ABL Week 6 Wrap

James Lane

Round 6 brought two unexpectedly tight series, as blowouts were followed by nail-biters. At the centre of it all: the Sydney Blue Sox, who began the week by obliterating Adelaide, yet somehow still only split the series 2-2. Around them, Perth quietly stitched together a confidence-building weekend.

Adelaide Claw Back Series Split After Early Sydney Domination

Thursday night at Blue Sox Ballpark bordered on absurd.

After a scoreless opening inning, Sydney detonated. Five runs in the second, then later seven in the fifth, powered the Sox to a jaw-dropping 19–8 win. It felt less like a baseball game and more like a statement: whatever doubts lingered after last week were officially gone.

Yet Friday proved this series would be no rout. In a complete tonal shift, Sydney scratched out a 3–2 win in a game defined by discipline and timing. Two early Sox runs were cancelled out by Adelaide in the third, before Sydney landed the decisive blow in the sixth.

Then, the Giants struck back.

Saturday’s opener saw Adelaide strike early and never surrender momentum, jumping to a 6–1 lead by the fourth and closing out an 8–4 win. The nightcap delivered the real shock: Adelaide raced out to 3–0 in the first, survived Sydney’s late push to tie it 3–3 after eight, and then stole the game in the ninth to win 4–3, forcing a 2–2 split that few would have predicted after Thursday.

Bottom-Place Heat Gain Momentum

Over in Perth, the Heat took three of four from Brisbane as they seek to climb off the foot of the ladder.

Thursday was methodical. No runs until the fourth, then Perth struck decisively, scoring six unanswered across the fourth and fifth innings before Brisbane finally scratched late in a 6–2 Heat win.

Friday, though, belonged to Brisbane in emphatic fashion. A six-run fifth inning broke the game open as the Bandits shut Perth out 11–0, briefly swinging momentum back their way.

Saturday night’s 3–2 Perth win hinged on a three-run third inning that erased Brisbane’s early lead. Sunday’s finale followed the same script: Brisbane edged ahead early, Perth answered, Brisbane surged again to lead 5–3, and Perth refused to blink, reclaiming the lead and closing out a tense 6–5 victory.

Looking Ahead

Adelaide leapfrog Brisbane into second by virtue of having lost one fewer game: a remarkable turnaround after being swept by Sydney just a few weeks ago. Meanwhile, a strong weekend sees the Heat climbing to within one win of Brisbane, and suddenly in with a real shot of climbing off the bottom.

• Blue Sox: 16–7

• Giants: 10–12

• Bandits: 10–13

• Heat: 9–13

Next week brings two fascinating tests:

• Blue Sox travel to Brisbane, where the Bandits will be desperate not to lose more ground in the race for second, while also nervously looking over their shoulders at Perth

• The Heat head to Adelaide, riding momentum into a Giants series that suddenly carries real ladder implications.