WAIS athletes have helped the Perth Heat win back to back national championships last weekend after defeating the New South Wales Patriots 3-2 in the grand final of the Claxton Shield.
Coached by long standing WAIS Head baseball Coach Don Kyle, the Heat headed into the third and final match with the series locked at 1-1. But a combination of top baseball and a parochial home crowd at Baseball Park in Perth was enough to get the team over the line.
Starting pitcher for the Heat, Daniel Schmidt, was a major influence on the outcome, pitching a6.2 innings, allowing just 2 hits, with no runs and no errors, an effort that was acknowledged by Heat Coach Don Kyle.
“Schmidty did an amazing job on the mound. He got us there, he really did.”
Despite Schmidt’s efforts, the rest of the squad earned praise from Kyle as well.
“I can’t say much more than that you did an amazing job out there guys.”
“You have all shown a tremendous amount of courage, commitment and effort throughout what has been one of the most challenging tournaments of my life,” he said.
