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Regional | Auckland

Tuatara and Giants split Saturday double header

Daniel Lamb-Hunt from the Tuatara.   Photo/Ryan Schembri (SMP Images/ABL Media)

The Auckland Tuatara and Adelaide Giants have taken a game each from their Saturday double-header in Adelaide. Despite the one loss, the Tuatara still sit atop the Northeast Division of the Australian Baseball League.

The Tuatara dropped the first game of the day 3-1 as they continued to struggle at the plate. Kent Blackstone’s solo home run one of just four hits in the contest.

But the hits came more regularly in the night cap and the Tuatara claimed a tense 4-3 win to retain top spot.

Closer Hever Bueno took a 4-2 lead into the ninth before conceding a run and then loading the bases. He managed to work around the trouble however and picked up his fifth save of the ABL season.

Jimmy Boyce worked three innings in relief to earn the win, after Tuatara manager Stephen Mintz opted to start Junya Minchihara instead of the work-horse right-hander.

Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Yujo Kitagata looked spectacular as he blew hitters away through 1.2 innings of relief, touching 100mph on the speed radar.

Andrew Marck continued his phenomenal run of hitting, going 3-4 on the night, while Josh McAdams drove in two runs and Kim Won-seok one.

The two sides meet in the series finale from 8pm Sunday night when former Major League pitcher Josh Collmenter gets the start for the visitors.