The 2019 U14 State Winter Championships kicked off on Saturday with nine competitive games and an exciting Home Run Derby! The wet and windy winter weather held off for all of Saturday's games to be completed. Seven teams - Dandenong, Sunraysia, Geelong and Latrobe Valley (Pool A) and Ringwood, Diamond Valley and City West (Pool B) took the field for the big tournament.
At the end of Day 1, the standings are:
POOL A
Geelong (2-0-1)
Dandenong (2-0-1)
Sunraysia (0-2-1)
Latrobe Valley (0-2-1)
POOL B
Ringwood (2-0)
Diamond Valley (1-1)
City West (0-2)
Latrobe Valley vs. Geelong
3 9
Geelong wasted no time getting on the board, opening up the game with a four-run frame in the first. Braydn Barker led off with a single, and Will Cavanagh followed up with a hard-hit double to left field. Christian Sollberger came up next and singled, and by the time Latrobe Valley could record three outs, Geelong was enjoying a 4-0 lead. Latrobe Valley answered in the bottom half of the inning, working the counts and securing five walks.They managed to make it 4-2 before Geelong came up again in the top of the second to do more damage.
Geelong tacked on five more runs in the second with seven walks in the inning. Although Latrobe Valley was able to get one more in the bottom of the second on a single from Malachi Dillon, they couldn't catch up to Geelong. Will Cavanagh, Cooper Laurie and Zachary Arnell did well on the mound for Geelong, while Latrobe Valley's Jesse Wilson struck out two in his inning of work.
Sunraysia vs. Dandenong
7 10
Dandenong leapt out to an early lead with five runs apiece in the first two innings. four runs in the first inning. Ty Daniels knocked in the first two runs of the game with a big single, and he came around to score on a groundout two batters later. Ty Daniels and Riley Riddiford singled in the first, and in less than 10 pitches Sunraysia went down in the bottom of the first to bring Dandenong back up.
In the second inning, Dandenong kept their runners moving around the bases with five walks, a single and a double. By the time their batters were retired, Dandenong was leading 10-0. Sunraysia got two back with four walks in the bottom of the second, and Jesse Hando had a 1-2-3 top of the third to bring his team back up to bat.
Sunraysia came close in the bottom of the third, but they ultimately fell short of securing a comeback win. This impressive inning started with Sunraysia loading the bases, before a hit by pitch, two walks and a groundout put Sunraysia within three. Dandenong held on for the win, with their pitching trio of Riley Riddiford, Liam Hough and Cooper Doble combining for just two hits allowed in the game.
Diamond Valley vs. City West
15 1
Diamond Valley brought their big bats to their first game, scoring five runs in each of the three innings as they cruised to a huge victory. City West managed one run in the top of the second, but otherwise their offense was quieted by Diamond Valley's pitching duo of Charles Chislett and Cohen Breckenridge. Chislett threw 1.1 innings, giving up no hits and just one earned run on two walks with two strikeouts. Breckenridge followed up with a scoreless relief appeareance during which he struck out three batters.
Harper Steenbuck knocked in City West's lone run of the game on a single. On Diamond Valley's side, Kelly Pilapil homered at the end of the game, wrapping up a big game of hits for the team. They collected a total of 12 hits on the day, with Jacob White leading the way with three hits, two singles and a double for 3 RBI's. Aidan Harrison wasn't far behind, knocking in two runs to increase Diamond Valley's lead as they pulled off a crucial opening-game victory to give them some momentum heading into the afternoon.
Dandenong vs. Latrobe Valley
11 1
Dandenong picked up right where they left off, dominating Latrobe Valley to take a 2-0 record going into the final game on Day 1. Although Latrobe Valley actually got on the board first, with two walks and a passed ball, their offense was quieted for the remainder of the game.
All of the action at the plate went to Dandenong, as they held Latrobe Valley to just two hits on the day. Dandenong's Cooper Drummond had an RBI double and a single, while Samuel Walsh brought two runners home with a huge double. Five runs in the first and second innings, followed by one more in the fourth, was enough to give Dandenong a comfortable win on the heels of Cooper Porter's fantastic 3.1 inning start with five strikeouts and one earned run.
Geelong vs. Sunraysia
7 4
Geelong continued their early scoring habits, piecing together a six-run first inning to secure a comfortable lead. Hugh Milne had a double, while Will Cavanagh, Tyson Sherry, Riley Peoples and Cooper Laurie all had singles in the inning. A scoreless second inning for both sides led to the top of the third, when Sunraysia came within two with four runs. Sunraysia took seven walks in the inning, and a single from Oliver Hayes helped with the scoring efforts.
With the score sitting at 6-4 in favor of Geelong, they tacked on one more in the bottom of the third, and they were able to hold Sunraysia at bay to secure the 7-4 victory. While Geelong's pitching staff had three strikeouts compared to Sunraysia's two, Geelong did give up eight walks throughout the day, something they'll hope to minimize moving forward as they look to stay at the top of the ladder.
City West vs. Ringwood
1 15
Ringwood made quite the statement in their first game of the U14 State Winter Championships, consistently adding to their advantage and shutting down City West's scoring attempts. A four-run first inning began with a single from Ryder Wilson, followed by a walk from Ethan Jenkins and a single from Ashley Geary-Smith. Max Saggers walked and Jack Barlow singled to give Ringwood a 4-0 lead at the end of the inning.
It took just 10 pitches for Ringwood's Wilson to retire City West's batters in the bottom of the first. Ringwood added one more in the top of the second and five more in the third, thanks to four walks and Jenkins' RBI single. Lucas Moseby struck out three batters on just 11 pitches in the bottom of the third, and a 2-RBI single from Charles Mills helped Ringwood secure a 15-0 advantage
City West did respond with a lone run in the bottom of the fourth, with Lucas Lukic doubling to left field and coming around to score on an error and a wild pitch. Throughout the game, Ringwood's pitchers proved very reliable, with Wilson, Moseby and Tyler Kilby combining for six strikeouts and just one hit and one walk allowed in the game.
Latrobe Valley vs. Sunraysia
10 10
After two tough losses in which they struggled to put runs on the board, Latrobe Valley kept up with Sunraysia in a tight battle. Sunraysia opened the game with a five-run frame, led by singles from Jesse Hando and Ryan Evans. Latrobe Valley's pitcher gave up four walks as well, but their lineup would even the score in the bottom of the first.
Latrobe Valley's Bayley Waller led off with a walk, and two more walks and a fielder's choice followed. Ryan Glass had 2 RBI's on a big single as Latrobe Valley tied the game up. In the top of the second, Sunraysia picked up where they left off, taking five walks and several fielder's choice plays to extend their lead by five once more. It truly was a back-and-forth battle as Latrobe Valley answered in the bottom of the second with five runs of their own, four of them coming with two outs. With the scores level at 10-10, Sunraysia tried to pull away in the top of the third but the scores reverted back, leading to a tie between these two tough competitors.
Dandenong vs. Geelong
8 8
The other afternoon game for Pool A ended in a tie as well, with Geelong challenging an early outburst of offense from the opposition. Dandenong opened the game with four runs in the bottom of the first on singles from Ty Daniels and Cooper Drummond.
Geelong responded in the top of the second with hits from Sam Elsworth, Harry Jones and Christian Sollberger to come within one run. With the score sitting at 4-3 in favor of Dandenong, Geelong's defense buckled down in the bottom of the second to keep it scoreless.
Geelong tied things up in the top of the third, and by the top of the fourth they had taken an 8-4 lead on a few hits and errors. Dandenong refused to go down without a fight, battling their way back to put four runs on the board to tie the game. Sollberger led Geelong's lineup with three hits on the day, while Home Run Derby Finalist Drummond knocked in 3 RBI's for Dandenong.
Ringwood vs. Diamond Valley
7 5
Day 1 of Pool B play ended with Ringwood edging Diamond Valley despite a late scoring push. Seven unanswered runs in the first two innings set Ringwood up for success, but Diamond Valley came within two in the top of the third.
Nicholas Booth started on the mound for Ringwood, getting out of the first inning without any dramas. The Ringwood lineup was there to back him up, tallying five runs on four walks and two singles in the bottom of the first. Another up-down inning for Diamond Valley saw Ringwood return to the batter's box in the bottom of the second with more runs on their minds. Ryder Wilson and Ethan Jenkins each had RBI singles in the frame.
Ringwood ran into trouble in the top of the third, when Diamond Valley's Joshua Bence, Nathan Duvall and Aimon Dowling came in clutch with big hits. Lachlan Rist and Benjamin Grady also aided the scoring efforts. Despite scoring five runs, it wasn't enough as Ringwood held on to come away with the win and remain undefeated on the day.
Home Run Derby
After lunch, all teams gathered at Morwell for a thrilling Home Run Derby. Seven representatives, one from each team, stepped up to the plate and tried to hit as many home runs as they could!
This included Bodhi Kane (Sunraysia), Addison Bishop-Worn (City West), Logan Fernance (Latrobe Valley), Nathan Duvall (Diamond Valley), Max Saggers (Ringwood), Riley Peoples (Geelong) and Cooper Drummond (Dandenong).
Drummond, Duvall, Peoples and Bishop-Worn advanced to the semi-finals, where Drummond and Duvall earned top two spots. Drummond went first in the finals, accumulating an impressive 18 points, but Duvall wasn't done yet. The Diamond Valley representative stepped up his game, earning a record-breaking 27 points as he took home the title of Home Run Derby winner and a sweet $50 gift voucher from Ausport. Well done to Duvall and his trusty catcher, Cohen Breckenridge.
Congratulations to all participants on a fantastic Day 1, and we look forward to Day 2 tomorrow. Visit the U14SWC hub for more: http://baseballvictoria.com.au/Tournaments/2019-State-Winter-Champs/Under-14
After lunch, all teams gathered at Morwell for a thrilling Home Run Derby. Seven representatives, one from each team, stepped up to the plate and tried to hit as many home runs as they could!
This included Bodhi Kane (Sunraysia), Addison Bishop-Worn (City West), Logan Fernance (Latrobe Valley), Nathan Duvall (Diamond Valley), Max Saggers (Ringwood), Riley Peoples (Geelong) and Cooper Drummond (Dandenong).
Drummond, Duvall, Peoples and Bishop-Worn advanced to the semi-finals, where Drummond and Duvall earned top two spots. Drummond went first in the finals, accumulating an impressive 18 points, but Duvall wasn't done yet. The Diamond Valley representative stepped up his game, earning a record-breaking 27 points as he took home the title of Home Run Derby winner and a sweet $50 gift voucher from Ausport. Well done to Duvall and his trusty catcher, Cohen Breckenridge.
Congratulations to all participants on a fantastic Day 1, and we look forward to Day 2 tomorrow. Visit the U14SWC hub for more: http://baseballvictoria.com.au/Tournaments/2019-State-Winter-Champs/Under-14