Perth Heat have kept pace with the Australian Baseball League leading pack after splitting their away series with the Brisbane Bandits in a high-scoring, four-game match-up.

Both sides enjoyed one giant win each, with the four matches producing 48 runs as both teams’ offences came to the fore.

After dropping game one 3-2, the Heat roared back with a 16-3 thrashing of Brisbane in game two, before backing up the win with a 4-0 victory in game three.

However, the Bandits exacted revenge in the final game of the series to secure a split, romping to a 14-6 victory and ensuring they kept held of second spot on the ladder, with Perth just half a game back.

The Heat need just one win from their final two series, against Melbourne Aces at home and away to Sydney Blue Sox, to book their spot in the ABL play-offs.

Brisbane claimed the opening game off the back of a sixth-inning, two-run homer to Connor Panas after Alex Hall and Ulrich Bojarski had given Perth a slender lead.

But game two proved to be a completely different affair, as the Heat recovered from a three-run deficit in the opening inning to add 16 runs in a seven-inning spell.

Ryan Spikes and a Jake Bowey home runs levelled the scores at the top of the fourth, before a Bojarski ground-out and walks to Tim Kennelly and Alex Hall set up a 6-3 lead in the sixth.

The seventh inning proved to be pivotal as a Hall grand slam on the heels of a Jess Williams single and Carlos Sanchez sacrifice fly pushed the lead to 12-3, before a Bowey home run, a Williams double and a pair of ninth-inning walks completed the rout.

Brisbane rebounded in game three as the scoring dried up, but a middle-innings surge by Perth secured them the win, a Sanchez triple and a Bojarksi homer doing the damage.

Seeking a series victory, the Heat took the lead early in game four when Spikes ran home, but a six-run third inning from the Bandits gave them the advantage.

With Perth down 8-1 heading into the sixth, another Bojarksi homer and a Williams hit cut the deficit to five runs, only for another six-run innings by Brisbane sealed the result, despite Bojarski adding another home-run in the ninth inning.