Perkins Shines in 400th ABL Game as Bandits Rally Past Giants 8–6

BRISBANE, Australia — Robbie Perkins, celebrating his 400th career ABL appearance, helped spark a late comeback as the Brisbane Bandits (8-8) surged past the Adelaide Giants (6-9) 8–6 on Thursday night at Viticon Stadium, pulling back to .500 in a momentum-swinging win.

Adelaide built leads of 2–1, 4–3 and 6–3 behind home runs from Yu Aramaki and Alirio Ferrebus, but the Bandits broke through with a four-run sixth. Will Riley delivered the pivotal swing, crushing a two-out, three-run homer to left off reliever Danyony Pulido (0–1), who took both the loss and a blown save.

Before the Bandits’ rally, Adelaide’s offense controlled the tempo. Aramaki opened the scoring with a solo shot in the second, and Ferrebus added a two-run homer in the fourth. Devin Saltiban, Mitchell Edwards and Cameron Tilly all doubled, and Ferrebus drove in two as the Giants totalled 12 hits but stranded nine runners.

The night, however, belonged to Perkins, who marked his milestone game with a three-hit performance, including a run-scoring double in the second and a solo homer in the third. Rixon Wingrove added three hits of his own, including an RBI double, while Kyosuke Mashiko contributed an RBI single. Pinch-hitter Alex Skepton added a late single.

After starter Seung-Hyun Lee and relievers Matt Beattie and Luke Krkovski combined to allow six runs, the Bandits’ bullpen locked in. Brandon Herbold (2–1) tossed a scoreless sixth to earn the win, and after Hayate Nakagawa recorded one out, Tyler Jeans closed the ninth for his fifth save.

Brisbane totaled 11 hits, highlighted by multi-RBI efforts from Wingrove (2) and Riley (3). The Bandits also flashed the leather, with Max Durrington cutting down a runner at the plate on an outfield assist. The Bandits improved to 8–8, while Adelaide slipped to 6–9.

The Brisbane Bandits return home tomorrow for game two of round five with first pitch at 6 p.m. Fans can tune in to all the action on Baseball +, while fans in Japan and Taiwan can watch on DAZN Japan.