SF1: Hills 7-1 Manly
Hills again used late runs to shake off their opposition and claim a 7-1 victory, with Manly providing some strong resistance.
Harrison Wheeldon shone for Hills, as he struck out 12 in a complete game. Wheeldon only yielded three hits in his six innings of work, and didn’t allow a base on balls all game.
Stephen Courtney nailed a massive solo home run to right centre field in the third inning to extend Hills’ lead. Courtney was ably supported by Jett Watson who also claimed a hit and an RBI in the game.
Wilson Spinks managed two hits for Manly, while Nick Gall’s RBI double in the first inning gave Manly an early lead.
From there however, the pitching and defence of Hills shone, and some consistent hitting throughout the ballgame saw them eventually claim a six run win, and a spot in the Bendigo Bank Australian Little League Championship Gold Medal Game.
SF2: Swan Hills 8-0 Macarthur
Tristan Burgess was simply outstanding as he tossed 5.2 scoreless innings to book Swan Hills’ place in the Bendigo Bank Australian Little League Championship Gold Medal Game.
The Aces backed their starting pitcher up well with some late runs, as it took until the fourth inning to break the scoreless deadlock.
Hits were shared for Swan Hills all day, with Kai Cahill picking up a pair of RBI. Elijah Hewett made his only hit of the ballgame count, nailing a two-run home run to break the tie in the fourth inning.
Lachlan Bigwood, Owen Glover and Bayley Stevens all picked up hits for Macarthur, with Stevens also striking out nine in his 4.1 innings of work.
Swan Hills will take on Hills in the Gold Medal Game for the Australian Championship and the right to represent the Australia Region at the Little League World Series.
QF 1: Swan Hills 11-3 Eastern Athletics
Behind a stunning complete game from Ben Ferencakovic, Swan Hills booked their place in the Semi Final after defeating the Eastern Athletics 11-3.
Ferencakovic struck out 13 and only gave up two earned runs as he anchored the Aces to a semi final berth against Macarthur.
The top half of the Aces lineup did the damage with Matthew Kemp leading off strongly. The right-hander went 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBI.
Jordan Brokas, Elijah Hewett and Tristan Burgess all nailed doubles for the Aces as Hewett finished with a pair of RBI.
Tyler Evans was the only Athletics player to claim multiple hits, going 2-for-3 with an RBI, while James Richardson chimed in with the other RBI for the Athletics. Evans kept the Swan Hills hitters honest all day striking out nine, however the Aces lineup claimed some crucial hits to seal their place in the final four.
QF2: Macarthur 11-4 Ryde
Ryde skipped out to an early four run lead, however 11 unanswered runs from fellow NSW charter Macarthur saw them run out 11-4 winners on Diamond 2.
Ryde used a battery of six pitchers to try and keep the strong Macarthur bats at bay, while Macarthur reliever Zac Small was outstanding.
Small struck out eight and scattered three hits in four shutout relief innings for Macarthur, as the top seed from Pool A progressed to the Semi Finals.
Bayley Stevens had a strong day at the plate for Macarthur, claiming two hits and two RBI from his three at bats. Stevens was ably supported by Owen Glover, as Macarthur’s four hole hitter drove in two runs of his own.
Kaiden Fasion and Matthew Cecere both picked up two hits for Ryde, while Dylan Searle also chimed in, driving in a pair of runs with his double.
A five run inning wrestled momentum back for Macarthur as they stormed home to, claim a semi final berth and keeping their Little League World Series dream alive.
QF3: Manly 6-5 Cronulla
Manly withstood a remarkable comeback from Cronulla to win 6-5 in the final inning in Diamond 3’s quarter final matchup.
Cronulla erased an early four run deficit with five runs of their own, however Manly’s James Frederikson scored the game winning run as he drew a bases loaded walk in the final inning.
Jacob Wander and Wilson Spinks both hit well for Manly, both claiming two hits apiece. Spinks proved a tough out for Cronulla all day, nailing a double, a triple and claiming two walks in a fantastic performance at the plate.
Nick Gall was fantastic as Manly’s starting pitcher, striking out eight and only giving up one earned run in his five innings of work.
Cronulla roared back into contention care of some timely and strong hitting. Matthew Palmer and Nathan Howarth claimed a home run each for Cronulla, while Patrick Glasheen and Jye Burns both nailed RBI triples to tie up the game in the top of the sixth.
Manly’s Tallulah Lewis walked to load the bases with one out in the final frame,, and with two out, Frederikson showed patience to draw a walk and seal Manly’s spot in the semi final.
QF4: Hills 9-3 Southern Mariners
Defending champion Hills kept their quest for back-to-back Bendigo Bank Australian Little League Championship alive after a six run quarter final victory over the Southern Mariners.
Both starting pitchers had their strikeout pitches working, as Hills’ Tom Stancic fanned eight while Genevieve Beacom reached 10 strikeouts for the Mariners.
As well as a fantastic performance on the mound, Tom Stancic had an outstanding game with bat in hand, going 3-for-4 with a home run, a double and four RBI.
Tom Brookes and Angelo Reale-Rontos both claimed two hits for the Mariners, with both young men driving in a run each.
The Mariners swung the bats well against Hills reliever Liam Padovan, however Padovan’s outing remained scoreless, as he struck out three in 2.1 innings to end the ballgame for Hills.
The game remained scoreless through three innings, and the Mariners kept Hills at bay for five of the six frames, however a five run final inning from Hills proved too tough a task for the Mariners.
Eastern Athletics 8-6 Ryde
The Eastern Athletics fought off a tough Ryde team to claim an 8-6 win and a spot in the 5th place playoff at the 2017 Bendigo Bank Australian Little League Championship.
Nick Parton kept the Athletics offence ticking over, as he went 2-for-3 with three RBI. James Richardson also claimed two hits for the Athletics, while Tyler Evans drove in a pair of runs.
Hitting fifth for Ryde, Kynan Leong picked up two RBI from his two hits, while Zen Stevens was an impossible out for the Athletics. The Ryde infielder went 2-for-2 with a walk.
Ryde scored the final three runs of the ballgame, however Matthew Lavery finished off the ballgame for the Athletics, picking up the final out and sealing a hard fought victory.
Cronulla 10-5 Southern Mariners
Some consistent early scoring put Cronulla in front for good, as they ran out 10-5 winners against the Southern Mariners.
Nathan Howarth had a hand in everything for Cronulla, nailing two doubles, driving in a run and scoring twice. As well as his performance with the bat, Howarth struck out 10 in 3.2 innings of work.
Brendan Regan came on in relief of Howarth and performed well in a pressure situation, striking out three and only giving up the one run in 2.1 innings of work.
Tom Brookes continued his solid day for the Mariners, driving in two of his team’s five runs. Noah Kelly and Bailey Toms both swung the bat well for Cronulla, with both young men driving in two runs each.
Wesley Ka kept a hot Cronulla lineup at bay, throwing two innings of scoreless relief, however the damage was done, as Cronulla booked their place in the 5th place playoff.
Click here for a full schedule of the final day’s action at the Bendigo Bank Australian Little League Championship.