SHOGUN Heat overcame a poor start to level the Cairns Baseball League majors competition grand final series at one all with a 7-6 ­victory over Cubs A on Sunday.

The teams will face off again in the third and final match of the series at Centenary Park on Friday at 7pm after the Heat recovered from a 5-0 deficit to secure a one-run victory.

Heat skipper Ritchie Mounsey said the defending champions had again been guilty of a bad start to the match, similar to their effort when losing last Wednesday’s series-opener 9-6.

"We made some terrible blunders," he said. "We were hoping to get (pitcher) Azuma (Uno) through three innings but we only got him through two.

"We didn’t support him and he lost his confidence and couldn’t get a strike."

However, the experienced Heat outfit lifted their intensity to support a superb effort by relieving pitcher Brett Roneberg who restricted Cubs A to just one run during his seven-innings stint.

Mounsey said a key period early in the match, when Roneberg shut down Cubs’ innings with bases loaded and his opponents about to take a big lead, decided the issue.

He said Heat would have to lift again on Friday night after scrapping its way to Sunday’s victory.

"It was close right to the last out," he said. "Cubs hit strong from (batters) one to eight but Brett shut them down."

Cubs captain Scott Webb said lead hitters Cameron Davis and Greg Wicks had impressed, but were not supported by the rest of the batting list.

In the B grade grand final, Reds outlasted Heat B 6-2. Stingers defended the masters division title with a 17-3 win over Reds.

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