Cronulla 11-1 Brisbane North
Behind a dominant start from Nathan Howarth, Cronulla claimed their second win from as many games, defeating Brisbane North 11-1.
Howarth struck out seven and didn’t allow a hit in his 2.2 innings of work. From there, Patrick Glasheen struck out another four as Cronulla only allowed two baserunners across four innings.
Jye Burns and Glasheen drove in two runs each, while Matthew Palmer was one of Cronulla’s best with bat in hand, going 2-for-3 with a triple and two RBI.
Brisbane North scored the opening run of the ballgame, as Samuel Wilson scored, however from there Cronulla showed their strength despite a solid relief outing from Wilson.
Swan Hills 28-2 Canberra
Swan Hills piled on 12 runs in the opening inning and never looked back, defeating Canberra 28-2.
Tiaan Janse van Rens claimed a double and an RBI for Canberra, while Hamish McGuire claimed the other RBI.
Elijah Hewett was an impossible out for Swan Hills, going 3-for-3 with a walk, a home run and four RBI in an impressive performance.
Ben Ferencakovic nailed a triple and three RBI for the Aces, while Corey Edwards claimed two RBI from his two hits.
Taj Schofield and Joseph Chapman combined to only give up two earned runs and struck out four in a solid team pitching performance.
Southern Mariners 16-4 Illawarra
The Southern Mariners and Illawarra couldn’t be separated in the early stages of the opening game on Diamond 1, however 10 late runs saw the Mariners claim their second win of the tournament.
Lachlan Smith had a strong day with both bat and ball for the Mariners, scoring three times, driving in two runs from his two hits, and tossing 2.2 scoreless innings in relief.
Tom Brookes also drove in a pair of runs for the Mariners, while Charlie Pierson’s double also scored one of the Mariners 16 runs.
Mitchell Wheatley was the lone Illawarra player to claim two hits, while James Burgess and Callum Donnelly picked up two RBI each.
Manly 6-1 Northern Diamondbacks
Both Manly and the Diamondbacks scored early, however Manly’s bats continued to fire, as they eventually claimed a 6-1 win.
Daigo Yamaguchi played his role of leadoff hitter to perfection for Manly, going 3-for-4 and scoring three runs.
Tallulah Lewis was the only Manly player to drive in two runs, while the pitching staff fired for the second consecutive day.
Yuto Goto’s 3.1 inning start was spectacular, as he struck out six, only gave up one run and threw more than 70% of his pitches for strikes.
Nick Gall picked up where Goto left off, striking out six and throwing 83% of his pitches for strikes.
Ned Hargreaves was one of the Diamondbacks best with bat in hand, as he claimed two hits and an RBI. Harry Fitzgerald also chimed in with a double.
Manly scored a run in each of their final four innings, kept the line moving and claimed their second consecutive win of the tournament.
Swan Hills 7-5 Manly
A hard fought game between two strong charters end saw Swan Hills hold off a gallant Manly to claim a 7-5 victory.
Elijah Hewett was a star offensively for the Aces, going 4-for-4 with two RBI, while Corey Edwards also chimed in with two RBI.
Ben Ferencakovic struck out seven and only gave up three earned runs in his strong five inning start for the Swans.
Wilson Spinks only gave up the one earned run during his two inning start, striking out four and throwing well. Tallulah Lewis backed Spinks up well, as she struck out five and only gave up two hits in her relief outing.
Hits were shared for Manly, as Spinks, Jacob Wander and Daigo Yamaguchi all picked up a base hit each, Yamaguchi stretched his into a double.
Both teams traded runs late, and despite a final inning rally from Manly, the Aces just held on for a narrow win.
Cronulla 24-3 Adelaide Marlins
Cronulla scored 12 runs in the first inning against the Adelaide Marlins and never looked back, claiming a dominant 24-3 victory on Diamond 2.
Flynn McKee claimed a hit and an RBI for the Marlins, while Aiden Lucas claimed the team’s other base hit.
Anthony Tsoukarellis struck out four and only gave up one earned run in his 2.1 inning start for Cronulla and his offence backed him up perfectly.
The top half of the Sharks lineup did the damage, as Ethan Martin, Brendan Regan and Nathan Howarth driving in 13 of the team’s 24 runs.
Howarth finished with two singles, a double and a home run, while Jye Burns chimed in with two triples in a fantastic team hitting performance.
Hills 20-1 Ryde
Harrison Wheeldon threw exceptionally well and was backed up by some heavy run support as Hills defeated Ryde 20-1.
Wheeldon struck out seven and only gave up two hits across his 2.2 inning start, and his offence fired, as Stephen Courtney nailed a massive grand slam to finish with six RBI.
Tyler Spiteri also was a lynchpin in the Hills lineup, going 4-for-4 with a double, a triple and four RBI. Matthew Cecere, Edward Hogg and Kaden Fasion picked up a hit each for Ryde, with Josh Lander driving in the Hawks’ lone run in the fourth inning.
Macarthur 15-0 Brisbane South
An exceptional start from Blake Gooding and a strong offensive performance lead Macarthur to a 15-0 victory over Brisbane South.
Gooding struck out five and only allowed one hit in three innings on the mound for Macarthur, while Lachlan Bigwood struck out all three hitters he faced in the final frame to put the exclamation point on a fine performance.
Bayley Stevens lead the line for Macarthur offensively, going 3-for4 with two doubles, two runs and an RBI, while Owen Glover also hit well, claiming two RBI from his two hits.
Sam Jackson gave Macarthur a solid offensive option at the tail end of the order as he went 2-for-2 with a triple and two RBI.
Hills 13-0 Gold Coast Pirates
Hills’ hitting was contagious against the Gold Coast Pirates, as they continued their undefeated tournament with a 13-0 victory.
Tom Stancic was outstanding for Hills on the mound, striking out five in 2.1 innings. Stancic didn’t allow a hit in his start, while Liam Padovan finished the job. The young right-hander only allowed two hits in his relief appearance.
Stephen Courtney nailed a home run for Hills, while Ethan Treble claimed three RBI in the leadoff spot. A seven run inning from the defending champions broke the game open in the first and they never looked back, putting in a complete offensive performance.
Bailey Dennis and Ethan Holland claimed the Pirates’ two hits of the day, however consistent hitting from Hills ensured they came home with the victory.
Brisbane Metro 10-3 Northern Diamondbacks
Brisbane Metro swung the bats early to put some space between them and the Diamondbacks, as they ended up taking out the ballgame 10-3.
Robert Harris had a fantastic ballgame for Brisbane Metro, nailing two doubles, a single and driving in three runs for his team.
Ben Walmsley set his team up exceptionally well as the starting pitcher, striking out eight hitters and only giving up one earned run in his four innings on the mound.
Ned Hargreaves and Joel Prpic lead the line for the Diamondbacks, with Hargreaves claiming a pair of his, and Prpic nailing a solo home run.
Spencer Wray kept a strong Metro side at bay, with the Diamondbacks reliever striking out three in two scoreless relief innings.
Eastern Athletics 12-10 Eastern Phantoms
The Phantoms and Athletics were knotted at five after two innings, however a big seven run inning from the Athletics lifted them to a 12-10 win.
Ethan Oliphant was outstanding for the Phantoms with bat in hand, going 3-for-4, nailing two home runs and finishing with six RBI.
Braydon Moyle and Yuto Uemoto each had multi-hit games at the top of the Phantoms lineup as they grabbed the early momentum.
Nicholas Harris lead the Athletics with the ball, throwing efficiently in his three innings of relief, only giving up the one earned run.
Tyler Evans had a fantastic game for the Athletics, driving in four of his team’s 12 runs, and nailing a home run in the process
To their credit, the Phantoms never gave up, scoring five runs in a wild sixth inning, however their fantastic comeback fell just short, as the Athletics claimed their first win of the tournament.
Central Firebirds 8-5 Ryde
The Central Firebirds scored five runs in the fourth inning, and despite a strong comeback from Ryde, held on for an 8-5 win on Diamond 4.
Taeyeon Jeon was one of many consistent Firebirds hitters throughout the ballgame, going 2-for-2 with a home run and 2 RBI. Peter Alexander continued his strong tournament driving home another pair of runs in the leadoff spot for the Firebirds.
Matt Cecere held his own in Ryde’s leadoff spot, showing patience and power to go 2-for-2 with two walks. Sebastian Miezis was a tough out for the Firebirds, going 3-for-3 with a triple and two runs.
Kynan Leong brought Ryde back into the ballgame with a three run home run in the final frame, however Taeyeon Jeon came in to strike out Peter Bae, and the Firebirds escaped with a much needed win.
Adelaide Rays 13-3 Central Firebirds
The Rays scored six runs in the opening frame and never looked back, claiming a 13-3 victory to keep their quest for the Bendigo Bank Australian Little League Championship alive.
Lucas Burnell nailed two doubles and drove in a run, and he was supported well by Noah Scott who chimed in with two RBI of his own. Archie Lovelock hit well in the seven hold for the Rays, going 2-for-2 with a double, two runs and two RBI.
Jayden Bubner tossed a complete game for the Rays, giving up three runs in four innings, mixing his pitches well and keeping the Firebirds hitters off balance.
Peter Alexander continued his excellent tournament with another two hits, while Callum Plant, Taeyeon Jeon and Jaxon Limpus all chimed in with an RBI each.
The Firebirds scored a run in each of the second, third and fourth innings, but the Rays kept on scoring, extending their lead and eventually claiming a must-win game.
Macarthur 11-1 Northern Metros
Behind a fantastic team hitting performance and a lights out pitching tandem, Macarthur defeated the Northern Metros 11-1.
Bayley Stevens was dazzling in his 3.1 innings of work, only giving up one hit and striking out five hitters. Jesse Toon came in and finished the ballgame off well, as he struck out four and only gave up one hit in 1.2 innings.
Stevens also starred with bat in hand for Macarthur, driving in three of his team’s 11 runs. Owen Glover continued his strong tournament for Macarthur, picking two hits, while Christopher Fergie gave Macarthur some life out of the nine hole, picking up two hits and scoring twice.
Tyler Jones and Aden Browne claimed a hit each for the Metros, with Jones nailing a double.
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