership at Fred Finch Park yesterday. Picture: MIKE McCANN
MERC, SPORT, BASEBALLPic taken 16th September 2012 of Chiefs pitcher Jarrot Commane in action during the game against the Braves on at Fred Finch Park Berkeley.Pic Robert Peet, Story Mike Gandon
Dapto Chiefs - 2012 grand final Mike McCannIMG_9131.JPG
Dapto Chiefs produced one of the great grand final comebacks, not once, but twice to clinch their first Illawarra baseball premiership in 11 years by beating Kiama Braves at Fred Finch Park.
Chiefs trailed in both Saturday's Game 1 and yesterday's Game 2 heading into the ninth innings, but scored the winning runs to claim their ninth top grade title.
Chiefs came from 7-1 down after four innings to win the opening game of the best-of-three series 8-7, with first baseman Ben Garvey hammering a three-run homer in the top of the ninth.
Dapto were still down 7-1 heading into the seventh innings and facing Braves ace pitcher Jamie Simon, but scored seven runs in the final three digs.
Both clubs sent their pitching aces Simon (Braves) and Tyson Graham (Chiefs) to the hill for Game 1, but it was the batters who dominated.
Simon threw 150 pitches and Graham 139 pitches, but after being hit hard in the opening four digs Graham recovered and did not concede a run in the final five innings as his batters took charge.
Mitch Thompson (2/3) and Ben Boehm (2/5) made key contributions for Chiefs while Matt McCann's two-run double in the eighth ignited Chiefs rally.
While Game 1 produced a combined 15 runs, Game 2 was a pitching duel between Jarrett Commane of the Chiefs and Braves' John Noonan.
Both were magnificent with the game scoreless until the eighth innings, with Braves grabbing a precious run.
Braves looked set to level the series, but in the bottom of the ninth Chiefs struck, scoring two runs.
Garvey's swirling flyball was dropped and he scored the tieing run on Craig Leighton's double.
Then Stuart McCarthy had the biggest hit of his life - over second base and into centre field - to deliver Chiefs the premiership.
Chiefs coach Dom D'Antonio said it was an emotional weekend.
"This is my 12th or 13th premiership as a player or coach and it's probably the most special win," he said.
"The guts we showed in both games to come back the way we did was amazing. I'm still shaking. It's up there with my best day in baseball.
"Braves were awesome. John Noonan pitched great for them and Jarrett (Commane) did the same for us.
"We just fought and fought and in the ninth innings things went our way.
"That's baseball, it can hurt you or it can be incredibly good, as it was for us today."
Meanwhile, Berkeley Eagles won second grade beating Chiefs 2-1 in the grand final. Pirates won third grade and also the fourth and fifth grade titles.