‘Aussie’ lifts Blue Sox with walk-off HR
Published 3:59 pm Saturday, June 23, 2012
Kyal Williams of the Austin Blue Sox is greeted by his teammates after a two-run, walkoff homerun over the Chaska Cubs at the Spamtown Challenge in Marcusen Park Saturday. -- Rocky Hulne/sports@austindailyherald.com
Australian native Kyal Williams is starting to feel more and more at home in Austin and he can still hit the long ball.
Williams took the first pitch he saw and blasted a two-run homerun over the left field fence in the bottom of the 10th to give the Austin Blue Sox their lone win the Spamtown Challenge as they beat the Chaska Cubs 4-3 in Marcusen Park Saturday.
Adam McMasters fires a pitch during the Spamtown Challenge in Marcusen Park Saturday. -- Rocky Hulne/sports@austindailyherald.com
“I was waiting for a fast ball and I was hoping for a single more than anything,” Williams said. “I saw that first pitch and swung and I guess it just went out. I knew right off the bat.”
The Blue Sox (3-8 overall) went on to lose to Burnsville 2-0, which knocked them out of the tournament and they lost to the St. Paul Capitols 5-1 Friday.
Williams, who is from Adelaide, South Australia, is starting to regain his hitting stroke as he went 4-for-11 in the Spamtown Challenge and hit his first homer of the summer.
Williams, who played for two years at Riverland Community College, is coming off a season at Division II St. Mary’s in Bismarck, N.D. where he hit .232 with four doubles and eight RBIs for the Mauraders (9-41 overall).
“I had a little bit of a rough season hitting up there,” Williams said. “It’s nice to get back to the roots and have relaxed games. It’s good to get back to that aggressive swing that I had back at Riverland and hopefully it’ll help me at Mary’s next year.”
Williams has now been away from Australia for three years and he didn’t mind coming back to Austin this summer.
“I know everyone here now and it’s a lovely town to stay in,” Williams said. “ It’s relaxing.”
He’s also looking forward to the rest of the season with the Blue Sox.
“We’ve started a little slow and everyone’s still getting used to each other,” Williams said. “But it was good to get a win against a good team.”
Rene Araujo of the Austin Blue Sox takes a swing at Marucsen Park Saturday. -- Rocky Hulne/sports@austindailyherald.com
Burnsville 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 — 2 7 0
Blue Sox 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 3 1
Blue Sox pitching: Jon Mittag (L), 5 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 2 ER, 1 K; Adam McMasters, 2 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 0 R, 1 K
Blue Sox hitting: Donte Bledsoe, 1-for-4; Jamie Adams, 0-for-3; Kyal Williams, 0-for-2, HBP; Josh Kunze, 1-for-1, 2 BBs; Clay Eustice, 0-for-3; Rene Araujo, 1-for-2, BB; Chris May, 0-for-3; Brandon Rector, 0-for-3
Chaska 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 — 3 6 1
Blue Sox 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 2 — 4 11 4
Blue Sox pitching: Mittag (W), 3 IP, 1 H, 3 BB, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 K
Blue Sox hitting: Williams, 3-for-5, HR, RBI, R; Adams, 1-for-5, RBI, R; Quinn Yocom, 1-for-2
St. Paul Capitols 5, Blue Sox 1
Blue Sox hitting: Bledsoe, 0-for-2, 2 BBs; Williams, 1-for-4; Taylor, 1-for-3, RBI; Adams, 1-for-3, SB; Mark Harber, 2-for-4
