A slow start was ultimately costly in what was an entertaining closely fought affair.
The fireworks started early in the Mariners first inning. After being able to get a couple of base runners on,
the Greystones clean up hitter was able to get a ball up in the zone and was able to drive it deep to left field. Will McCleery,
rookie outfielder for the Belfast Northstars ran the ball down to the warning track,
but as he went to make the grab, he slightly mis-timed the play
and the ball bounced off of his glove and over the fence for a three run home run.

The Northstars bats remained quiet, so it was down to Veteran pitcher, Gordon Cuthbert, to hold the fort.
With his array of curveballs, sliders and off speed pitches, Cuthbert silenced the Mariners bats for Three innings,
giving his team time to wake up the bats. And awake they did as the Northstars started to chip away at the Mariners lead.
The fourth inning started with right fielder, Sean Gottschalk getting a single to start off the inning.
Gottschalk was then followed by another rookie, product of the Port Stewart Eagle, Colin powers.
With a preview of what was to come, Powers took the first pitch he saw and smashed a triple to drive in Gottschalk.
Powers himself, would then be driven by Gordon Cuthbert, who hit a single to cut the lead in half, 4-2 Mariners.

The Mariners extended the lead again, scrambling a couple of runs in the top of the fifth. The Northstars responded with one run
in their half of the inning, when first baseman, Sean Shackley, who got on base by hitting a single, was driven in by DH, Andy Downey.

So it went back and fore, with the Greystone squad extending the lead 9-4 in their favour.
So on to the seventh where the stage was set, however, for some late inning heroics from the Belfast team.
Two singles, one from international Short Stop Mark Smith, and a second hit for Sean Gottschalk got the ball rolling.
After already demonstrating his power in the fourth inning, Colin Powers stepped up to the plate, and faced down the Greystones pitcher.
On a 2-0 pitch, Powers got a pitch that he could handle, and smashed a long drive deep to left field,
depositing the ball over the fence for a three run home run, cutting the lead to two, 9-7.
Next up was Gordon Cuthbert who dug in. With two outs, and trying to keep the game going Cuthbert took a pitch and again hit a drive to
left field, but unfortunately unlike Powers drive before, the bal fell just short and into the center fielder's glove to end the game.

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