Sydney University Baseball Club Firsts will have to overcome the lethal left arm of Korean pitcher Koo Dae-Sung if they want to take a direct route to the Sydney Baseball Winter League grand final.
The Cynics will meet arch-rivals Marrickville in the major semi-final this Sunday, with a grand final berth awaiting the winner. The loser will go through to the final where they’ll meet the winner of the minor semi-final between Petersham and Pirates.
Koo, who played for the Hanwha Eagles in the Korean Baseball Organisation and the New York Mets in the US Major League, is one of the highest profile players in the country. He led South Korea to a bronze medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games when he pitched a 3-1 complete game over Japan.
Having retired from Korean Baseball in 2010, he moved to Australia to play for the Sydney Blue Sox in the Australian Baseball League. He now plays for Baulkham Hills in the Summer League and Marrickville in the Sydney Winter League.
Sydney University secured a rare Club Championship with a clean sweep over UNSW at Sydney University No.2 Oval on Sunday. The last time they won the Club Championship was 1984, which broke a 70-year drought from their first Club Championship in 1914.
Sydney University also won the University Cup for 2013 with their 12-2 win over UNSW. The cup was inaugurated in 2005 for competition between the two institutions and is awarded annually on a best-of-three basis. UNSW won the Cup in the first year, but it has been held by Sydney University for the past seven years.
The Cynics are also is with a big chance of securing the three grade titles in 2013. Second Grade won the minor premiership and will meet Marrickville in the major semi-final, with Petersham and Hawkesbury fighting out the minor semi-final.
Sydney University Thirds finished third on the ladder and will meet Petersham in the minor semi-final, with minor premiers UNSW and Pirates to contest the major semi-final.
Scoreboard
Sydney Winter Baseball League – Round 18
First Grade: Sydney University 12 d UNSW 2 at Sydney University No.2 Oval.
Second Grade: Sydney University 6 d UNSW 0.
Third Grade: Sydney University 8 d UNSW 0.
