Australia has qualified for the 2018 U15 World Cup after back-to-back wins over New Zealand in Auckland today.
The first game was a dominant eight run victory for Australia, with NSW pair James Nati and Nicholas Chappell both putting in strong performances.
Nati gave Australia a perfect platform with a strong start on the mound, while Nicholas Chappell’s home run kept New Zealand at bay.
The second game of the day was an epic, with three extra innings needed to separate the teams.
Jake Burns was outstanding in relief for the Australians, as his team walked away with an 11-6 victory.
Tossing five strong relief innings for Australia, Burns only allowed two hits and worked well throughout the tiebreaker innings.
Burns also swung the bat well all afternoon, driving in a pair of runs from a triple and two walks.
The three extra innings were played with high drama throughout, with the winning run for New Zealand cut down at the plate.
Jacob Bald made an outstanding throw from centerfield, with WA catcher Maddux Stivey applying a clutch tag to extend the game.
That play flipped the momentum as Australia scored six runs in the top of the 10th to run out winners.
Jaime Fox nailed a massive 2RBI double for Australia, as they booked their tickets to Panama later in the year.
Follow along with all of the U15 World Cup action right here at baseball.com.au, with the tournament getting underway on August 10.