Western Australia 11-9 New South Wales
The opening game of the game on Diamond 1 saw Western Australia sneak past defending champions New South Wales 11-9 in a high quality affair.
Rebecca Torpy again proved her stature as a two-way threat, tossing five innings against a tough NSW lineup to go with two hits and two RBI with bat in hand. Renae Currie played her part in a seven run inning with a bases clearing double to give WA plenty of momentum.
NSW drove in three runs in the final frame to send a scare through the WA camp, but Natalie House kept her cool and finished the game on the mound.
Kim McMillan went 3-for-4 with three RBI, while left fielder Lauren Donnellan drove in two runs from her two hits. New South Wales scored consistently in the early innings, but couldn’t maintain the intensity, as WA snuck home in a game that will have plenty of implications to the makeup of the Gold Medal game.
Country New South Wales 18-17 Australian Capital Territory
An absolute heartstopper saw Country New South Wales come from three runs down late in the ballgame to snatch an 18-17 victory over the Australian Capital Territory on Diamond 2.
ACT used an eight run second inning to propel them to an early lead, as Meredith Wells drove in four runs from her two doubles to lead the ACT offence. Ellen Bentley went 3-for-4 in the leadoff spot, while designated hitter Kathryn Delavere picked up three RBI from her two hits.
Country’s offence was spread evenly throughout, with Britt Carree, Kirra Hamilton and Kei Matsumoto each picking up two base hits. Eryn Shipp was given the task of finishing the ballgame on the mound for Country, and in a precarious position, she found her rhythm, only giving up one run across two innings, setting up her offence to come home with a bang.
Victoria Blue 12-0 Queensland
Victoria Blue continued their blemish free tournament alive with a 12-0 shutout victory over fourth seed Queensland.
Emma French and Erin Collis combined to shutout Queensland, with French only giving up three hits in her four innings of work.
Emeralds representative Abbey Kelly played her leadoff role to perfection, going 3-for-4, scoring four times and driving in a run. Her Emeralds teammate Bronwyn Gell drove in three runs from her two hits, while Leslie Anglin and Abbey McLellan picked up two RBI each.
Chloe Humphreys, Karina Connors, Mei Hurihara and Raewa Long claimed Queensland’s four hits.
Victoria White 13-2 South Australia
A five run first inning propelled Victoria White to a dominant 13-2 victory over South Australia in their first game of the second round. Allie Steane was the sparkplug for Vic White, only giving up two runs in her three innings pitched, while with bat in hand, she drove in a pair of runs in the opening inning.
Jenny Dunn was the only South Australian to claim multiple hits as her fantastic Australian Women’s Championship continues. South Australia stuck with Victoria White for most of the game, however a seven run sixth inning propelled Victoria to a handy 11 run victory.
Kristen Bezzina threw well in relief for Victoria White, tossing two scoreless innings, and also driving in a pair of runs.
New South Wales 6-4 Queensland
Queensland took it up to the defending champions New South Wales, but three runs in the fifth inning kept the Bandits at bay, with NSW eventually taking a 6-4 win.
Tahnee Lovering and Amy Collins both picked up two RBI for New South Wales, while Emeralds infielder Olivia Bannon and Amy Collins had a pair of hits each.
Amy West and Courtney Murphy both had a hit and an RBI for Queensland, with Mei Hurihara, Chloe Humphreys and Grace Zylstra all claimed hits.
Queensland kept NSW on their toes late, with three runs in the final two innings, but Maddison Tabrett held her nerve for NSW.
The game ended with an 8-1-2 double play, as Amy West was out at home after Karina Connors flew out to Amy Collins in centrefield.
Victoria Blue 18-3 Western Australia
Western Australia struck first, but couldn’t maintain the pressure, as Victoria Blue continued their undefeated streak, claiming an 18-3 win in the final game of the day.
Abbey McLellan has starred all week for Victoria, with tonight no exception. The right-handed catcher went 2-for-3 with two doubles and 4RBI. Emeralds outfielder Leslie Anglin also had a strong offensive outing, driving in four runs of her own.
WA claimed two runs in the opening inning care of an error and a Caitlin Gordon single, but weren’t able to maintain that offensive clip as Victoria Blue continued their push for the gold medal.