WITH six of his Bandits players sitting on the bench at the start of the game, Australian manager Jon Deeble emerged with victory in the World Baseball Classic qualifying series in Sydney.

Australia won through to the WBC proper in March 2017 with a tense 12-5 win over South Africa in the final of the qualifying series at Blacktown.

Starting pitcher Travis Blackley and Logan Wade, who played at third base rather than his short stop position for the Bandits, were the only members of Brisbane’s Australian Baseball League championship team from the previous weekend to start in the final.

Deeble’s decision to play long-serving Sydney Blue Sox batters Trent D’Antonio (three runs batted in) and Trent Oeltjen (two RBIs) brought results in a hard-fought final in which South Africa led twice.

Australia’s lead was 6-4 as late as the middle of the eighth innings before the home team scored six runs in one inning.

The World Baseball Classic will draw entries from leading baseball nations such as the US, the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Venezuela.

The eight Bandits players will join their clubmates tomorrow when Lord Mayor Graham Quirk presents the team with the keys to the city in an 11am function at Reddacliff Place.

Bandits closing pitcher Ryan Searle took care of the last two innings of the game yesterday when entrusted with a two-run lead.

Searle conceded one hit in throwing 23 strikes in his 31 pitches.

South Africa had taken a shock 4-3 lead on the watch of Blackley, who was taken out of the game in the top of the sixth inning when South African catcher Kyle Botha cracked a three-run homer.

Travis Blackley pitches during the win over South Africa. Source: Getty Images

But designated hitter D’Antonio’s double squared the game up at 4-all and the Australians went ahead 6-4 with singles from Mitch Dening and Oeltjen, a former Major Leaguer in the US, in the bottom of the seventh.

At the top of the eighth, D’Antonio and Brad Harman scored runs from a wild throw by South Africa’s third baseman Jonathan Phillips for an 8-5 lead.

Wade’s sacrifice fly allowed Australian catcher Alan de San Miguel to reach home plate.

D’Antonio wrapped up the scoring with a hit which scored Sutherland and Oeltjen.