U16: New South Wales 16-2 Victoria White
New South Wales’ bats got hot, and stayed hot as they defeated Victoria Blue 16-2 in the opening game of the day.
Travis Bazzana shone at the top of the NSW lineup, going 2-for-3 with a double, two walks and three RBI, while Bailey Curtis drove in three runs of his own.
A battery of six pitchers kept Victoria White reasonably quiet throughout, with NSW starter Blake Cavill allowing only one baserunner through two innings.
Cal Vance was the only Vic White hitter to claim multiple hits, as he went 2-for-2 with a double, a run and an RBI.
Shelby Roberts drove the other run in for Victoria White.
U16: New South Wales Country 5-2 Victoria Blue
NSW Country used a four run fourth inning claim some momentum and they never looked back, edging Victoria Blue in a great contest.
Brett Allen tossed 2.2 scoreless innings to start the ballgame for NSW Country, only allowing one baserunner.
The top five hitters in the NSW Country lineup all managed base hits, with Luke Jacobs, Sam McDonald and Quinn Johnson claiming RBIs.
Riley Light and Jarryd Wood both drove in a run each for Victoria Blue – as the hits were shared all through the lineup.
Victoria Blue kept the pressure on late, but Lex Trattles shut them down, as the Country reliever finished the ballgame with 1.2 innings of scoreless relief.
U16: Western Australia 3-2 Queensland
In a high-quality encounter, Western Australia prevailed over a fast-finishing Queensland U16 team.
Queensland had the tying run at third base in the final frame, but Tarrant Reimers induced a groundout from Tim Preston to end the ballgame.
Reimers and Dylan Hopkins-Treloar both impressed with bat in hand too, each driving in late RBIs to reclaim the Western Australian lead.
Both starting pitchers threw exceptionally well in tough conditions, as Queensland’s Patrick Day (5.2IP, 3H, 2ER, 5K) battled all day against WA’s Dan Carter (5IP, 2H, 1ER, 5K).
Caiden Deal lead off well for WA, going 2-for-3 with a triple and a stolen base.
Deegan Powell was the only Queenslander to claim multiple hits, with Jack Waters and Kai-Noa Wynyard driving in one run apiece.
U16: South Australia 17-6 Australian Capital Territory
South Australia scored all 17 of their runs in the first two frames as they defeated the ACT on Diamond 1.
Riley Yeatman was the only SA hitter to claim three hits, while five of the starting South Australian nine claimed two RBI.
Both starters had their issues in tough conditions, but some solid bullpen work ended the game well.
SA utility Kane McMillan struck out four in 3.1 innings of one-hit relief, while for the ACT, Jack Waters tossed three scoreless in a strong performance.
Stuart Tharle, Beckham Crooks and Sean Bennett all chipped in with a hit and an RBI each for the ACT.
U18: New South Wales 8-5 Victoria Blue
New South Wales scored three runs in the top of the ninth to seal a very tough victory against Victoria Blue.
Ethan Stacy, Aidan Torpey and Rhys Dewick each drove in ninth inning runs for NSW and from there it was up to reliever Jo Stevens, who capped off the ballgame with a 1-6-3 double play.
Stacy finished with four hits and three RBI on the night for NSW, while shortstop Daniel Bannon went 3-for-5 with a stolen base.
Victorian Lachlan Hockey tossed 2.2 innings of scoreless relief, as his teammate Jarrod Belbin was the only Victorian to claim two hits.
Lachlan Guilieri (5.2IP, 5H, 1ER, 5K) gave NSW a solid platform to build on, and those late heroics from the offence kept NSW in contention for the U18 Championship.
U18: South Australia 8-0 Australian Capital Territory
South Australia kept their offence ticking over until the eighth inning, as they scored five runs to run out 8-0 winners against the ACT.
Brayden Caskey gave SA a perfect start on the hill, only allowing three hits in five scoreless innings. Tyson McKee and Austin McClure finished off the shutout with solid relief appearances.
Offensively Griff Weber was one of SA’s best, finishing with three hits and an RBI, while Sean Maple drove in a pair.
Nick Graham was always involved for the ACT, tossing six strong innings and chiming in with two hits.
ACT third baseman Matt Gaughran scored his team’s only two runs in the final frame with a two-RBI single.
U18: New South Wales Country 11-10 Western Australia
In one of the most remarkable ballgames we've seen at this Australian U18 Championship, New South Wales Country came back from the brink, scoring five runs in the final frame to claim an 11-10 win over Western Australia.
Daniel Moss had the final say, working a bases loaded walk at well past midnight to seal the victory.
Rixon Wingrove put his team in a winning position, clearing the bases with a double in the final frame to flip the momentum in favour of NSW Country.
Josh Greenham finished with four RBI for WA, while Nicholas Riley went 2-for-3 with two triples and two RBI.
The ballgame almost lasted four and a half hours, as Country pulled off the near impossible comeback, sealing their second win of the tournament.