Eastern Athletics vs. Manly
The first game of the tournament did not disappoint, with Manly and Eastern Athletics locked in a tight battle throughout, but Manly came out on top in the end, 5-4. Aiden Torpey and Thomas Newbold made for a formidable tandem on the mound for Manly, striking out 9 Athletics hitters. Torpey showed some promise at the plate too, driving in a pair for RBIs. Reece Longstaff struck the ball well, picking up hits and two RBIs for the Athletics. Koetsu Sakamoto threw three solid innings of relief, only conceding one hit. Aiden Torpey nailed a walkoff RBI triple in the bottom of the seventh to give Manly a morale boosting win.
Geelong vs. Perth Metro Central Firebirds
Perth Metro Central and Geelong played out a tight tussle early, before the Firebirds pulled away, tacking on six runs in the third to take the game 11-9. Zach Holland threw exceptionally for Perth, striking out five and conceding no hits in 2.2 innings on the mound. Offensively, Ben Drew had himself a day, claiming a massive 5 RBIs, including a triple that scored two runs in the third. For Geelong, Jarryd Wood drove in a couple of RBIs, and Kobe Greenhalgh legged out a triple. Three runs in the bottom of the seventh wasn’t enough for Geelong, who were just beaten, despite getting out-hit 13-6.
Ryde vs. Adelaide Pirates
The Ryde Hawks came back from the brink against the Adelaide Pirates, scoring all of their eight runs in the sixth and seventh inning to take their first game of the tournament 8-4. Zach Stroud threw four strong innings for the Pirates, giving up one hit and striking out four in the starting role. Brodie Arriola picked up two hits for the Pirates and was the only Pirates player to record more than one hit. Ryde’s bullpen threw exceptionally well, only giving up three hits in the last four innings. Luke Livian and Liam Spinks both had multiple RBI days for Ryde in a strong performance.
Northern Metros vs. Cronulla
A walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh gave Cronulla a hard fought 7-6 victory over Perth Metro North. Blake Cavill threw 2.1 strong innings for Cronulla, striking out five and only conceding one hit. Cavill was backed up well by Josh Pearl, who struck out four and only gave up one earned run. Bailey Curtis was the offensive spark plug for Cronulla, going 3-for-3 with four RBIs. Javier Pelkonen went 3-for-4 in a strong day at the plate for Northern Metros. Will Fullerton proved the hero, with a single to centre field to score the winning run in the bottom of the 7th.
Adelaide Waves vs. Swan Hills
Swan Hills jumped out of the blocks early, and withstood an early fightback from the Adelaide Waves to take out their opening game of the tournament, 8-2. A strong all around pitching performance from Swan Hills lead them to a strong win, and with offence coming thick and fast from Mitch Bacon (3-for-4, 1RBI), the Swans pushed ahead. The match highlight though came early, with Mitch Schofield nailing a home run to left field for the Swans in the first, tacking on three runs. Flynn Luders had 1.2 innings of perfect relief for the Waves, while Dylan Strickland claimed a hit and an RBI from one at bat.
Hills vs. Canberra
An early offensive onslaught from Hills rocked Canberra, and Hills eventually took the game 16-2. Hills put up 12 runs in the bottom of the first, with both Solomon Maguire and Liam McCallum both claiming inside the park home runs. Canberra fought back well after the first, driving two runs of their own in the second, thanks to RBIs from Phil-Jason Barbaro and Patrik Paramonov. Rohan Wood struck out four in two innings of work on the mound for Hills.
Eastern Phantoms vs. Gold Coast Pirates
The Gold Coast Pirates flew out of the blocks against the Eastern Phantoms, but the Phantoms came back bigger, tacking on six runs in the fifth to take the win 14-4. Zac Mansfield threw two shutout innings to start the Gold Coast well, striking out four in a strong performance. Gold Coast’s James Schultz nailed a bases clearing three RBI triple in the bottom of the first. Lachlan Waite was a big part of the Phantoms’ victory, throwing two perfect innings of relief and driving in three runs.
Brisbane North vs. Northern Diamondbacks
Two quality pitchers went head to head, with Brisbane’s Jonanthan Winlaw going head to head with the Diamondbacks’ Matthew Clute, and it was Winlaw’s Brisbane North who took the lead late, and held on for a 2-0 victory. Winlaw threw six shutout innings on the mound for Brisbane as well as giving his team the lead after an RBI sac fly. Matthew Clute threw 4.2 shutout innings for the Diamondbacks, striking out two. Julius Crino was the only Diamondbacks player to claim multiple hits.
Manly vs. Adelaide Waves
Manly’s offence got going early and often, plating 7 in the first, and they held on to take down the Adelaide Waves 20-8 on Field 1. The offensive load was shared by by Manly with Akira Bolek, Thomas Newbold and Kenshiro Nakashio all driving in multiple RBIs, with Newbold nailing a massive home run. Rion Sato picked up a pair of hits in the middle of the lineup for the Waves, while Dylan Strickland showed his speed on the base paths, swiping a bag and driving in two runs. Jacob Scott and Nick Borello combined for a nice double play in tough conditions.
Canberra vs. Geelong
Geelong got on the board first against Canberra, and off the back of some quality pitching, the Baycats got home, defeating the team from the nation’s capital 3-1. Nick Hau got the start on the mound for the Geelong, and threw four strong innings, only conceding one earned run. Hau also hit well, picking up two hits and an RBI. Connor Hickey came on in relief and threw strongly, Hickey also lead off with two hits and an RBI. Patrik Parmanov continued his good form from earlier in the day, going 2-for-3.
Swan Hills vs. Eastern Athletics
Swan Hills got on the board early and often against the Eastern Athletics, and the middle of the Swan Hills lineup was really impressive, leading the Swans to a 16-3 victory. Mitch Schofield followed up his home run earlier in the day with another multi-RBI game, while Zak Taylor and Daniel Carter combined for a solid effort on the mound. Teigan Otter claimed two hits and two RBIs batting in the three hole for the Eastern Athletics.
Perth Metro Central vs. Hills
A tight contest ensued in the final day of an action packed day one of Junior League action, with Perth Metro Central defeating Hills 8-4 in a tight contest at Diamond Sports SA. William Sherriff threw well early, striking out five batters through the first three innings. Rohan Wood picked up an 2-RBI double for Hills in the third courtesy of a home run to trim the margin. Some quality relief from Mitchell Vickery through the middle innings (2.1IP, 8K). Perth tacked on another two runs in the sixth to seal the deal.
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