The Melbourne Aces swept the Adelaide Giants 2-0 in the Australian Baseball League Championship Series to claim their first Claxton Shield at the weekend.
It’s Victoria’s 23rd combined Claxton Shield win; the most in Australian baseball.
The Aces opened the series on Friday night with a 4-3 walk-off victory at Melbourne Ballpark.
A thrilling ninth inning saw the Giants take the lead before a Shane Robinson single allowed the retiring Allan de San Miguel to cross home plate and take the win.
Melbourne ventured to Adelaide on Saturday night where they were never challenged, registering a 6-2 win to seal the title.
Shane Robinson and Delmon Young hit home runs early to set the tone, but it was the fifth inning where the Aces took full control, adding three runs.
The win ensured Australian baseball legends Peter Moylan, Luke Hughes, and Allan de San Miguel finished their careers on the highest note.
It’s only the second time in the 10-year history of the competition a team other than Perth or Brisbane has won the title. Canberra claimed the 2012-13 title.
The Waverley/Melbourne Reds and Melbourne Monarchs both won championships in the previous iteration of the ABL that existed from 1989-1999.