After a two-year hiatus, the long-awaited return of the Tradestaff FASTBALL 45® National League Grand Finals finally took place last month, with competing teams delivering an outstanding display of skill, quality and intensity that exceeded the expectations of fans who had eagerly awaited its comeback.

In the opening game of the women's playoffs, the Bower Smokehouse Kaiapoi Queens faced off against the hometown favourites, Te Aroha. Despite the game being a 24 minute blur, it was filled with remarkable plays, including three double plays - two executed by Kaiapoi and one by Te Aroha. In a closely fought match, the Southern conference contenders, Kaiapoi, managed to secure their first Grand Finals victory with a narrow 1-0.

The high expectation for the remainder of the event was now set. Kaiapoi continued its wining way beating Waitakere Bears 5-4 in the second game of the day and as a result automatically going through to Sunday’s Grand Final.

Kaiapoi jumped off to an impressive start in the final with American import catcher Lindsay Thomas hitting a leadoff two-run bomb to set her team alight. Kaiapoi went onto beat Bears 10-7 winning the Tradestaff FASTBALL 45® National League women’s title.

Similarly, the men’s games showcased incredible skill and intensity throughout their five playoff and grand final games. The Mt Albert Ramblers were the first team to qualify for the grand final with wins over Porirua City United 9-5 and ELE Papanui Tigers 5-3. However, it was Porirua City United who created the biggest sensation with two first-up losses followed by two back-to-back wins on Sunday to take out the men’s grand finale.

Porirua emerged victorious in the 12-7 slugfest over Ramblers in a game that saw homeruns to Corey Timu (Porirua), and Cole Evans and Bradley Bennett (Ramblers). Both Timu and Evans grabbed 3 RBI’s each with their homeruns, with Timu's being the more notable given it landed over the outer fence at Fraser Park.

 

Softball NZ extends its gratitude to Loren Parker and the Hutt Valley Softball Association for successfully organising their inaugural FASTBALL 45® Grand Finals. Also, a special shoutout to Kane Baldwin for his unwavering dedication in putting up and taking down the portable fences (x5) during the female games. And as always thank you to our wonderful scoring and umpiring crews. Your collaboration and support to ensure all games were officiated at the highest level is appreciated by all.   

Softball NZ wishes to thank and acknowledge the regions for its support in running the regional qualifiers and the support for competing teams. Softball NZ have had many key learnings from the lead up to the Tradestaff FASTBALL 45® National League Grand Finals. We understand the importance of consistency and recognise that the upcoming off-season presents an opportunity to address and establish a more unified and efficient process for future competitions.

 

 

 

Thank you to local photographer Paul Hodgson for capturing all games through his camera. Checkout Paul’s amazing work and portfolio here.

And lastly a big thank you to Tradestaff, Resene and Hutt Valley City Council for their ongoing support of softball and our national events.

Checkout the FASTBALL 45® webpage for all results, iscore and streaming here.

 

FASTBALL 45® Scorer Crew

FASTBALL 45® Umpire Crew

FASTBALL 45® in the Regions 

With each passing year, the Tradestaff FASTBALL 45® National League continues to grow and evolve into an exhilarating, fast-paced product that we all enjoy.

FASTBALL 45® was not only designed for senior club teams to enjoy, but for all the softball community. The game has evolved into an exhilarating, fast-paced product that can complement softball and in doing so help retain and attract new membership to the game.

Below are a few examples of how FASTBALL 45® is being applied in the regions. Please note that the following competitions apply various rules of FASTBALL 45®, rules that align with the target group.

North Harbour Softball 
-     U15 Northern Region Fastball 45® Clubs Tournament
-     Brad Rona U13 Fastball 45® Clubs Tournament
-     Softball Intermediate Schools Fastball 45® Competition
-     Primary Slowpitch45 Competition

Wellington Softball Association
-     Under 13 and Under 15 Central Region Open Clubs.