New Forest Thunder are through to the BBF National Play-Off Division 5 Final after a 12–9 victory over the Guildford Millers in Saturday’s semi-final at Farnham Park.
Playing with a place in the Final at stake, Thunder produced another impressive offensive display, scoring in five of the seven innings and holding the Millers for four scoreless innings before holding off a late fightback from the Millers.
New Forest made the perfect start, putting three runs on the board in the opening inning. Shaun Barrett and Doug Sutherland both reached base before Mitch Sullivan doubled to centre field to bring both runners home. Sam Williams then grounded out to bring Sullivan home and give Thunder an early 3–0 lead.
Guildford responded with a run in the bottom of the first, but New Forest continued to apply pressure.
Kieran Jewell opened the third inning with a single before stealing second, and Nath Tew followed with a double down the right-field line to bring him home. Sam Williams then singled to score Tew, before further runs came across as New Forest took advantage of defensive errors and Mitch Sullivan doubled to bring two more home.
By the end of the third, Thunder had built a 8–1 lead.
New Forest continued to find ways to score. Chad Tew reached on an error and eventually came home, after a pick-off attempt at first he was caught in a run down as he took off for second. Somehow, after what seemed like an eternity of running back and forth, he somehow found himself safe back at first. He then successfully stole second, then third, and eventually scored on another error.
At the bottom of the fourth the Millers began to strike back. Joseph Sim also scored after reaching on a defensive error. Ben Burgess then doubled to score Ieuan Carney, followed by Zander Flores’ single to bring Burgess home.
That brought the score to 9-4.
Guildford threatened to fight their way back into the game, but Thunder’s defence and pitching kept them at arm’s length through the middle innings.
New Forest created further opportunities with their aggressive running game. Lewis Kelly and Mitch Sullivan both reached base, with Sullivan being intentionally walked as Guildford attempted to limit his impact. It appeared to be in vain, as they failed to throw him out stealing second, which allowed Lewis Kelly to run home from third.
After a scoreless sixth inning, Thunder added two more runs in the seventh inning. Shaun Barrett walked and advanced around the bases before scoring on a throwing error, while Mitch Sullivan added another run on a while pitch.
Guildford started the bottom of the 7th inning needing eight runs to force extra innings, or nine to win.
Their first batter reached on Catchers Interference, stole second and then got picked off. Joseph Sims popped out and Guildford were down to their final out. The next two batters walked, and the Ieuan Carney hit a 2 RBI single, and was quickly followed by a 2-run double from Ben Burgess and an RBI from Zander Flores.
Unfortunately for the Millers, Flores had attempted to go for second after Nath Tew had fumbled the ball in left field. But Tew recovered well and his throw was perfect for Sam Williams at Short to tag the runner and end the Guildford comeback.
It was another strong all-round performance from Thunder, with contributions throughout the batting order and plenty of pressure created on the bases.
Chad Tew took the win on the mound, continuing an outstanding season for the New Forest ace.
The victory sends New Forest Thunder into the BBF National Play-Off Division 5 Final, marking the clubs first ever Championship game appearance.
One more game. One more chance to make history.
New Forest Thunder 12–9 Guildford Millers
Results
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Forest Thunder | 3 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 6 | 7 |
| Guildford Millers | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 9 | 10 | 8 |
