Giants Sweep Doubleheader Despite Late Bandits Rally in Nightcap

BRISBANE, Australia — Adelaide completed a doubleheader sweep of Brisbane on Saturday night at Viticon Stadium, winning the opener 9-2 before rallying late to edge the Bandits 6-5 in the nightcap.

In Game 1, Brisbane (14-21) fell behind early as Adelaide (17-17) struck for four home runs and built a commanding lead. Adelaide scored in the first and then broke the game open with four runs in the third inning, highlighted by back-to-back homers from Raylin Heredia and Jose Colmenares.

The Bandits got on the board in the fifth inning when Max Durrington drove a two-run home run to right field, scoring Dermot Fritsch. The blast was Durrington’s third of the season and accounted for both Brisbane runs in the opener.

Brisbane starter Jon Kennedy (2-4) worked 5 1/3 innings, allowing eight runs on 12 hits while striking out three. Adelaide added three more runs in the sixth on Nick Ward’s three-run homer and tacked on an insurance run in the seventh. Adelaide right-hander Giuseppe Velasquez (3-2) earned the win, allowing two runs on four hits over five innings.

The nightcap was a tightly contested affair that swung back and forth before being decided in the final inning. Brisbane struck first with a two-run second inning as Kyosuke Mashiko doubled to left to score Robbie Perkins, and George Callil followed with an RBI single to center.

After Adelaide cut the lead to 2-1 in the sixth, Brisbane responded immediately. Perkins launched a two-run homer to center field later in the inning, scoring Logan Wade and giving the Bandits a 4-1 advantage.

Adelaide tied the game in the seventh on a three-run homer, but Brisbane answered again in the eighth when Logan Wade hit his first home run, at Viticon Stadium, this year to left field, restoring the Bandits’ lead at 5-4.

Adelaide ultimately pulled ahead in the ninth with a two-run homer from Manolfi Jimenez – his second home run – off Tyler Jeans, sealing the 6-5 decision.

Despite the loss, Brisbane received solid production throughout the lineup in Game 2, with Perkins driving in two runs, Mashiko collecting two hits and an RBI, and Wade contributing both a home run and two runs scored. Starter Connor MacDonald delivered a strong outing, allowing one run over six innings with five strikeouts.

With the Adelaide Giants sweeping the Brisbane Bandits, the Bandits have been eliminated from playoff contention. Brisbane will travel to Sydney for the final weekend of action in the 2025/26 ABL season.

A message from the front office:

We want to share our thanks to all of the Brisbane faithful for your continued support of our baseball club this season at Viticon Stadium. You showed up through the highs and lows of this season and we hope to see you next year for more exciting Brisbane Bandits baseball!