Australia will take on the best Oceania has to offer this week in hope of qualifying for the 2019 U18 World Cup.
18 of Australia's best and brightest stars will travel to Guam to compete in the Oceania Qualifier, with the winning team earning their place at the U18 World Cup in Gijang, South Korea. This includes four Victorian representatives: Chris Burke, Liam Evans, Conor Myles and Blake Townsend, who will look to keep up their momentum just days after their amazing Gold Medal finish at the 2019 Australian Youth Championships.
The Australian squad will face Guam, American Samoa, New Zealand and Palau across the next six days at the Paseo Stadium in Agana, Guam.
AUSTRALIA'S U18 OCEANIA QUALIFIER SCHEDULE:
23 January
3 pm American Samoa vs. Australia
24 January
7 pm Australia vs. Guam
25 January
11 am Australia vs. New Zealand
3 pm Palau vs. Australia
26 January-semifinals
1 pm No 1 seed-No 2 seed (a)
6 pm No 3 seed-No 4 seed (b)
27 January-medal games
12 pm loser (a)-winner (b)-bronze medal game (c)
5 pm winner (a)-winner (c)-championship game
(all times local - UTC +10)
U18 OCEANIA QUALIFIER SQUAD:
Travis Bazzana (NSW)
Brandan Bidois (QLD)
Chris Burke (VIC)
Liam Evans (VIC)
Blake Farr (SA)
Jack Lee (NSW)
Liam MacDonald (QLD)
Liam McCallum (NSW)
Conor Myles (VIC)
Cayden Nicoletto (WA)
Jaylin Rae (NSW)
Nicholas Riley (WA)
Caleb Shepherd (NSW)
William Sherriff (WA)
Alex Skepton (QLD)
Aidan Torpey (NSW)
Blake Townsend (VIC)
Tristan Watts (NSW)
Steve Fish - Head Coach
Scott Mitchinson - Pitching Coach
Gareth Jones - Assistant Coach
Shaun Smith - Assistant Coach
Neil Barrowcliff - Executive Officer
Congratulations to the four Victorians who made the U18 World Cup Qualifier Team, and the rest of their talented peers!
Two dominant performances highlighted the #AYC2019 awards, which were given out at the conclusion of the gold medal games. Read all about each winner below, including four of our very own!
U18 Most valuable player and hitting champion: Conor Myles (Victoria Blue)
Myles put together a tournament for the ages, as he claimed both the MVP and batting champion.
Myles hit .452 in his 10 games, with seven of his 19 hits going for extra bases. Myles drove in a tournament-high 24 runs, and recorded a slugging percentage of .762.
In yesterday's gold medal game, Myles was a key part of Victoria Blue's drought-breaking championship, going 2-for-4 with a team-high three RBI.
U16 Most valuable player: Charlie Collins (Victoria Blue)
Collins was a star at the top of the Victoria Blue lineup, hitting .462 in eight games.
Picking up 12 hits in his eight games, Collins homered, nailed three triples and two doubles to record an .846 slugging percentage.
Collins proved himself as an all-rounder throughout, swiping five bags and picking up 22 total bases in eight games.
U18 pitching champion: Blake Townsend (Victoria Blue)
Blake Townsend etched his name into the record books, claiming back-to-back U18 pitching champion awards.
Townsend did not give up an earned run in his 13 innings of work, leading all comers with 16 strikeouts.
Hitters only managed a .174 average against Townsend, who is a farmhand with the Seattle Mariners.
Townsend's statistics across the last two U18 championships have been incredible, as the lefty hasn't conceded a run in his last 28 innings of work.
U18 fielding champion: Chris Burke (Victoria Blue)
Burke was a force behind the plate for Victoria Blue, claiming 12 assists and throwing out three of eight runners.
Burke recorded a perfect fielding percentage, and chimed in with a .359 batting average from 10 games.
U18 fielding champion: Chris Burke (Victoria Blue)
Burke was a force behind the plate for Victoria Blue, claiming 12 assists and throwing out three of eight runners.
Burke recorded a perfect fielding percentage, and chimed in with a .359 batting average from 10 games.
U16 pitching champion: Tom Stancic (NSW)
In his first Australian Youth Championship, Stancic made a fine contribution to his team's back-to-back championships.
Stancic made three appearances, tossing eight scoreless innings.
Hitters only managed a .143 batting average against Stancic, who only allowed four total hits for the championship.
U16 hitting champion: Luke Smith (Queensland)
From the first game to the last, Queensland's Luke Smith was on fire.
Smith went 14-for-22 in his nine appearances this week, which is good for a .636 batting average.
Smith collected four doubles and five RBI, en route to a championship-high .680 on base percentage.
U16 fielding champion: Lachlan Wilson (Queensland)
Wilson recorded a championship high 22 assists and made 12 putouts en route to the U16 fielding award.
Wilson also chimed in with a .313 batting average, including a double, a triple and three RBI.
Congratulations to each recipient on their memorable performances and contributions!
Two champions were crowned on the final day of action from the 2019 Australian Youth Championship presented by Beastwear., including our very own U18 Blues! Check out the final daily recap from Blacktown!
U18 GOLD MEDAL GAME: Victoria Blue 14-2 New South Wales | BOX SCORE
Victoria Blue claimed their first Australian Championship in 15 years, as they defeated New South Wales 14-2 on Diamond 1.
Blake Townsend set the platform for Victoria Blue early, as the Mariners farmhand tossed five stellar innings.
Townsend, who was named the 2019 Golden Arm, only allowed three hits and allowed two unearned runs in his third quality start of the championship.
The seventh inning proved the difference, as Victoria Blue made the most of their opportunities. Both NSW and Vic Blue had two runners on base with no outs, but NSW failed to capitalise. Vic Blue on the other hand plated four and put the game beyond reach.
Relief pitcher Lachlan Hockey was immense for Victoria Blue, and was overjoyed after the game.
"The coaches just told me to pound strikes and let the defence work behind me," Hockey said.
"I've been playing with these guys together for the past few years, we're all really good mates and I couldn't be prouder."
Conor Myles capped off his MVP tournament with two hits and three RBI for Victoria Blue, while catcher Chris Burke picked up two hits of his own.
Aidan Torpey kept NSW in the ballgame through the middle innings, as the reliever only allowed one hit and striking out three.
Victoria Blue jumped on NSW starting pitcher Luke Krkovski early and kept the pressure on throughout, claiming their first U18 championship since the 2004 Australian Championship in Geelong.
U16 GOLD MEDAL GAME: New South Wales 10-3 Victoria Blue | BOX SCORE
New South Wales capped off an undefeated tournament with a hard-fought 10-3 win over Victoria Blue to claim the U16 Australian Championship.
After a perfect tournament in 2018, NSW again went undefeated, but not before coming back from three runs down.
After trailing by three runs in the early stages, NSW’s offence jumped on Vic Blue’s pitching through the middle innings, plating 10 unanswered runs to end the ballgame.
James Lynch worked well through the first two frames, but NSW’s offence clicked into gear in the fourth, as the defending champions scored three crucial runs.
NSW starter Jaxon Forbes gave up three early runs, but maintained his composure.
“I just wanted to bounce back and take it inning-by-inning,” Forbes said.
“This is the best team I’ve ever been a part of, I knew the guys could back me up offensively.”
Forbes was relieved by Solomon Maguire, who tossed three scoreless innings under pressure.
Maguire was also a threat with bat in hand, going 2-for-3 with a double and driving in three runs.
Charlie Collins set the tone early for Victoria Blue, nailing a triple off the first pitch of the ballgame, but NSW stormed home to claim their 21st consecutive win in the U16 age group.
U16 BRONZE MEDAL GAME: Western Australia 8-0 Victoria White | BOX SCORE
Western Australia scored early and never looked back, claiming the U16 bronze medal against Victoria White.
Max Chipper capped off a stellar tournament for WA with a pair of hits and an RBI, while first baseman Tye Kazmierowski picked up two RBI.
Dustin Brown struck out three in his 2 1/3 innings and was followed up perfectly by BJ Cooke.
Cooke only needed 47 pitches to get through four sparkling innings of relief, allowing one hit.
Leadoff hitter Travis Finney went 2-for-3 for Vic White, while Nick Bertucci and Jimin Lee claimed singles.
WA claimed seven wins from their 11 games, while Vic White managed four wins sealing a fourth place finish.
U18 7TH PLACE PLAYOFF: Victoria White 6-1 Australian Capital Territory | BOX SCORE
Donnie Poole lead from the front as Victoria White ended their championship on a high with a win over the ACT.
Poole struck out five in 6 1/3 outstanding innings, as he kept the ACT off the scoreboard in the first six frames. Riley Trad picked up where Poole lead off, striking out two in 2 2/3 scoreless innings of relief.
Victoria White broke the scoreless deadlock in the fourth, as Connor Hickey, Harvey Mitchelhill and Riley Light crossed the plate.
Mitchelhill finished with two hits for Vic White.
Cooper Morgan drove in the ACT's only run of the day in the seventh, but it was too late as Vic White claimed a seventh place finish.
Victoria Blue claimed their first Australian Championship in 15 years, as they defeated New South Wales 14-2 on Diamond 1.
Blake Townsend set the platform for Victoria Blue early, as the Mariners farmhand tossed five stellar innings.
Townsend, who was named the 2019 Golden Arm, only allowed three hits and allowed two unearned runs in his third quality start of the championship.
The seventh inning proved the difference, as Victoria Blue made the most of their opportunities. Both NSW and Vic Blue had two runners on base with no outs, but NSW failed to capitalise. Vic Blue on the other hand plated four and put the game beyond reach.
Relief pitcher Lachlan Hockey was immense for Victoria Blue, and was overjoyed after the game.
"The coaches just told me to pound strikes and let the defence work behind me," Hockey said.
"I've been playing with these guys together for the past few years, we're all really good mates and I couldn't be prouder."
Conor Myles capped off his MVP tournament with two hits and three RBI for Victoria Blue, while catcher Chris Burke picked up two hits of his own.
Aidan Torpey kept NSW in the ballgame through the middle innings, as the reliever only allowed one hit and striking out three.
Victoria Blue jumped on NSW starting pitcher Luke Krkovski early and kept the pressure on throughout, claiming their first U18 championship since the 2004 Australian Championship in Geelong.
U16 GOLD MEDAL GAME: New South Wales 10-3 Victoria Blue | BOX SCORE
New South Wales capped off an undefeated tournament with a hard-fought 10-3 win over Victoria Blue to claim the U16 Australian Championship.
After a perfect tournament in 2018, NSW again went undefeated, but not before coming back from three runs down.
After trailing by three runs in the early stages, NSW’s offence jumped on Vic Blue’s pitching through the middle innings, plating 10 unanswered runs to end the ballgame.
James Lynch worked well through the first two frames, but NSW’s offence clicked into gear in the fourth, as the defending champions scored three crucial runs.
NSW starter Jaxon Forbes gave up three early runs, but maintained his composure.
“I just wanted to bounce back and take it inning-by-inning,” Forbes said.
“This is the best team I’ve ever been a part of, I knew the guys could back me up offensively.”
Forbes was relieved by Solomon Maguire, who tossed three scoreless innings under pressure.
Maguire was also a threat with bat in hand, going 2-for-3 with a double and driving in three runs.
Charlie Collins set the tone early for Victoria Blue, nailing a triple off the first pitch of the ballgame, but NSW stormed home to claim their 21st consecutive win in the U16 age group.
U16 BRONZE MEDAL GAME: Western Australia 8-0 Victoria White | BOX SCORE
Western Australia scored early and never looked back, claiming the U16 bronze medal against Victoria White.
Max Chipper capped off a stellar tournament for WA with a pair of hits and an RBI, while first baseman Tye Kazmierowski picked up two RBI.
Dustin Brown struck out three in his 2 1/3 innings and was followed up perfectly by BJ Cooke.
Cooke only needed 47 pitches to get through four sparkling innings of relief, allowing one hit.
Leadoff hitter Travis Finney went 2-for-3 for Vic White, while Nick Bertucci and Jimin Lee claimed singles.
WA claimed seven wins from their 11 games, while Vic White managed four wins sealing a fourth place finish.
U18 7TH PLACE PLAYOFF: Victoria White 6-1 Australian Capital Territory | BOX SCORE
Donnie Poole lead from the front as Victoria White ended their championship on a high with a win over the ACT.
Poole struck out five in 6 1/3 outstanding innings, as he kept the ACT off the scoreboard in the first six frames. Riley Trad picked up where Poole lead off, striking out two in 2 2/3 scoreless innings of relief.
Victoria White broke the scoreless deadlock in the fourth, as Connor Hickey, Harvey Mitchelhill and Riley Light crossed the plate.
Mitchelhill finished with two hits for Vic White.
Cooper Morgan drove in the ACT's only run of the day in the seventh, but it was too late as Vic White claimed a seventh place finish.
Werribee Giants had a tough time generating runs on Sunday, dropping their first series of the season to Williamstown Wolves.
The Giants got on the board in the second inning when Andrew Christou singled on a 2-0 count, scoring one run.
The Wolves evened things up at one in the bottom of the third inning. Troy Malthouse hit into a fielder's choice, scoring one run.
The Wolves pulled away for good with four runs in the fourth inning. In the fourth Mitchell Collins singled on the first pitch of the at bat, scoring one run and Jayde Thorne homered on a 0-1 count, scoring three runs.
Dennis Neal-Back was credited with the victory for the Wolves. He surrendered two runs on six hits over seven innings, striking out ten. Thorne and Sam Thompson entered the game out of the bullpen and helped to close out the game in relief.
Josh Lee took the loss for the Giants. He surrendered five runs on six hits over five innings, striking out five and walking one.
The Giants totaled eight hits. Christou and Guillermo Salazar each racked up multiple hits for the Giants. Salazar and Christou each managed two hits to lead the Giants.
Neal-Back led the Wolves with two hits in four at bats.
Two champions were crowned on the final day of action from the 2019 Australian Youth Championship presented by Beastwear. Check out the final daily recap from Blacktown!
U18 GOLD MEDAL GAME: Victoria Blue 14-2 New South Wales | BOX SCORE
Victoria Blue claimed their first Australian Championship in 15 years, as they defeated New South Wales 14-2 on Diamond 1.
Blake Townsend set the platform for Victoria Blue early, as the Mariners farmhand tossed five stellar innings.
Townsend, who was named the 2019 Golden Arm, only allowed three hits and allowed two unearned runs in his third quality start of the championship.
The seventh inning proved the difference, as Victoria Blue made the most of their opportunities. Both NSW and Vic Blue had two runners on base with no outs, but NSW failed to capitalise. Vic Blue on the other hand plated four and put the game beyond reach.
Relief pitcher Lachlan Hockey was immense for Victoria Blue, and was overjoyed after the game.
"The coaches just told me to pound strikes and let the defence work behind me," Hockey said.
"I've been playing with these guys together for the past few years, we're all really good mates and I couldn't be prouder."
Conor Myles capped off his MVP tournament with two hits and three RBI for Victoria Blue, while catcher Chris Burke picked up two hits of his own.
Aidan Torpey kept NSW in the ballgame through the middle innings, as the reliever only allowed one hit and striking out three.
Victoria Blue jumped on NSW starting pitcher Luke Krkovski early and kept the pressure on throughout, claiming their first U18 championship since the 2004 Australian Championship in Geelong.
U16 GOLD MEDAL GAME: New South Wales 10-3 Victoria Blue | BOX SCORE
New South Wales capped off an undefeated tournament with a hard-fought 10-3 win over Victoria Blue to claim the U16 Australian Championship.
After a perfect tournament in 2018, NSW again went undefeated, but not before coming back from three runs down.
After trailing by three runs in the early stages, NSW’s offence jumped on Vic Blue’s pitching through the middle innings, plating 10 unanswered runs to end the ballgame.
James Lynch worked well through the first two frames, but NSW’s offence clicked into gear in the fourth, as the defending champions scored three crucial runs.
NSW starter Jaxon Forbes gave up three early runs, but maintained his composure.
“I just wanted to bounce back and take it inning-by-inning,” Forbes said.
“This is the best team I’ve ever been a part of, I knew the guys could back me up offensively.”
Forbes was relieved by Solomon Maguire, who tossed three scoreless innings under pressure.
Maguire was also a threat with bat in hand, going 2-for-3 with a double and driving in three runs.
Charlie Collins set the tone early for Victoria Blue, nailing a triple off the first pitch of the ballgame, but NSW stormed home to claim their 21st consecutive win in the U16 age group.
U16 BRONZE MEDAL GAME: Western Australia 8-0 Victoria White | BOX SCORE
Western Australia scored early and never looked back, claiming the U16 bronze medal against Victoria White.
Max Chipper capped off a stellar tournament for WA with a pair of hits and an RBI, while first baseman Tye Kazmierowski picked up two RBI.
Dustin Brown struck out three in his 2 1/3 innings and was followed up perfectly by BJ Cooke.
Cooke only needed 47 pitches to get through four sparkling innings of relief, allowing one hit.
Leadoff hitter Travis Finney went 2-for-3 for Vic White, while Nick Bertucci and Jimin Lee claimed singles.
WA claimed seven wins from their 11 games, while Vic White managed four wins sealing a fourth place finish.
U18 BRONZE MEDAL GAME: Western Australia 12-5 South Australia | BOX SCORE
Cayden Nicoletto concluded his fine tournament with a stellar performance, sealing the bronze medal for WA.
Nicoletto was a double shy of the cycle, as he went 4-for-5 with a triple, a homer and four RBI.
Nicoletto has fired all week for WA, after spending time on the Perth Heat roster earlier in the ABL season.
WA scored early and often, as they plated runs in each of the first five innings.
Lachlan Waite settled after giving up an early run, going 6 1/3 innings, striking out three and allowing four runs.
Carter Powell and Jacob Scott claimed two hits apiece for SA, while Seiichiro Suzuki drove in two of SA’s five runs.
SA claimed three wins at the 2019 Australian Youth Championship, while WA recorded seven.
U16 SEVENTH PLACE PLAYOFF: New South Wales Country 12-11 South Australia | BOX SCORE
New South Wales Country scored the last four runs of the ballgame to eclipse South Australia and claim seventh place in the U16s.
Luke Jacobs doubled to right field with one out, scoring Brandon Tangaroa and sealing a seventh place finish.
Jacobs and Harrison Dobb were crucial at the top of Country’s lineup, each claiming three hits.
Mathew Clements produced one of the offensive performances of the tournament, going 4-for-4 with a double and six RBI.
SA hit well as a team, with Liam Westdijk and Tom Paparella each claiming two RBI.
Country came back from five runs down early, as they claim seventh place in the U16s.
U16 FIFTH PLACE PLAYOFF: Queensland 9-6 Australian Capital Territory | BOX SCORE
Queensland scored five in the first and never looked back, claiming fifth spot in the U16s with a three run win over the ACT.
Luke Smith was outstanding for Queensland, going 4-for-4 with three stolen bases. Smith scored three times as Queensland picked up their third win in the last three days.
Cain McClelland went 3-for-3 and continued his strong tournament, while starting pitcher Joel Hogan allowed three runs in 4 2/3 innings.
Lochlainn Varian finished his strong tournament with a double and a triple, while reliever Zak Elvy tossed 3 1/3 strong innings of relief.
U18 5TH PLACE PLAYOFF: Queensland 14-4 New South Wales Country | BOX SCORE
Queensland exploded early and never looked back, topping NSW Country in their final game of the championship.
In the blink of an eye, Queensland plated five in the first as Liam MacDonald, Angelo Natale, Seth McClelland and Jaiden Holly all claimed RBI.
QLD starter Deegan Powell needed 59 pitches to navigate three innings, but he did so successfully, fanning five and only allowing one hit.
Alex Skepton picked up three hits in the leadoff spot for QLD, while Holly claimed a team-high three RBI.
Bailey Van Leeuwen drove in a pair of runs in the sixth thanks to an RBI double, and reliever Josh Smith was solid, allowing one run in 3 2/3 innings of relief.
Country plated four of the last five runs of the ballgame, but it was too late as Queensland sewed up fifth spot.
U18 7TH PLACE PLAYOFF: Victoria White 6-1 Australian Capital Territory | BOX SCORE
Donnie Poole lead from the front as Victoria White ended their championship on a high with a win over the ACT.
Poole struck out five in 6 1/3 outstanding innings, as he kept the ACT off the scoreboard in the first six frames. Riley Trad picked up where Poole lead off, striking out two in 2 2/3 scoreless innings of relief.
Victoria White broke the scoreless deadlock in the fourth, as Connor Hickey, Harvey Mitchelhill and Riley Light crossed the plate.
Mitchelhill finished with two hits for Vic White.
Cooper Morgan drove in the ACT's only run of the day in the seventh, but it was too late as Vic White claimed a seventh place finish.
U18 GOLD MEDAL GAME: Victoria Blue 14-2 New South Wales | BOX SCORE
Victoria Blue claimed their first Australian Championship in 15 years, as they defeated New South Wales 14-2 on Diamond 1.
Blake Townsend set the platform for Victoria Blue early, as the Mariners farmhand tossed five stellar innings.
Townsend, who was named the 2019 Golden Arm, only allowed three hits and allowed two unearned runs in his third quality start of the championship.
The seventh inning proved the difference, as Victoria Blue made the most of their opportunities. Both NSW and Vic Blue had two runners on base with no outs, but NSW failed to capitalise. Vic Blue on the other hand plated four and put the game beyond reach.
Relief pitcher Lachlan Hockey was immense for Victoria Blue, and was overjoyed after the game.
"The coaches just told me to pound strikes and let the defence work behind me," Hockey said.
"I've been playing with these guys together for the past few years, we're all really good mates and I couldn't be prouder."
Conor Myles capped off his MVP tournament with two hits and three RBI for Victoria Blue, while catcher Chris Burke picked up two hits of his own.
Aidan Torpey kept NSW in the ballgame through the middle innings, as the reliever only allowed one hit and striking out three.
Victoria Blue jumped on NSW starting pitcher Luke Krkovski early and kept the pressure on throughout, claiming their first U18 championship since the 2004 Australian Championship in Geelong.
U16 GOLD MEDAL GAME: New South Wales 10-3 Victoria Blue | BOX SCORE
New South Wales capped off an undefeated tournament with a hard-fought 10-3 win over Victoria Blue to claim the U16 Australian Championship.
After a perfect tournament in 2018, NSW again went undefeated, but not before coming back from three runs down.
After trailing by three runs in the early stages, NSW’s offence jumped on Vic Blue’s pitching through the middle innings, plating 10 unanswered runs to end the ballgame.
James Lynch worked well through the first two frames, but NSW’s offence clicked into gear in the fourth, as the defending champions scored three crucial runs.
NSW starter Jaxon Forbes gave up three early runs, but maintained his composure.
“I just wanted to bounce back and take it inning-by-inning,” Forbes said.
“This is the best team I’ve ever been a part of, I knew the guys could back me up offensively.”
Forbes was relieved by Solomon Maguire, who tossed three scoreless innings under pressure.
Maguire was also a threat with bat in hand, going 2-for-3 with a double and driving in three runs.
Charlie Collins set the tone early for Victoria Blue, nailing a triple off the first pitch of the ballgame, but NSW stormed home to claim their 21st consecutive win in the U16 age group.
U16 BRONZE MEDAL GAME: Western Australia 8-0 Victoria White | BOX SCORE
Western Australia scored early and never looked back, claiming the U16 bronze medal against Victoria White.
Max Chipper capped off a stellar tournament for WA with a pair of hits and an RBI, while first baseman Tye Kazmierowski picked up two RBI.
Dustin Brown struck out three in his 2 1/3 innings and was followed up perfectly by BJ Cooke.
Cooke only needed 47 pitches to get through four sparkling innings of relief, allowing one hit.
Leadoff hitter Travis Finney went 2-for-3 for Vic White, while Nick Bertucci and Jimin Lee claimed singles.
WA claimed seven wins from their 11 games, while Vic White managed four wins sealing a fourth place finish.
U18 BRONZE MEDAL GAME: Western Australia 12-5 South Australia | BOX SCORE
Cayden Nicoletto concluded his fine tournament with a stellar performance, sealing the bronze medal for WA.
Nicoletto was a double shy of the cycle, as he went 4-for-5 with a triple, a homer and four RBI.
Nicoletto has fired all week for WA, after spending time on the Perth Heat roster earlier in the ABL season.
WA scored early and often, as they plated runs in each of the first five innings.
Lachlan Waite settled after giving up an early run, going 6 1/3 innings, striking out three and allowing four runs.
Carter Powell and Jacob Scott claimed two hits apiece for SA, while Seiichiro Suzuki drove in two of SA’s five runs.
SA claimed three wins at the 2019 Australian Youth Championship, while WA recorded seven.
U16 SEVENTH PLACE PLAYOFF: New South Wales Country 12-11 South Australia | BOX SCORE
New South Wales Country scored the last four runs of the ballgame to eclipse South Australia and claim seventh place in the U16s.
Luke Jacobs doubled to right field with one out, scoring Brandon Tangaroa and sealing a seventh place finish.
Jacobs and Harrison Dobb were crucial at the top of Country’s lineup, each claiming three hits.
Mathew Clements produced one of the offensive performances of the tournament, going 4-for-4 with a double and six RBI.
SA hit well as a team, with Liam Westdijk and Tom Paparella each claiming two RBI.
Country came back from five runs down early, as they claim seventh place in the U16s.
U16 FIFTH PLACE PLAYOFF: Queensland 9-6 Australian Capital Territory | BOX SCORE
Queensland scored five in the first and never looked back, claiming fifth spot in the U16s with a three run win over the ACT.
Luke Smith was outstanding for Queensland, going 4-for-4 with three stolen bases. Smith scored three times as Queensland picked up their third win in the last three days.
Cain McClelland went 3-for-3 and continued his strong tournament, while starting pitcher Joel Hogan allowed three runs in 4 2/3 innings.
Lochlainn Varian finished his strong tournament with a double and a triple, while reliever Zak Elvy tossed 3 1/3 strong innings of relief.
U18 5TH PLACE PLAYOFF: Queensland 14-4 New South Wales Country | BOX SCORE
Queensland exploded early and never looked back, topping NSW Country in their final game of the championship.
In the blink of an eye, Queensland plated five in the first as Liam MacDonald, Angelo Natale, Seth McClelland and Jaiden Holly all claimed RBI.
QLD starter Deegan Powell needed 59 pitches to navigate three innings, but he did so successfully, fanning five and only allowing one hit.
Alex Skepton picked up three hits in the leadoff spot for QLD, while Holly claimed a team-high three RBI.
Bailey Van Leeuwen drove in a pair of runs in the sixth thanks to an RBI double, and reliever Josh Smith was solid, allowing one run in 3 2/3 innings of relief.
Country plated four of the last five runs of the ballgame, but it was too late as Queensland sewed up fifth spot.
U18 7TH PLACE PLAYOFF: Victoria White 6-1 Australian Capital Territory | BOX SCORE
Donnie Poole lead from the front as Victoria White ended their championship on a high with a win over the ACT.
Poole struck out five in 6 1/3 outstanding innings, as he kept the ACT off the scoreboard in the first six frames. Riley Trad picked up where Poole lead off, striking out two in 2 2/3 scoreless innings of relief.
Victoria White broke the scoreless deadlock in the fourth, as Connor Hickey, Harvey Mitchelhill and Riley Light crossed the plate.
Mitchelhill finished with two hits for Vic White.
Cooper Morgan drove in the ACT's only run of the day in the seventh, but it was too late as Vic White claimed a seventh place finish.
Victoria Blue claimed their first Australian Championship in 15 years, as they defeated New South Wales 14-2 on Diamond 1.
Blake Townsend set the platform for Victoria Blue early, as the Mariners farmhand tossed five stellar innings.
Townsend, who was named the 2019 Golden Arm, only allowed three hits and allowed two unearned runs in his third quality start of the championship.
The seventh inning proved the difference, as Victoria Blue made the most of their opportunities. Both NSW and Vic Blue had two runners on base with no outs, but NSW failed to capitalise. Vic Blue on the other hand plated for and put the game beyond reach.
Relief pitcher Lachlan Hockey was immense for Victoria Blue, and was overjoyed after the game.
"The coaches just told me to pound strikes and let the defence work behind me," Hockey said.
"I've been playing with these guys together for the past few years, we're all really good mates and I couldn't be prouder."
Conor Myles capped off his MVP tournament with two hits and three RBI for Victoria Blue, while catcher Chris Burke picked up two hits of his own.
Aidan Torpey kept NSW in the ballgame through the middle innings, as the reliever only allowed one hit and striking out three.
Victoria Blue jumped on NSW starting pitcher Luke Krkovski early and kept the pressure on throughout, claiming their first championship since the 2004 Australian Championship in Geelong.
New South Wales capped off an undefeated tournament with a hard-fought 10-3 win over Victoria Blue to claim the U16 Australian Championship.
After a perfect tournament in 2018, NSW again went undefeated coming back from three runs down.
After trailing by three runs in the early stages, NSW’s offence jumped on Vic Blue’s pitching through the middle innings, plating 10 unanswered runs to end the ballgame.
James Lynch worked well through the first two frames, but NSW’s offence clicked into gear in the fourth, as the defending champions scored three crucial runs.
NSW starter Jaxon Forbes gave up three early runs, but maintained his composure.
“I just wanted to bounce back and take it inning-by-inning,” Forbes said.
“This is the best team I’ve ever been a part of, I knew the guys could back me up offensively.”
Forbes was relieved by Solomon Maguire, who tossed three scoreless innings under pressure.
Maguire was also a threat with bat in hand, going 2-for-3 with a double and driving in three runs.
Charlie Collins set the tone early for Victoria Blue, nailing a triple off the first pitch of the ballgame, but NSW stormed home to claim their 21st consecutive win in the U16 age group.
The big day is finally here! The medal games are upon us, and what a day of baseball we have ahead of us!
DIAMOND 1 LIVE SCORING: http://bit.ly/2QyJ7ee
DIAMOND 2 LIVE SCORING: http://bit.ly/2VEubik
DIAMOND 3 LIVE SCORING: http://bit.ly/2CbVkAp
SCHEDULE: http://bit.ly/2Bi8XNM
U18 ROSTERS: http://bit.ly/2Bg6FPo
U16 ROSTERS: http://bit.ly/2PCcdJ3
DAY 9 RECAP: http://bit.ly/2CwK7dP
The matchups for the medal games are all set, and tomorrow should be a memorable day! Before we get to tomorrow, there were eight massive ballgames to recap today! Check them out here.
U16: Victoria Blue 14-5 Victoria White | BOX SCORE
Victoria Blue have sealed their place in the gold medal game after a big win over Victoria White on Diamond 2.
In the blink of an eye Vic Blue raced out to an eight run lead, as their offence clicked into gear.
Seven of their 16 hits were doubles, with centerfielder Jaycob Pascuzzi going a perfect 4-for-4 with two doubles and five RBI.
Marshall Hansen drive in four runs of his own, including an RBI double off the first pitch he saw.
Matthew West struck out six in 4 1/3 innings of work, only allowing two baserunners in his first three innings on the hill.
Andrei Popa-Smith picked up a team-high two hits, with Tim Liersch and Alex James claiming RBI.
Vic Blue match up with NSW in the gold medal game, with Vic White taking on WA for the bronze.
U18: Australian Capital Territory 7-4 Victoria White | BOX SCORE
ACT plated two in the first and never looked back, claiming their first win of pool play on Diamond 2.
Cooper Morgan set the tone early for ACT, going 3-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI in the leadoff spot.
Despite giving up five hits in his start, Jack Mitchell kept his composure on the mound, only allowing one run in 3 2/3 innings.
The heart of the Vic White lineup did the damage, as Harvey Mitchelhill went 3-for-5 with a double and a triple. Mack Turley nailed a home run and drove in two for Vic White, but it wasn’t enough as ACT held on.
ACT and Vic White will do battle again tomorrow in the seventh place playoff, first pitch is scheduled for 3.15pm.
U18: New South Wales 6-5 Victoria Blue | BOX SCORE
New South Wales will be the home team in tomorrow's gold medal game against Victoria Blue after a one run win to conclude pool play.
NSW inflicted Victoria Blue's first loss of the tournament off the back of six strong innings from Ethan Keane.
Keane struck out seven and only allowed two earned runs in six innings of work, while for Vic Blue, Tim Reid was equally as impressive, surrendering one hit in five innings of relief.
Jo Stevens lead the way for NSW with three hits, while Taituha Nukunuku continued his excellent tournament, driving in a team-high two runs.
Damon Hill's two RBI single in the bottom of the ninth gave Vic Blue some hope, but their comeback fell short.
Both teams will meet again tomorrow in the gold medal game.