2025/26 ABL Championship Series Results

Adelaide defeats Sydney 2 games to 1

The 2025/26 ABL Championship Series was contested between the regular season first-place Sydney Blue Sox and the second-place Adelaide Giants.
Adelaide won the first game with a dramatic walk-off home run by Mitch Edwards. In the second game, Sydney's offense clicked, securing a 6-1 victory and demonstrating the strength that led them to a dominant regular season. However, in the final game, the Adelaide offense broke through the Sydney pitching staff. Adelaide's bullpen held the opposition to just one hit over the final three innings to claim the Claxton Shield.
This marks Adelaide's third ABL title in the last four seasons. Adelaide outfielder Devin Saltiban, who excelled both offensively and defensively, was named Most Valuable Player (top image courtesy of ©Baseball Australia).

Friday, January 23

Adelaide takes the lead with Edwards' walk-off home run

In the second inning, Sydney loaded the bases with walks and hit-by-pitches, scoring two runs on a double by seventh-hitter Hansel Jimenez. Adelaide starter Jack O'Loughlin settled down after that, limiting the damage to those two runs over seven innings.
Adelaide got one run back in the fourth on a solo home run by Devin Saltiban and tied the game in the eighth on a sacrifice fly by Robbie Glendinning. 19-year-old Ben Feller, who had four wins as a starter and a 1.96 ERA in the regular season, had taken the mound for Sydney in the middle of the eighth. With one out, seventh-hitter Mitch Edwards smashed a walk-off home run to right-center to decide the game.

Saturday, January 24

Sydney forces a deciding game with a masterful pitching relay

Sydney starter Alex Wells found his rhythm after retiring the side in order in the first inning. He pitched well, allowing only one run on six hits over seven innings. The offense responded in kind.
In the bottom of the fifth, holding a slim 1-0 lead, Sydney added two runs following consecutive hits starting with seventh-hitter Jimenez and an opponent error. In the bottom of the sixth, they created a one-out, bases-loaded opportunity with consecutive hits starting with fifth-hitter Joe Stephens and a walk. Adelaide then committed further defensive errors, resulting in a painful three runs allowed. The lead widened to 6-1.
Sydney's second pitcher, Cohen Wynn, who took over from Wells, closed out the eighth and ninth innings with three consecutive strikeouts to end the game. The series was forced into a third game.

Sunday, January 25

Adelaide returns as ABL champions

Sydney starter Jager Beck struggled with his control in the first inning, facing a bases-loaded, no-out jam. However, aided by good defensive plays from his teammates, he held them scoreless.
In the top of the second, with runners on first and third and one out following a walk and a hit, Sydney manager Briley Knight opted for an early pitching change. He sent in Feller, an MLB Houston Astros prospect who had given up the walk-off home run in the first game. Feller allowed one run due to a teammate's error, but in the bottom of the inning, Sydney tied the game with a double by Stephens.

The game saw a major shift in the top of the third inning. After a walk, three consecutive singles allowed Adelaide to extend their lead to 4-1. In the sixth, a sacrifice fly by captain and third hitter Jordan McArdle and a double by cleanup hitter Glendinning pulled them further ahead to 6-1.
Adelaide starting pitcher Josh Hendrickson delivered a strong performance, pitching 5.2 innings while allowing 6 hits, 2 runs, 4 walks, and striking out 7. The remaining 3.1 innings were shut down by three pitchers—Kai Hampton, Todd Van Steensel, and D'Antonio 'Dano' Pride—who allowed only one hit and no runs to close out the game.
Adelaide, whose batting lineup had been in great form since the end of the regular season, carried that momentum to win the Championship Series. They have reclaimed the ABL title for the first time since the 23/24 season.