The 2023 U12 State Winter Championship wrapped up in Werribee with eight fantastic games on Sunday.
Congratulations to winners Diamond Valley (Pool 1) and City West (Pool 2) and the following MVPs: Tony Huang (MWBL Ringwood), Brodie Leigh (MWBL City West), Lila Atkinson (BV Belles), Cooper Bicknell (Dandenong), Hayden Harrington (Bendigo), Jaxon Waters (MWBL Diamond Valley), Jordan Daniel (North Eastern), and Allister Bell (Geelong).
Thank you to Werribee Giants Baseball Club and all the volunteers who made the tournament possible.
Catch up on GameChanger recaps and stay tuned for more photos on Facebook.
Pool 1
Semi-Final 1: MWBL Diamond Valley 9, Geelong 3
Diamond Valley defeated Geelong 9-3 on Sunday thanks to five runs in a big first inning. The offensive onslaught came from singles by Jackson Frendo and Charlie Fegan and a double by Ben Bird. They also scored on an error.
Fegan took the win for Diamond Valley. The pitcher surrendered one run on one hit over four innings, striking out four and walking zero. Billy Hooker threw one inning in relief out of the bullpen.
Trace Loone took the loss for Geelong. Loone lasted two innings, allowing five hits and seven runs while striking out three.
Diamond Valley tallied seven hits, with two apiece for Jaxon Waters, Frendo, and Fegan.
Semi-Final 2: Dandenong 8, MWBL Ringwood 0
Ringwood fell behind early and couldn't come back in an 8-0 loss to Dandenong on Sunday. Dandenong scored on singles by Spencer Evans and Hugh Williams in the first inning.
Cooper Bicknell got the start for Dandenong. The pitcher lasted five innings, allowing zero hits and zero runs while striking out 14.
Tony Huang was on the pitcher's mound for Ringwood. The bulldog surrendered four runs on five hits over three innings, striking out five. Patrick Lane and Chris Prescott entered the game as relief, throwing one and one-third innings and one inning respectively.
Dandenong totaled nine hits in the game. Evans and Williams each racked up multiple hits as the team was sure-handed in the field and didn't commit a single error. Samuel Wang had the most chances in the field with 15.
Williams led Dandenong with two of the team's seven stolen bases.
Third-Place Playoff: MWBL Ringwood 11, Geelong 5
Tate Sadler got the job done on Sunday, driving in four runs on two hits to lead Ringwood past Geelong 11-5. Sadler drove in runs on a double in the first and a single in the third.
Ringwood grabbed an early lead, scoring on a single by Felix Fleiner, a double by Sadler, and a single by Carter Mc Gowan in the first inning.
Finley Shortland-Hooper led things off on the mound for Ringwood, throwing two and two-thirds innings, allowing three hits and four runs while striking out four.
Alistair Bell toed the rubber for Geelong. Bell surrendered eight runs on five hits over one-third of an inning, striking out one. Axle Marshall threw two innings in relief out of the bullpen.
Ringwood totaled eight hits in the game, with two apiece for Callum Dyer and Sadler. The side stole six bases during the game as two players stole more than one. Dominic Sissing led the way with two.
Marshall led Geelong with two hits in three at-bats.
Grand Final: MWBL Diamond Valley 13, Dandenong 1
Diamond Valley knocked in seven runs in the third on the way to a 13-1 victory over Dandenong in Sunday's grand final. Jackson Frendo, Alex Green, Jaxon Waters, and Charlie Fegan powered the big inning with RBIs.
Diamond Valley got things moving in the first inning, scoring one run when Ben Bird singled.
They tallied seven runs in the third inning with RBIs for Frendo, Green, Waters, and Fegan.
Alexander Knell was on the pitcher's mound for Diamond Valley. The pitcher lasted four innings, allowing one hit and zero runs while striking out three and walking one.
Dean Rault was on the hill for Dandenong. Rault went one and two-thirds innings, allowing nine runs on nine hits and striking out one. Mia Wang threw one and one-third innings in relief.
Diamond Valley tallied two home runs on the day as Fegan and Green both homered in the third. Overall the team had 13 hits, with Knell and Waters recording three hits each.
Diamond Valley was sure-handed in the field and didn't commit a single error. Cooper Vincent had the most chances in the field with seven.
Pool 2
Semi-Final 1: BV Belles 5, Bendigo 4
BV Belles took their win in dramatic fashion, thanks to a walk-off double at the end of the game to topple Bendigo 5-4. The game was tied at four with Belles batting in the bottom of the third when Alexandra Egan doubled on a 2-0 count, scoring one run.
Amelia Bergman started things off strong for Belles as three pitchers combined to throw a no-hitter. Belles pitchers struck out five on the way to victory.
Lila Atkinson was credited with the victory for Belles. The pitcher surrendered zero runs on zero hits over two innings, striking out four. Taylor Elton threw one inning in relief out of the bullpen.
Samson Corry took the loss for Bendigo. The pitcher allowed three hits and three runs over two innings, striking out four.
Russell Barham started the game for Bendigo. Barham allowed zero hits and two runs over one-third of an inning, striking out one.
Bergman started the game for Belles, allowing zero hits and four runs.
Egan, Hannah Wilson - Powell, and Lucy Gale each collected one hit to lead Belles. The team stole ten bases during the game as two players stole more than one. Audrey Cheung led the way with two.
Belles was sure-handed in the field and didn't commit a single error as Hayley Dawn made the most plays with five.
Bendigo didn't commit a single error in the field. Lachlan Penna had the most chances in the field with five.
Semi-Final 2: MWBL City West 9, North Eastern 4
City West claimed a 9-4 victory on Sunday, despite a big push by North Eastern in the fourth inning with RBIs by Jaxson Hetherill and Charlie Daniel.
City West got their offense started in the first when Brodie Leigh hit an RBI double. They put the pressure on with six runs in the second, including walks by Samuel Owen and Mason Cvetanoski and a double by Isaac Davis.
Leigh was on the pitcher's mound for City West, allowing three hits and one run over three innings, striking out seven.
Jordan Daniel was on the mound for North Eastern. The bulldog allowed two hits and eight runs over one inning, striking out one. Harlan Gambier threw one inning in relief.
Miguel Hernandez, Noah Sulufaiga, Davis, Leigh, and Owen Dundon each managed one hit to lead City West. The team tore up the base paths as two players stole at least two bases. Dundon led the way with three.
City West didn't commit a single error in the field. Ainslie Harris had ten chances, the most on the team.
North Eastern stole 11 bases during the game as four players stole more than one. Daniel led the way with two.
Third Place Playoff: North Eastern 17, Bendigo 9
Bendigo fell behind early and couldn't come back in a 17-9 loss to North Eastern on Sunday. North Eastern scored on a fielder's choice by Ethan Simmons, a single by Jaxson Hetherill, a single by Lucas Hoare, a walk by Henry Gray, and an error in the first inning.
Despite the loss, Bendigo did collect three hits in the high-scoring game, while North Eastern had six.
North Eastern opened up scoring in the first inning, when Oliver Hanna induced Simmons to hit into a fielder's choice, but one run scored.
Flynn Vines earned the win for North Eastern. The ace allowed one hit and two runs.
Simmons started the game for North Eastern. The fireballer went two and two-thirds innings, allowing seven runs on two hits and striking out six.
Hanna started the game for Bendigo. The pitcher surrendered ten runs on four hits over one-third of an inning, striking out one.
Hayden Harrington, Lachlan Penna, and Russell Barham all had one hit to lead Bendigo.
Simmons went 2-for-3 at the plate to lead North Eastern in hits. The team was sure-handed in the field and didn't commit a single error. Mack Cannan made the most plays with seven.
North Eastern tore up the base paths, as four players stole at least two bases. Lincoln Hughes led the way with two.
Grand Final: MWBL City West 10, BV Belles 2
City West got ahead early with singles by Brodie Leigh and Owen Dundon in the first inning as they eventually won 10-2 over BV Belles.
City West scored five more runs in the third inning thanks to doubles by Isaac Davis and Leigh, a single by Mason Cvetanoski, and a groundout by Noah Sulufaiga.
Sulufaiga got the win for City West. The pitcher allowed one hit and zero runs over four innings, striking out 11 and walking one.
Alexandra Egan was on the pitcher's mound for Belles. She threw two and a third innings, allowing nine runs on seven hits and striking out five. Madeline Haynes threw two innings out of the bullpen.
Egan, Audrey Cheung, and Audrey Trubiano all had one hit to lead Belles.
City West collected ten hits, including two apiece for Dundon and Leigh. The team stole 12 bases during the game as four players stole more than one. Cvetanoski led the way with two.
City West was sure-handed in the field and didn't commit a single error as Augustus Holley made the most plays with 11.
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