2023 U14 State Winter Championship - Day 1 Recap

MWBL Diamond Valley 15, Bendigo 5

MWBL Diamond Valley claimed a 15-5 victory on Saturday, despite a big push by Bendigo in the third inning. BBA's offensive firepower was led by Fletcher Cain, Hamish Kelly, Sideli Parsons, Riley Harrington, and Thomas Ward, all sending runners across the plate with RBIs in the inning.

Diamond Valley got things moving in the first inning on a 2-RBI double by Andy Zdihan.

Mason McKelvie earned the win for MWBL Diamond Valley. McKelvie went two and two-thirds innings, allowing five runs on two hits and striking out seven. Cohen Power threw one inning in relief out of the bullpen.

Taylor Hanna took the loss for BBA. The bulldog allowed ten hits and ten runs over one inning, striking out two.

Diamond Valley totaled 13 hits, including two apiece for Oliver Von Tunk, Nathan Healy, and Murphy Carrison. McKelvie led the side with three stolen bases, as they ran wild on the base paths with 13 stolen bases.

Geelong 11, MWBL Ringwood 2

Geelong defeated MWBL-Ringwood 11-2 on Saturday, getting on board in the first inning when Lucas Joel singled on a 1-0 count, scoring one run.

Reuben Millar was on the hill for GBA. The fireballer went one inning, allowing zero runs on zero hits and walking zero.

Jiah Cosgrove led things off on the hill for MWBL Ringwood. The pitcher allowed two hits and five runs over two-thirds of an inning. Lachlan Smith and Pheonix Kuilboer entered the game as relief, throwing one and one-third innings and two-thirds of an inning, respectively.

Millar, Jacob Young, Jack Northfield, and Joel each collected one hit to lead GBA. The team stole 18 bases during the game as seven players stole more than one. Joel led the way with three.

Dandenong 7, North Eastern 5

Dandenong opened with two runs thanks to singles by Spencer Tyers and Kade Henry, followed by a hit by pitch. North Eastern loaded the bases in the second but didn't get any back.

Five walks, two hit by pitch, and a Ned Richards single made it 5-0 Dandenong going into the third. That's when North Eastern's bats lit up, working the count for four straight walks before a big fly ball. With four more walks, the game was tied at five apiece.

Dandenong pulled in front for good in the final frame with a lead-off double by Henry, then back-to-back singles by Brock Edwards and Oscar Haysom.

Overall Dandenong outhit North Eastern six to one, with Henry leading the way thanks to a 2-for-2 performance. North Eastern took 10 walks in the game and gave up eight base-on-balls to Dandenong.

Dandenong 10, MWBL Ringwood 9

MWBL Ringwood's comeback from down four runs in the fourth came up just short, as they fell 10-9 to Dandenong on Saturday.

Dandenong fired up the offense in the first as Jackson Burton singled on a 1-0 count. Ringwood came back with five runs in the second thanks to walks by Hugh Hockley, Jonathan Ryan, and Pheonix Kuilboer, a single by Lachlan Smith, and an error on a ball put in play by Benjamin Hart.

Ned Richards was on the mound for DBA. The fireballer went one-third of an inning, allowing three runs on zero hits and striking out one.

Hockley was on the hill for Ringwood. The bulldog surrendered ten runs on eight hits over two innings, striking out two. Ewan Clowes threw one-third of an inning in relief out of the bullpen.

Smith and Kaleb Dickman all had one hit to lead Ringwood.

DBA tallied ten hits, including multiple for Aiden Incoll and Richards. Brock Edwards led DBA with four stolen bases, as they ran wild on the base paths with 19 stolen bases total.

MWBL Diamond Valley 14, MWBL City West 4

MWBL City West had a tough time generating runs on Saturday, dropping their game with MWBL Diamond Valley 14-4.

Diamond Valley scored five runs in the third inning with walks by Cohen Power and Joel Roberts, a single by Mason McKelvie, and a groundout by Oliver Von Tunk.

Finn Welte earned the win for Diamond Valley. The ace allowed two hits and four runs over three innings, striking out five.

Keith Respondek pitched for City West, giving up five runs on two hits over two-thirds of an inning.

Parks Halasz hit a home run for City West while Rhys Rayner also had a big hit. Meanwhile, McKelvie went 2-for-2 at the plate to lead Diamond Valley in hits.

Dandenong 12, Bendigo 8

Dandenong took the lead late and defeated Bendigo 12-8 on Saturday. The game was tied at six with DBA batting in the bottom of the second when Coadhey Rebbechi singled on a 2-2 count, scoring one run.

Bats blistered as DBA collected seven hits and BBA tallied two in the high-scoring game.

DBA pulled away for good with five runs in the second inning. Lachlan Jeffree singled on a 1-0 count, scoring one run, Ned Richards drew a walk, scoring one run, and Jackson Burton doubled on the first pitch of the at bat, scoring two runs.

After BBA scored two runs on a Thomas Ward groundout in the top of the third, DBA answered with two of their own on an error.

Kade Henry was on the pitcher's mound for DBA. The fireballer allowed zero hits and four runs.

Zachary Banks-Broome pitched for BBA with two strikeouts in an inning. Archer Etherton threw one-third of an inning in relief out of the bullpen.

DBA smacked one home run on the day as Burton had a dinger in the first inning, going 2-for-2 overall. DBA stole ten bases during the game as three players stole more than one. Henry led the way with two.

BBA tore up the base paths, as two players stole at least two bases. Sean Ralston led with three.

MWBL Diamond Valley 11, MWBL Ringwood 5

MWBL Ringwood fell behind early and couldn't come back in an 11-5 loss to Diamond Valley, who took the lead on a Murphy Carrison single in the first inning.

Diamond Valley scored seven runs in the fourth on a single by Nikau Galligan and a home run by Andy Zdihan.

Ringwood notched five runs in the fifth inning on singles by Jacob Turner and Fabian Montefusco and a walk by Jiah Cosgrove.

Darcy Squire took the win for Diamond Valley. The fireballer went four and two-thirds innings, allowing three runs on one hit and striking out five.

Turner went 2-for-3 at the plate to lead Ringwood in hits while Diamond Valley had nine hits total, including two apiece for Zdihan and Nathan Healy.

Diamond Valley was sure-handed in the field and didn't commit a single error. Ollie Allen made the most plays with four.

MWBL City West 9, North Eastern 9

A passed ball in the third inning helped North Eastern battle to a 9-9 tie with MWBL City West on Saturday.

Michael Nistico and Josh Wells each managed one hit to lead North Eastern. The team tore up the base paths, as two players stole at least two bases. Nistico led the way with four.

Lucas Kelly led City West with three stolen bases, as they ran wild on the base paths with 20 stolen bases.