Eastern Phantoms vs. Coastal Bay Sharks
Coastal Bay finished their tournament on a high, picking up a pair of runs in the top of the final frame to defeat the Eastern Phantoms 4-2. Darcy Miller struck out six in five innings on the mound for the Phantoms, while offensively, hits were hard to come by, with the Coastal Bay pitching staff working strongly. Caleb Goodwin and Bradley Tate claimed the only RBIs for the Sharks in a defensively minded game. Khale Richards struck out eight in 3.1 innings of work, while Bradley Tate and Caitlin Enyon sealed the deal, throwing the last two shutout innings.
Northern Diamondbacks vs. Geelong Baycats
The Northern Diamondbacks finished their tournament the right way, defeating Geelong 10-2. Hits came early and often for the Diamondbacks, with Connor Schibeci claiming two hits and three RBIs in an impressive performance. Bond Leuga and Jaycob Pascuzzi also performed well with bat in hand, driving in a pair of runs each. Leuga also threw strongly in his start for the Diamondbacks, striking out six and only giving up one earned run. Hayden Peoples struck out nine in an impressive performance on the mound for the Baycats, while offensively, Jordan Baumann claimed a pair of hits.
FIFTEENTH PLACE PLAYOFF
Southern Mariners vs. Canberra
The Southern Mariners defeated Canberra 16-6 to finish in fifteenth place at the 2016 Bendigo Bank Australian Little League Championship. The Mariners offence was spread well, with Charlie Pierson driving in three from his three hits, which included a triple. Tom Connolly also hit well for the Mariners, picking up two hits and plating two runs. Darcy Franks nailed a home run for Canberra with two men on base in the second, while Tom Shakespeare also picked up a pair of hits.
THIRTEENTH PLACE PLAYOFF
Adelaide Seahawks vs. Gold Coast Pirates
A tight game between Adelaide Seahawks and the Gold Coast Pirates was broken open in the fifth by the Pirates, who eventually ran out 6-1 winners and claimed thirteenth place. Hits were hard to come by for the Seahawks, with only Tyson Schunke claiming an RBI. Robbie Brennan struck out six in three innings for the Seahawks, and Saxon Gibbs tossed 1.1 innings of perfect relief, striking out two Pirates hitters. Dylan Sippel threw strongly during the middle innings for Gold Coast, picking up five strikeouts and conceding no earned runs. Jasper King and Jack Robinson both claimed home runs, while Andrew Stubbs picked up a pair of hits and an RBI.
ELEVENTH PLACE PLAYOFF
Brisbane Metro vs. Brisbane North
Brisbane Metro pushed Brisbane North all the way, but eventually, Brisbane North claimed eleventh place at the 2016 Bendigo Bank Australian Little League Championship with a hard fought 8-7 win. Hayden Snell had a strong start for Brisbane North, striking out four and only conceding one earned run. Offensively, Jackson Grounds lead the way for Metro, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs. Harry Pilkington also lead off well, picking up a pair of RBIs for Brisbane Metro. John Lemm was the only Brisbane North player to claim two hits, while Matthew Readdy drove in three runs. Joel Hogan struck out seven in five strong innings for Brisbane North.
NINTH PLACE PLAYOFF
Eastern Athletics vs. Northern Metros
A five run third inning lifted the Northern Metros over the Eastern Athletics, and in turn, they claimed ninth place in the 2016 Bendigo Bank Australian Little League Championship. Lochlann O’Connor and Bronson Neave were solid with bat in hand for the Athletics, with O’Connor driving in a pair of RBIs. Metros’ Tyson Lequesne continued his strong form on the mound, striking out five and only conceding one earned run in 3.2 innings of relief. Joshua Davies made the most of his only hit for the Metros, driving in a pair of RBIs.
SEVENTH PLACE PLAYOFF
Manly vs. Macarthur
An incredible pitching performance from Josh Beezley has seen Manly finish seventh at the Bendigo Bank Australian Little League Championship. Beezley struck out 10 and didn’t concede a hit in his 5.2 innings on the mound. Macarthur’s pitching staff also threw strongly, with Logan Kemp and Jack Bennetts combining for eight strikeouts and only three hits. Manly got the scoring underway in the opening inning, with Thomas Butler singling to left field to score Tian Rae.
FIFTH PLACE PLAYOFF
Swan Hills Aces vs. Central Firebirds
The first game on diamond one saw Swan Hills score three early runs against the Central Firebirds, and the Aces held on to finish in fifth place, defeating the Firebirds 5-2. Patrick Ivester kept the Aces offence at bay in the final few innings, striking out four and only conceding one hit in three innings of shutout relief. Hits came sparingly for the Firebirds, with Ashton Hamilton and Patrick Temby picking up a hit each at the top of the lineup. The Aces pitching tandem of Tyson Noel and Maddux Stivey threw well, striking out eight and only giving up two runs between them. Max Chipper showed patience at the plate walking twice and picking up a hit, while four Aces players picked up an RBI each.
BRONZE MEDAL GAME
Ryde vs. Adelaide Rays
After weathering a fightback from the Adelaide Rays, the Ryde Hawks claimed bronze at the 2016 Bendigo Bank Australian Little League Championship. James Nati got Ryde off to the best possible start, nailing a home run off the first pitch he saw. Nati finished with two home runs and four RBIs in a strong offensive performance. Caylan Van Hilst also got in on the act, nailing a home run and collecting three RBIs for Ryde. Aidan Miller and Stepan Slapeta threw two innings each for Ryde, striking out six combined. The Rays struggled offensively early, but a five run fifth innings brought them back from the brink. Ryan Jones had a bases clearing triple to get the Rays back on track, but it wasn’t enough, as Ryde ran out winners to claim the bronze.
GOLD MEDAL GAME
Hills vs. Central Coast
After being the form team all week and only conceding one earned run for the tournament, Hills will represent Australia at the 2016 Little League World Series after defeating the Central Coast Marlins 7-3 in the Championship at Albert Park yesterday.
After scoring 68 runs and only conceding one in their previous six games at the tournament, Hills were odds on favourites to take out the gold medal, however Central Coast pushed them all the way, with Hills having to use every ounce of their energy and talent to get them across the line.
Hills began the game stronger, with Christos Lyberopoulos driving in the first two runs of the ballgame after he nailed an RBI double to centre-field.
However it didn’t take long for the Marlins to respond, with a wild pitch followed by an RBI single from Luke Jacobs that represented the first earned run conceded by Hills for the tournament.
Both starting pitchers threw well, with Central Coast’s Harrison Dobb mixing his pitches and getting ahead in counts.
Hills’ Harrison Wheeldon threw exceptionally in a pressure situation, striking out six and only giving up three earned runs.
Hills’ head coach Les Stockdale was impressed with his team’s composure after such a dominant tournament thus far.
“It’s hard to live up to such an expectation, you always plan to go undefeated but when you actually do it and get into the championship game it puts another level of pressure on the kids,“ Stockdale said.
"The kids remained relaxed throughout the whole tournament and today was no exception.”
Brent Iredale was one of Hills’ standout players offensively, picking up two hits, one of which was a home run.
Hills now go on to represent Australia at the 2016 Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Hills’ head coach Les Stockdale spoke about what it means to represent the coutrny.
“It’s the ultimate prize for a young baseballer,” Stockdale said.
“It’s what they all aspire to do and we hope this will inspire kids back at the Hills Junior Baseball Association to continue to play and aspire to get to this stage too.”
TOP 16 PLACINGS:
1. Hills
2. Central Coast Marlins
3. Ryde Hawks
4. Adelaide Rays
5. Swan Hills
6. Central Firebirds
7. Manly
8. Macarthur
9. Northern Metros
10. Eastern Athletics
11. Brisbane North
12. Brisbane Metro
13. Gold Coast Pirates
14. Adelaide Seahawks
15. Southern Mariners
16. Canberra