Bandits Take Game 1 Behind Pitching, but Heat Erupt Late to Claim Split in Doubleheader

BRISBANE, Australia — Strong pitching carried Brisbane to a tight win in the opener before Perth answered with a relentless offensive outburst in Game 2, forcing a doubleheader split Saturday at Viticon Stadium.

Brisbane edged the Heat 2–1 in Game 1 behind sharp work from its pitching staff and a pair of timely swings. George Callil provided the early spark, driving a solo homer to right-center in the third off Andrew Hurrelbrink to give the Bandits a 1–0 lead. Perth briefly pulled even in the fourth when Owen Cobb scored on a fielding error in right, but Brisbane reclaimed the lead in the sixth as pinch-runner Noah Barber raced home on Sohoo Ham’s single to center.

The Bandits’ arms did the rest. Jon Kennedy worked 2 1⁄3 scoreless innings to open the day (was removed due to rain delay), and after Matt Beattie allowed an unearned run, Ryo Kohigashi shut the door with two spotless frames and three strikeouts to earn his first win. Tyler Jeans worked a clean seventh for his third save. Brisbane scattered seven hits, with Rixon Wingrove and Kyosuke Mashiko each picking up two, while Ham and Callil drove in both runs. Perth managed just four hits, highlighted by a double from Drake Logan, as Hurrelbrink was tagged with the loss despite allowing only one earned run across four innings.

The second game flipped dramatically as Perth’s bats erupted for 14 runs on 16 hits, using a five-run third and a four-run fourth to seize control in a 14–4 victory. After Cobb’s first-inning forceout plated Leonardo Pineda, the Heat exploded in the third: Pineda singled home Harper Huang, and Logan followed with the day’s turning point — his second grand slam of the season to right that put Perth up 6–1. Logan finished with four RBIs, while Pineda reached twice and knocked in one.

Brisbane briefly answered in the bottom of the inning when Wingrove hit his first home run of the season to left-center, scoring Max Durrington, but Perth piled on with another barrage. Huang opened the fourth with an RBI double, and Jess Williams launched a two-run shot moments later. A wild pitch later in the inning allowed Cobb to score for a 10–3 advantage. Perth tacked on runs with Williams’ RBI double in the fifth, Pineda’s groundout that scored a runner on another wild pitch, Cobb’s RBI single in the sixth, and Cayden Nicoletto’s ninth-inning double.

Perth stacked multi-hit performances across the lineup. Hall had four hits, Logan and Nicoletto added two apiece, and Huang delivered two doubles and three runs. Williams drove in three and reached base multiple times as the Heat punished Brisbane pitching from start to finish.

On the mound, Jake Bowey earned the win in Game 2, striking out five over five innings despite allowing a pair of homers. Kristian Haeusler delivered 2⅔ no-hit innings in relief before Raleigh Pelkonen closed it out. Brisbane struggled to keep Perth contained, as Hayate Nakagawa was tagged for 10 runs (nine earned) in 3⅓ innings, and Jackson Grounds allowed three more before Jeremy Atkinson steadied things late.

Durrington homered and doubled in the loss, finishing with two hits, while Wingrove and Liam MacDonald each homered — MacDonald’s coming in the ninth after entering off the bench. George Callil added two hits, including a double, but Brisbane went 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position. The Bandits moved to 5–5 on the season, while the Heat improved to 3–6 with the split. 

The Bandits and Heat will play a rescheduled game 1 of the 3rd round tomorrow at 12 p.m. Fans can tune in to the action on Baseball + and fans in Japan and Taiwan can tune in on DAZN.