Ryde 24-6 Central Firebirds
Lead by a complete offensive performance and some efficient pitching, Ryde flexed their muscle to defeat the Central Firebirds 24-6.
James Nati starred for Ryde, with the former Australian U12 representative going 3-for-3 with three walks, 6 RBI and a mammoth grand slam home run to extend Ryde’s advantage in the third.
The Firebirds clawed back late runs, which began a solo shot from Michael Albertini. Jarrod McKay came in as a pinch-hitter late and drove in two for the Firebirds, however it was too late, as Ryde hit exceptionally all game long.
Lex Trattles and Zak Elvy threw incredibly in the early stages of the ballgame for Ryde, with efficiency on show as the Hawks only needed 46 pitches to get through four innings.
Eastern Athletics 8-4 Gold Coast Pirates
The Eastern Athletics plated three runs early against the Pirates and never looked back, claiming a hard-fought 8-4 victory.
Mitch Thomas was outstanding on the mound for the Athletics, striking out five and only giving up one hit across three innings. Zach Busch came in during a tough situation for the Athletics, as the Pirates had runners at second and third with one out, however Busch struck out consecutive hitters to escape the situation.
Kurtis Smith drove in three for the Athletics, while Charlie O’Connell picked up a team high two hits.
The Pirates picked up runs in the sixth and seventh inning, but it wasn’t enough, as the Athletics claimed their first win of the 2017 championship.
Southern Mariners 19-9 Brisbane Metro
Runs came early and often between Brisbane Metro and the Mariners, however the Mariners kept the foot on the gas pedal, and ended up running away 19-9 winners.
The Mariners scored in every inning, however Ryne Zaryc held his end up for Brisbane Metro, going 2-for-2 with three RBI.
The lower end of the order was exceptional for the Mariners, with Cameron Zimmerman driving in five runs from his three hits. Zimmerman was ably supported by Jacob Bald, who was a home run away from the cycle after he claimed a single, a double and a triple from his five at bats.
Mitchell Shane threw well for the Southern Mariners in the early stages, striking out three and not allowing a hit in 2.1 innings of work.
Northern Metros 10-3 Manly
A five run fifth inning was the catalyst for the Northern Metros as they claimed a 10-3 win over Manly.
Dan Stephenson was a large part of the Metros victory, driving in two runs from his two hits, as well as making a couple of plays at the plate to deny Manly a pair of runs.
Cam Landy and Carter Dowling had a pair of hits each, while Gabriel Mauriohooho and Landy picking up RBIs each.
Aaron Callaghan and Tarrant Reimers combined well for the Metros on the mound, only giving up one hit in their final 3.2 frames.
RBIs were shared for Manly, with Tom Newbold, Lachlan Campbell and Zac Newbold each driving in a run each.
Hills 11-1 Swan Hills
Hills got off to a flyer against Swan Hills and never looked back, claiming a 11-1 victory against the team from Western Australia.
Liam McCallum and Soloman Maguire were exceptional on the mound for Hills, combining to strike out ten and only giving up four hits across five innings.
Maguire did his bit with bat in hand too, putting in a complete offensive performance, finishing with two triples, a home run and two RBIs.
Ben Hewitt and Tomas Druzianich both claimed doubles for Swan Hills, with Hewitt driving in the Swans only run of the ballgame. Dan Carter and Tyson Noel each picked up a hit for Swan Hills.
Adelaide Pirates 26-1 Canberra
Behind a strong start from Riley Yeatman and a complete hitting performance, the Adelaide Pirates defeated Canberra 26-1.
Yeatman was perfect through 2.2 innings, striking out six and mixing his pitches well. Ethan Murphy, Connor McLeod and Jacob White finished the job on the mound for the Pirates, as they struck out 12 as a team.
Ethan Badcock and Jack Kelly both managed to leg out inside the park home runs for the Pirates, as each finished with three RBI. Liam Bull claimed four RBI for the Pirates, while Ryan Jones picked up three.
Adelaide Waves 14-13 Gold Coast Mariners
The Adelaide Waves and Gold Coast Mariners played out a back and forth affair on Diamond 2,
The Waves jumped to an early 7-0 lead on the backs of a Hamish Rees inside the park home run. The Mariners stormed back and were able to claim seven unanswered runs to tie the game.
The Waves punched back to make it 10-7, however the Mariners didn't give in. From there, the Waves fought back to claim a walk-off victory after scoring the final four runs to pick up a come from behind victory.
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Darcy Barry, Nick Rees and Jacob Scott all had two RBI each, with Scott tossing the final frame for the Waves scoreless to give them a chance to walk it off.
Harry White and Hunter Hasegawa each had three RBIs for the Mariners, however Hamish Rees crossed in the bottom of the ninth to give the Waves a confidence boosting victory.
Cronulla 10-0 Eastern Phantoms
The reigning champions flexed their muscle and brought the heat against the Eastern Phantoms, with two pitchers combining for a perfect game.
Blake Cavill (2IP, 5K) and Jake Burns (3IP, 9K) combined to not allow a base-runner for Cronulla as a six run inning proved the catalyst for the victory. Josh Pearl drove in a pair for Cronulla, with Brad Thurecht also claiming two RBIs.