Warriors ran away with it in the final three innings to win 19-3 after leading 6-2 at one stage.

Gunnedah Giants coach Jamie Eveleigh said his side started fairly well.

“It was pretty close early but blew out in the finish,” Eveleigh said.

“Simon Norvill pitched very well for us but we were terrible in the field and made plenty of errors in the infield and dropped too many catches in the outfield.

“Ben Middlebrook played well for us though and made his pitching debut in the last innings and threw well.”

Eveleigh said his side couldn’t “string any hits together” against a good Warriors side where teenager Jack Richards was the lead-off pitcher.

Warriors started well, scoring four in the first innings, but were held scoreless the next two and, even at 6-2 at the bottom of the fourth, Gunnedah were still in it.

But Warriors blasted five in the fifth to push out to 11-3.

Another four in  the sixth all but sealed the win.

“It was a good allround performance,” Warriors co-coach Mitch Holt said.

“Gunnedah are improving all the time.” 

He said  Richards threw well as the starting pitcher, pitching five innings and, from 71 pitches, had 54 strikes.

Jeff Chandler relieved him and pretty much picked up where he left off.

“Simon Norvill pitched for Gunnedah and did an awesome job,” Holt said.

The Warriors batters shared the hits around.

Richards, Todd Brazel and debutante Harrison Kelly topped the hit list with four with Richards and Kelly both bagging a double in that.

Holt and Mick Martin had three hits, Martin also hitting two doubles, while Chandler, Brent King and Jamie Hartland, also on first grade debut, had two.

For the visitors, Brodie Cleal, Jamie Eveleigh, Norvill, Virgil Smith, Anthony Wason, Eddie McGuirk and Grant Sippel all registered a hit while the Giants also lost B Grade 13-10.

Warriors had a good start against some wayward pitching from young Rowan Keeler.  Cleal relieved him and pitched well,  Eveleigh said.

“Our bats came alive in the third and fourth innings but we gave them too big a start.”

Jeremy Lee hit the ball well for the Giants.