The 2019 Little League State Championships concluded in thrilling fashion on Sunday afternoon, with two amazing Grand Finals that saw the Twins LL All-Stars Team and the Southern Mariners LL Development Team win their Grand Finals. Well done to the Southern Mariners White Minor team on winning their Red Robin competition too!
Thank you to all players, coaches, officials, parents and supporters for making this weekend so wonderful. Baseball Victoria is so proud of all the participants and their awesome teamwork and accomplishments! Good luck to the Victorian teams that will be representing our state at National Championships in the upcoming months!
Little League All Stars
Semi Final 1 – Diamond 1 10:00am Southern Mariners v Geelong Baycats 20 - 6
As the 1st place and 3-0 Southern Mariners looked to keep up their momentum, Geelong Baycats were ready for a win after three tough losses to start the tournament. Unfortunately, they were overcome by the hard-hitting Mariners as they kept on cruising toward the afternoon's Grand Final.
Despite jumping on the board early with three runs in the first inning, thanks to a lead-off double and several errors and wild pitches that allowed the Baycats to bring their runners home, Geelong was tested on the mound and in the field. The Mariners put together an 11-run opening frame, starting with a huge home run from Samuel Walsh, followed by three consecutive runs scored on wild pitches.
Walsh came up again, this time hitting an RBI single. By the time three outs were recorded, the Mariners were enjoying an 11-3 lead. Geelong failed to respond in the top of the second, with Mitchell Langworthy striking out three batters on 12 pitches, and the Mariners' second inning at the plate saw them add an additional run on a ground out.
Geelong had three straight singles from Cade White, Riley Peoples and Jordan Ellis to load the bases in the top of the third. Cooper Laurie walked to bring a run home, while an error saw two more runs score. Now 12-6, the Baycats hoped to stay in the game, but they gave up eight more runs in the bottom of the third to finish off the game.
Zach Dunkley led off with a single, and he came around to score on an error by the second baseman. One of the Southern Mariners superstars, Walsh, came up to bat again, and he tripled on a fly ball to right field. Two more triples in the inning from Dunkley and Liam Bald gave the Mariners the offensive push they needed to finish on a high note with a final score of 20-6. This results gave the undefeated Mariners the home advantage for the afternoon's Grand Final, while giving Geelong a spot in the third place game at 12:30pm.
Semi Final 2 – Diamond 2 10:00am Twins v Eastern Athletics 17 - 0
The 2nd place Twins took on the 3rd place Eastern Athletics, and it was a fantastic offensive affair for the Twins that saw them score nine runs in the opening inning and eight more in the second to secure a big win.
Nathan Rumbelow led the way with three hits and 5 RBI's. Timothy Thiel threw the whole game for the Twins, hurling 12 first-pitch strikes and striking out four batters along the way. Lachlan Schumann led off with a single to start the game, and he was batted in by a single from Rumbelow. A series of walks and errors, coupled with a single from Thiel and a two-run homer by William Hardy, further extended the Twins' lead. Ethan Brownrigg also hit a home run in the inning, and Hamish Stone doubled to right field to bring home the ninth run.
Despite a single by Eastern Athletics in the top of the second, they were quieted quickly and before long the Twins were back up to bat. They picked up right where they left off, with Rumbelow sending a pitch on a 3-0 count over the fence for a solo home run. Alex Liersch walked, getting on base just in time for Hardy to come up and hit a home run of his own!
Hudson Pallay singled, Brownrigg and Devin Leahy walked to load the bases once more for James McFarlane, who singled to make the score 14-0. Rumbelow kept up his strong at-bats with a double to right, collecting 2 RBI's along the way. Alex Liersch doubled as well to bring the final score to 17-0.
A walk and a single with one out made the top of the third look promising for the Eastern Athletics, but they struggled to bring their runners home and ended up with a shutout loss. The Twins will cruise confidently into the Grand Final, while Eastern Athletics will try to top Geelong for third place.
Third Place – Diamond 5 12:30pm Geelong Baycats v Eastern Athletics 3 - 19
Eastern Athletics secured a third place finish with a dominating win over Geelong Baycats on this sunny Sunday afternoon. The Baycats simply couldn't hold up against the fast and furious Athletics, who excelled at the bat and on the mound.
The Athletics kicked things off with a five-run first inning, led by big hits from Ethan Johnston (double), Will Kent (single), Jack Noble (double) and Aimon Dowling (double). Mitchell Smith hit a line drive and reached on an error by shortstop Xavier D, allowing Dowling to score. Masa Yamamoto hit an RBI double to finish off the inning and give his team a 5-0 lead.
Geelong answered by jumping on base, with a HBP, Xavier Dew single and a double from Riley Peoples. An error on a ground ball from Jordan Ellis scored two runs for the Baycats, and they got one more runner home on a passed ball. Other than that, it was a quiet day at the plate for Geelong, with their opponents producing the bulk of the offense.
Seven runs in the second and seven more in the third ensured Eastern Athletics got the win. Jack Noble had an RBI single in the second, setting the stage for Harry Doyle to hit a line drive double to left field that scored two runs. Now 8-3, during Dowling's at-bat, Doyle came home on a wild pitch.
Back-to-back doubles from Mitchell Smith and Kycen Dowling kept the inning alive. A walk to Mason Hergstrom was the only blip on the radar for Geelong in the bottom of the second, and they weren't able to add any more runs in the end.
The third inning began with Noble's home run, followed by a HBP and hits from Aimon Dowling, Smith and Kycen Dowling. The Athletics scored their final run of the day on a ground ball error. A strikeout and two groundouts in the bottom of the third saw the Athletics celebrating their second win of the tournament.
Aimon Dowling was on the pitcher's mound for Eastern Athletics. He allowed two hits and three runs over three innings, striking out five. Xavier Dew and Riley Peoples each collected one hit to lead Geelong Baycats. The Athletics had 15 hits on the day, with Noble going 3-for-4 to lead his team!
Grand Final – Diamond 1 1:30pm Southern Mariners v Twins 4 - 8
The LL All-Stars Grand Final was a delightful display of athleticism and teamwork as the Twins came from behind to take the lead and bring home the trophy!
The sun was shining and a record crowd was in attendance to cheer on these excited Little Leaguers as they went head-to-head in the Grand Final.
The Twins trusted Nathan Rumbelow on the mound, and he excelled, giving his team ample opportunities to catch up and take over the lead. The Mariners scored on an error in the first inning, making the game 1-0. Two strikeouts and a groundout made it a very quiet inning for the Twins, and a scoreless second gave way to the third inning. That's when the Mariners added two more runs for a 3-0 lead.
The Twins were determined and never wavered from their end goal, and it showed as they tied the game in the third. Two walks and a single loaded the bases, with William Hardy scoring on an error and Hudson Pallay coming home on a passed ball. Cody Liersch grounded out, giving Ethan Brownrigg the chance to score the tying run!
Despite a walk and a double, Southern Mariners failed to regain their lead, and the Twins broke through in the fourth with five runs. James McFarlane singled on a 1-2 count, scoring two runs, and Cody Liersch followed up with an RBI single. Nathan Rumbelow kept up his amazing performance with his double on a 3-0 count, scoring two runs to extend the Twins' lead. After leading things off on the mound, he threw four innings, allowing four hits and three runs while striking out four.
One run in the fifth wasn't quite enough to keep the Mariners' hopes alive. Even so, they battled until the very end, getting runners on with just one out left to go in the game. Both teams can be very proud of their efforts, their hard work and their dedication. Twins are now back to back Little League State Champions!
Little League Development
Semi Final 1 – Diamond 3 10:00am Sunraysia v Geelong Baycats 13 - 3
The 4th and 5th Place teams faced off this morning, with the spirited Sunraysia team prevailing by 10 runs. Nate Williams and Darcy Phemister had three hits apiece to lead Sunraysia in their terrific win.
With Diesel Fallon starting on the mound for Sunraysia, the Baycats put one run on the board in the opening frame, thanks to a single from Tylah Laurie and a groundout from Luke Morrow.
Sunraysia responded with a three-run first inning. Nate Williams singled and advanced to third on several wild pitches, while Oliver Hayes walked. Both runners scored when Fallon doubled to left field. Phemister knocked in another run with a single. Three strikeouts on 12 pitches ended the Baycats' next batting turn, and Sunraysia extended their lead to 4-1. A two-run double from Oliver Hayes and Fallon's RBI single made it 7-1.
Although Geelong managed to tack two more runs on the board, Sunraysia just kept sailing toward the finish line. Williams doubled, Oliver Hayes doubled and Fallon stole home for a 12-3 score. Phemister stole home in the fourth inning to end the game, with Sunraysia having 10 hits to Geelong's three.
In Fallon's four innings of pitching, he allowed just two hits and three runs while striking out nine and walking one. Sunraysia didn't commit a single error in the field. Oliver Hayes had seven chances in the field, the most on the team, and he also led his team with three stolen bases.
Tylah led Geelong Baycats with two hits in two at bats. Geelong Baycats also avoided making errors in the field, with Luke Morrow making the most plays with six. Sunraysia secured a spot in the third place game at 12:30 PM.
Semi Final 2 – Diamond 5 10:00am Southern Mariners v Eastern Athletics 12 -3
The 2nd and 3rd Place teams met in the second semi final, with Southern Mariners prevailing over Eastern Athletics in a game that saw them take an early lead and never let go.
The Mariners scored on a single by Jarvis Johansen and a passed ball during Liam Hough's at bat in the first inning. They added two in the third, three in the fourth and six more runs in the sixth. Meanwhile the Athletics struggled to put runs on the board as they gave up 12 runs to the relentless Mariners.
In the third, Hunter Richardson hit a line drive and reached on an error, scoring one run.
The Mariners carried a 7-0 advantage into the sixth, before they tacked on more runs with Matt Fielden, Jarvis Johansen, Richardson and Hough leading the way. Although the Athletics answered with three of their own, made possible by RBI's from Howie Hannebery and Campbell Dawes, it wasn't enough for them to climb out of their deficit.
Hunter Richardson had a great day on the mound for the Mariners, covering five innings and allowing just one hit, no walks and no runs while striking out 13. He also threw 15 first-pitch strikes.
Campbell Dawes was on the mound for Eastern Athletics. He surrendered four runs on two hits over three innings, striking out six and walking one. Luke Hutton threw two and two-thirds innings out of the bullpen.
Dawes, Hannebery and Hutton each collected one hit to lead Eastern Athletics.
Johansen led Southern Mariners with two hits in four at bats.
Third Place – Diamond 3 12:30pm Sunraysia v Eastern Athletics 9 - 11
Sunraysia was very close, but they ultimately fell just short of a win over Eastern Athletics this afternoon after giving up their lead late in the game.
It was a tough loss for Sunraysia, as they had the lead for entire game up until the sixth inning. The game was tied at nine with Eastern Athletics up to bat when Luke Hutton singled on a 3-1 count, scoring one run.
Sunraysia had six hits compared to 10 for the Athletics, who started the game with a 1-0 lead after Declan M singled on a 0-2 count, scoring one run. Sunraysia put up four runs of their own in the first, thanks to some wild pitches and a 2-RBI single from Darcy Phemister. Another run in the second gave Sunraysia a 5-1 lead.
After Eastern Athletics scored one run in the top of the fourth on an RBI single from Noah Prountzos, Sunraysia gained another run on a wild pitch. It was in the fifth inning that the Athletics made a break for it, putting four on the board to level the scores at six apiece. Zane Templeton singled to lead things off, and he rounded the bases when Minsung Shin hit a double. Shin scored on a wild pitch, as did Harvey Arifovic. Luke Hutton came around on a wild pitch to tie it up.
Sunraysia didn't give up, once again taking the lead with three runs in the bottom of the fifth. Oliver Hayes doubled on a fly ball to center, and he advanced to third on a wild pitch. Diesel Fallon took a walk, and Hayes came home on a wild pitch before Darcy Phemister singled. After a few more wild pitches and aggressive base running, Sunraysia found themselves ahead once again, with the score sitting at 9-6.
Eastern Athletics were not satisfied with that score, and they put together a five-run rally to win the game. Zane Templeton walked to start the sixth, followed by doubles from Minsung Shin and Harvey Arifovic. An error cost Sunraysia as the Athletics tied it up 9-9.
This brought Luke Hutton up to bat, and he hit a single to score the go-ahead run, much to the cheers and applause from Eastern Athletics supporters!
Cooper Acklom got the start for Eastern Athletics. He allowed two hits and five runs over two innings, striking out five.
Oliver Hayes was on the hill for Sunraysia. He went three and two-thirds innings, allowing two runs on two hits and striking out 13. Liam Roswell and Eamon Breewel entered the game in relief, throwing one inning and one-third of an inning respectively.
Sunraysia collected six hits, with Oliver Hayes leading the way with his amazing 4-for-4 day at the plate. Eastern Athletics totaled ten hits in the game. Minsung Shin and Luke Hutton each had multiple hits for Eastern Athletics, with Minsung having three hits in four at bats.
Grand Final – Diamond 2 1:30pm Twins v Southern Mariners 4 - 14
Sunny Fontana was electric at the plate as the Southern Mariners put their big bats together to win their Grand Final and emerge as the 2019 Little League Development State Champions!
The game was relatively quiet to start, with the Twins failing to convert back-to-back singles in the bottom of the first into any runs. The Mariners struck first in the second, after Fontana doubled and came around to score on an error. Joe Lewis also had a single in the inning.
The Twins had two walks in the bottom of the second, but their runners were left stranded. The top of the third is when the Mariners really pulled away with the lead, racking up five runs on some huge hits from Jake Bertucci and Jarvis Johansen. Hunter Richardson hit a two-run home run, and there were three straight doubles from Fontana, Liam Hough and Jackson Burton.
The Twins tried to make a dent in their deficit in the third inning, when Joshua Bence and Jack Baillargeon had RBI singles and Dylan Brooks drove in a run on a groundout. The score was 6-3 heading into the fourth, when the Mariners tacked on another three runs to pad their lead. Joe Lewis led off with a single, and Parker Schutt had a base hit. After Lewis came home on a wild pitch, Matt Fielden doubled to center.
Jake Bertucci had an RBI single to close out the top of the fourth. The Twins were retired quietly in the bottom frame. In the top of the fifth, Fontana and Jackson Burton singled, but they were left on and the score remained 9-3.
To seal the deal, the Mariners scored five runs in the sixth inning on RBI's from Jarvis Johansen, Hunter Richardson and Joe Lewis. Richardson's home run was met with excited cheers and celebrations from the crowd. Although the Twins brought one more runner home to make the score 14-4, this would remain the final score at the end of six innings.
Jake Bertucci led things off on the pitcher's mound for Southern Mariners. He lasted four innings, allowing four hits and three runs while striking out nine.
Cooper B toed the rubber for Twins. He surrendered six runs on eight hits over two innings, striking out two and walking zero. Evan S and Dylan entered the game from the bullpen, throwing two innings and two-thirds of an inning respectively.
Twins totaled seven hits in the game. Joshua Bence and Cooper Bishop-Worn each collected two hits for Twins.
Southern Mariners saw the ball well today, racking up 20 hits in the game. Sunny Fontana went 4-for-4 and Jackson Burton, Jake Bertucci, Hunter Richardson, Joe Lewis, and Jarvis Johansen each had multiple hits for Southern Mariners. Their team was superb in the field with no errors. Matt Fielden had the most chances in the field with 12.
Little League Minor
Game 7 – Diamond 4 9:15am Eastern Athletics Green v Southern Mariners Blue 1 - 7
On the second day of the LL Minor competition, Eastern Athletics Green was looking for their second win of the tournament, but unfortunately they gave up some runs early and couldn't come back from their deficit. Nevertheless, both teams had a great time out on the diamond and their love for the game was obvious!
The Mariners took a 6-0 lead in the top of the first, and Eastern added one of their own in the bottom frame. In the top of the second inning, Southern Mariners Blue increased their score to seven, and they kept EA Green at bay to protect their lead. By the time the final out was recorded, SM Blue was celebrating a great game!
Game 8 – Diamond 8 9:15am Eastern Athletics Yellow v Southern Mariners White 1 - 7
The final score was the same over on diamond 8, with Southern Mariners White extending their undefeated streak with a three-run first and a four-run second inning. The EA Yellow side gave it their all, but they couldn't string together enough offense to take the lead and win the game. Despite the loss, the EA Yellow team was in high spirits and clearly made the most of their tournament, having lots of fun together!
Game 9 – Diamond 4 10:45am Southern Mariners Blue v Eastern Athletics Yellow 7 - 4
Eastern Athletics Yellow had a strong start to the game, scoring four runs in the top of the first inning, much to the delight of their enthusiastic supporters. The Mariners were not to be quieted though, and they tacked on seven runs in the bottom frame. A scoreless second for both sides saw SM Blue take the win.
Eastern Athletics Yellow had a strong start to the game, scoring four runs in the top of the first inning, much to the delight of their enthusiastic supporters. The Mariners were not to be quieted though, and they tacked on seven runs in the bottom frame. A scoreless second for both sides saw SM Blue take the win.
Game 10 – Diamond 8 10:45am Southern Mariners White v Eastern Athletics Green 6-5
The Southern Mariners White team was able to hold on to their undefeated streak with a narrow victory over Eastern Athletics Green. EA Green took the lead early by scoring one run in the top of the first, before extended their lead to two runs in the second inning. In response, Southern Mariners White made a brilliant comeback by scoring five runs and taking the lead in the bottom of the second inning. In the top of the third inning, Eastern Athletics Green equalised the score by scoring three runs making it a very close a match. At the end Southern Mariners White won by scoring one run in the bottom of the third inning, a huge cause for celebration as they had five games down and just one to go to remain undefeated for the entire tournament!
Game 11 – Diamond 4 12:30pm Southern Mariners Blue v Southern Mariners White 2 - 3
Both the Southern Mariners teams were 2-0 on Sunday, making this an exciting game between friends and teammates. SM White started off the top of the first inning by scoring three runs and putting themselves in a strong position early on.
In the bottom of the first inning, SM White protecting their lead, holding SM Blue at Bay. It wasn't until the bottom of the second that SM Blue was able to tack on two runs, but they fell just short of a huge comeback as SM White won the tournament with a 6-0 record!
Both the Southern Mariners teams were 2-0 on Sunday, making this an exciting game between friends and teammates. SM White started off the top of the first inning by scoring three runs and putting themselves in a strong position early on.
In the bottom of the first inning, SM White protecting their lead, holding SM Blue at Bay. It wasn't until the bottom of the second that SM Blue was able to tack on two runs, but they fell just short of a huge comeback as SM White won the tournament with a 6-0 record!
Game 12 – Diamond 8 12:30pm Eastern Athletics Yellow v Eastern Athletics Green 5 - 8
The game between these two Eastern Athletics teams was a close one as both teams wanted to get their first win of the day. EA Green put themselves in a strong position early, scoring five runs in the first and three in the second. EA Yellow answered with five runs of their own in the bottom of the second, but they could not bridge that three-run gap. The friendly teammates showed awesome sportsmanship and congratulated one another on a job well done!
The game between these two Eastern Athletics teams was a close one as both teams wanted to get their first win of the day. EA Green put themselves in a strong position early, scoring five runs in the first and three in the second. EA Yellow answered with five runs of their own in the bottom of the second, but they could not bridge that three-run gap. The friendly teammates showed awesome sportsmanship and congratulated one another on a job well done!