U18: South Australia 8-1 NSW Country
South Australia made the most of their opportunities as they defeated NSW Country in the opening game of the Australian Youth Championship.
Adelaide Bite pitcher and Australian U18 World Cup representative Ky Hampton gave SA a great start, striking out six and only giving up one unearned run in 6.2 innings of work.
Curtis Mead led all-comers with three hits on the day for SA, while catcher Mason Clavell finished with three RBI from his two hits.
Rhys Neuhold was one of NSW Country’s best, going 3-for-4. Mitch Ellison also chimed in with two hits and an RBI.
Country threatened in the eighth inning, but failed to capitalize on loaded bases, as SA reliever Tyson McKee worked his way out of a tough spot.
U18: Queensland 5-4 New South Wales
Despite a late rally from New South Wales, Queensland held on to claim a narrow win behind a strong start from Australian U18 World Cup team member Duane Johannsen.
Johannsen only allowed one hit through 5.1 innings of work for Queensland, striking out three and walking two.
Queensland’s offence was spread well across the board with Alex Skepton, Callum MacDonald, Daniel Shannon and Liam MacDonald all claiming two hits apiece.
NSW threatened Queensland in the seventh, as they combined walks with a sac fly RBI to score three runs.
Jaylin Rae drove in two of the four NSW runs, while Jack Lee threw well in relief (3.2IP, 2H, 1ER, 3K).
Jett Hasegawa kept his cool on the mound for Queensland, tossing a perfect final 1.2 innings to seal a narrow win.
U18: Victoria 4-0 ACT
Behind a fantastic start from Blake Townsend, Victoria claimed a strong win over the ACT in their opening game of the Australian Youth Championship.
Townsend, who led the Victorian U16 to a championship in 2017, struck out 10 and only allowed one hit in a dominant five inning start.
Victoria’s bullpen backed up Townsend well, with William Kline-Marantelli and Liam Evans combining to finish off the shutout of the ACT.
Nick Hosie claimed a pair of hits for the ACT, while Ryan Woodrow tossed 3.1 scoreless innings against a tough Victorian lineup.
Josh Meyer claimed two early RBI to set the tone for Victoria, as Conor Myles’ RBI double in the third gave Townsend some handy breathing room.
U16: Western Australia 12-2 ACT
Western Australia plated seven runs in the opening inning against the ACT and never looked back, running out 12-2 victors in the opening U16 game of the championship.
Ben Drew was an impossible out for the ACT pitchers on the day, as the first baseman wen 2-for-2 with a double, three RBI and a walk. Dylan Hopkins-Treloar drove in three runs of his own for WA as every single hitter reached base.
Matthew Teague, Sam Batton and Luke Brown all claimed hits for the ACT, with Brown driving in the lone earned run.
U16: Queensland 5-4 Victoria White
Victoria White jumped out to an early lead, but Queensland had the final say, walking off in the bottom of the seventh to claim a one run victory.
Kai-Noa Wynyard scored the final run of the ballgame after his QLD teammate Tim Preston drew a two-out, bases loaded walk in the seventh.
Vic White scored four runs in the opening frame, capped off by a double from Sadi Nergiz that scored two runs.
Queensland reliever Brock Wollin was immense in keeping his team in the ballgame, conceding only two hits in three shutout innings.
Leadoff hitter Riki Ward finished with a pair of hits and an RBI for Queensland.
U16: New South Wales 7-1 New South Wales Country
New South Wales and New South Wales Country both played some solid baseball all day, but some late runs saw New South Wales claim a 7-1 win over their Country counterparts.
Blake Cavill and Jake Burns both claimed 2RBI singles in the seventh and final frame to put the result beyond doubt.
Clayton Campbell and Travis Bazzana finished with a pair of hits each for New South Wales, while for Country, left fielder Luke Jacobs went 2-for-3 in the leadoff spot.
Dylan Clarke began his AYC campaign off in strong fashion, tossing four shutout innings for New South Wales. Ryan Hudson and Ben Ridgewell battled manfully all game for Country, but eventually the bats of NSW broke the game open.
U16: Victoria 10-3 South Australia
South Australia scored first, but Victoria came home far stronger, recording a 10-3 win in the final game of the day.
Both teams were forced into some defence in the early stages, with starting pitchers Chris Nielsen and Jack Higginbotham battling manfully.
Mitchell Thomas had a solid relief outing for Victoria. Despite walking six, Thomas’s defence worked behind him well, as he tossed three scoreless innings to end the ballgame.
Reece Longstaff finished with a pair of hits for Victoria, while Jarryd Wood also chimed in with two RBI.
Jacob Scott’s two base hits were highlights for SA, while 13-year-old Riley Yeatman did not yield an earned run in 1.2 innings of relief.