Leading clubs Ellis Park and the Saints maintained their good form with contrasting wins in the Dunedin premier competition on Saturday.
The Saints were in irresistible form in an 18-1 thumping of the Cardinals, while Ellis Park had to score a late run to beat the Dodgers 9-8 at the bottom of the seventh inning.
Just two games were played, with both badly affected by high winds.
The Dodgers started strongly and led Ellis Park 4-0 halfway through the dramatic early game.
Ellis Park then smashed six runs in the bottom of the fifth, with the Dodgers committing five errors in the inning.
Ben Watts (passed ball) and Aran Bailey (error) scored at the top of the sixth to level the scores, but Ellis Park immediately pushed ahead 8-6.
In the crunch seventh inning, the Dodgers levelled the scores yet again, with Scott Cartwright and Jeremy Tisdall scoring on a Ben Watts single.
Ellis Park had the bottom of the seventh to claim the win and managed it with ease.
Player-coach Willie Tarapi was walked, and was batted in by Adam Mathieson's double.
There was no exciting finish in the other game, with the Saints brutalising the Cardinals to win in four innings on the mercy rule.
The Saints scored just one run in the first inning when Michael Crowley was batted in by Mark Ahlfeld.
Cardinals lead-off hitter Doug Hill then doubled and was brought home by a Chris Harpur double, but that was as good as it got for the competition's straggler.
Saints shortstop Michael O'Neill batted 1.000, with two singles, a double and a triple, while Michael Crowley also had a perfect day with two walks, a double and a home run in four trips to the plate.
There will be no premier softball this weekend as the Otago Softball Association celebrates the official opening of its No 1 diamond at Ellis Park.
