Northern Metros vs. Brisbane North
After a tight first few innings, Northern Metros pulled away, scoring six in the third inning and not looking back, defeating Brisbane North 13-2. Nicholas Riley was the offensive sparkplug for Metros, going 3-for-4, which included two triples and a mammoth 5 RBIs. Riley also threw three innings on the mound, and only conceded one earned run. For Brisbane North, Jett Bradley had a massive highlight, nailing a home run in the bottom of the third. Marcus Feagaiga and Luke Readdy also picked up a couple of hits for Brisbane North.
Eastern Phantoms vs. Adelaide Pirates
The Adelaide Pirates picked up their first win of the tournament on Diamond 1 today, defeating the Eastern Phantoms 7-3. The Pirates pitching duo of Tyson McKeen (4IP, 10K, 2ER) and Brodia Arriola (3IP, 2H, 2K) worked their magic on the mound, and Arriola also was one of the better offensive players for the Pirates, claiming two hits and a pair of RBIs. Kane Woolman also picked up three hits and an RBI. Lachlan Waite threw well for the Eastern Phantoms as a starter, striking out six and only conceding one earned run in three innings.
Eastern Athletics vs. Adelaide Waves
The Adelaide Waves and Eastern Athletics both had 10 hits, but the Waves made the most of their opportunities, defeating the Athletics 12-5. Zachary Busch had a strong day offensively for the Athletics, picking up three hits and an RBI. Koetsu Sakamoto also claimed a pair of hits and an RBI. Flynn Luders picked up where he left off yesterday on the mound for the Waves, throwing the final two innings without giving up an earned run. Dylan Strickland had a near perfect day at the plate, going 3-for-3 with a double and a home run, picking up four RBIs in the process.
Canberra vs. Perth Metro Central
Perth Metro Central got things going early and didn’t let up, defeating Canberra 12-0. Alex Bransby and Riley Cross threw exceptionally for Perth, combining for a shutout, striking out 7 and only giving up three hits in five innings. Ben Drew continued his solid tournament, going 3-for-3 with three RBIs in a solid offensive performance. Dylan Hopkins-Treloar also had three RBIs for Perth. Patrik Parmanov also maintains his strong offense tournament, picking up two hits including a double for Canberra.
Cronulla vs. Northern Diamondbacks
Cronulla put up a mountain of runs against the Northern Diamondbacks early, and held on strongly, defeating the Victoria side 23-3. History was made at the championship, with Jake Burns becoming the first player at a 2016 ‘Little League’ tournament to claim two home runs. Burns ended up with 4 RBIs. Blake Cavill also nailed a home run to extend Cronulla’s lead, he also finished with 4 RBIs on the day. Harvey Hadlow was the strongest hitter for the Diamondbacks in this one, finishing with a strong 2-for-3 and two RBIs. Josh Bishopp threw well in the middle innings for Cronulla, striking out four and only conceding one earned run in his four innings on the mound.
Gold Coast Pirates vs. Ryde
Ryde are going strongly during this tournament, and after putting up nine runs in the first against Gold Coast, they were never headed, defeating the Pirates 18-1. Luke Livian and Liam Spinks did the damage in the middle of the lineup for Ryde, driving in five runs between them. Every starting playing in the Ryde lineup managed a hit in a strong overall performance. Zac Mansfield was the only Pirates player to have a multi-hit game, going 2-for-2 including a triple. Alex Wagener had the only RBI of the game for Ryde. Andrew Johnstone threw well for Ryde, striking out three and conceding no earned runs in his three innings on the mound.
Manly vs. Swan Hills
In a close encounter at Glenelg, Manly just prevailed over the Swan Hills Aces 6-5. Matthew Martin picked up two RBIs for the Aces, with Zac Taylor and Mitch Bacon contributing strongly as well, claiming two hits apiece. Bailey-Jay Cooke threw 3.1 innings of solid relief, striking out three and only giving up one earned run. Filip Mijakovic and Aiden Torpey continued their strong form, driving in four RBIs for Manly. Oliver Stokes threw 2.2 innings of perfect relief for Manly, striking out four in a great outing.
Geelong vs. Hills
A tight contest ensued early on between Geelong and Hills, but the Baycats blew the game open late, defeating Hills 9-2 at Glenelg. Angus McNee struck out six and only conceded one earned run in a strong performance on the mound for Geelong. Connor Hickey went 3-for-4 and showed his speed on the bases, claiming two triples. Rohan Donohue lead off for Geelong with two hits. Solomon Maguire claimed a triple with his only hit of the game, while Rohan Wood continued his strong form, as the only Hills player to claim two hits. Josh Smith threw well in his start for Hills, striking out six and only giving up one earned run.
Brisbane North vs. Cronulla
Cronulla continued their strong tournament form, defeating Brisbane North 11-1. Olivia Stevens threw well for Brisbane North, throwing one perfect inning of relief. Jonathan Winlaw was the only Brisbane player to claim and RBI on the night, claiming an RBI double. Ethan Stacy had a strong offensive game for Cronulla, picking up two RBIs from his two hits. Adam Mustow threw strongly for Cronulla in the starting role, striking out three and only giving up one earned run.
Ryde vs. Eastern Phantoms
A late charge from the Eastern Phantoms saw them come back for a famous victory, defeating the Ryde Hawks 8-7. In a real back and forth affair, the Phantoms regained the lead in the middle innings, only for Ryde to come back hard. However a four run inning from the Phantoms capped off by a walkoff double by Tyler Brooks, which ended up scoring three. Luke Livian and Liam Spinks again lead the way for Ryde, driving in four of the seven runs for Ryde.
Northern Diamondbacks vs. Northern Metros
The Northern Metros jumped on the Diamondbacks early thanks to some quality hitting and superb defence, and they were never headed, taking the game 23-0 on Diamond 1. The damage was done in the middle innings for the Metros, with Javier Pelkonen driving in two RBIs and making some breathtaking plays at third base. Etienne Charette threw well in getting the start for the Metros, only giving up one hit through his first three innings of work. Nicholas Riley drove in five RBIs, and leadoff man Carter Dowling drove in four. Both Riley and Dowling claimed two triples.
Adelaide Pirates vs. Gold Coast Pirates
A big first inning set the tone for the battle of the Pirates, with Gold Coast getting five early runs on the board and not looking back, defeating Adelaide 11-1. James Schultz threw strongly on the mound in his start for Gold Coast, striking out five and only giving up one earned run in 2.2 innings. A couple of costly errors saw the Adelaide Pirates give up an early lead, and with Kane Woolman the only player to register a hit in the first three innings, the Pirates fell behind. Zac Mansfield finished with three RBIs for Gold Coast, with both of his hits being doubles.