Baseball Australia would like to congratulate the team named to the U15 World Cup Oceania Qualifer, which begins on the 18th of January in Auckland, New Zealand.
This team will take on Fiji, New Caledonia and host nation New Zealand between 18-21 January as they attempt to qualify for the U15 World Cup.
The U15 World Cup will take place in Panama City, Panama between 10-19 August 2018.
Stay tuned to Baseball Australia's website and social media pages for updates, match results and much more.
Jacob Bald - VIC
Jake Burns - NSW
Charlie Collins - VIC
Jaime Fox - QLD
Elijah Hewett - WA
Ian Lee - QLD
Solomon Maguire - NSW
Jimmy Nati - NSW
Maddux Stivey - WA
Mitchell Thomas - VIC
Riley Yeatman - SA
Tye Kazmierowski - WA
Marcus Graham - VIC
Max Chipper - WA
Aiden Prokopec - SA
Nicholas Chappell - NSW
Brent Iredale - NSW
Blake Holding - VIC
Patrik Paramonov - ACT
Parker Robinson - NSW
Head Coach: Steve Fish
Assistant Coach: Tyrone Hambly
Pitching Coach: Graeme Lloyd
Executive Officer: Neil Barrowcliff
Two star infielders were named MVPs of the U16 and U18 Australian Youth Championships which concluded yesterday in Blacktown.
U18 MVP: Curtis Mead (South Australia)
Curtis Mead lead South Australia to an Australian Championship, and capped off his tournament with a Most Valuable Player award.
The Adelaide Bite infielder finished with 15 hits from 10 games, with five doubles, a triple and six RBIs.
Mead also anchored a strong South Australian infield, as he consistently made outstanding plays at shortstop.
U16 MVP: Travis Bazzana (New South Wales)
Another infielder who doubled up with an MVP and an Australian Championship is NSW shortstop Travis Bazzana.
Bazzana was the winning run in the U16 Gold Medal game against Victoria, and finished his tournament with a .524 batting average, 11 hits and five RBI.
As well as patience at the plate, Bazzana showed speed on the base paths, stealing four bases in four attempts.
U18 Golden Arm: Blake Townsend (Victoria)
By far the most dominant arm of the tournament, Victorian lefty Blake Townsend put in three lights out starts to claim the pitching award.
Townsend struck out 22 hitters in fifteen scoreless innings of work, including an incredible complete game shutout against eventual champions South Australia.
After making his professional debut this season in the ABL, the 16-year-old will be a dominant force for years to come.
U16 Golden Arm: Jack Higginbotham (South Australia)
Four strong appearances from South Australian Jack Higginbotham sealed his U16 Golden Arm award.
Higginbotham only conceded two earned runs in 14.1 innings of work on the hill, striking out six and only surrendering six hits all tournament.
As well as his superb exploits on the mound, Higginbothm picked up five hits and three RBI.
U18 Batting Title: Jarrod Miller (South Australia)
Two doubles and a solo home run in the Gold Medal game sealed Jarrod Miller’s U18 batting title.
Miller finished his tournament with 14 hits and .452 batting average. 11 RBIs and a game sealing home run in the Gold Medal Game capped off a memorable tournament for the South Australian third baseman.
U16 Batting Title: Solomon Maguire (New South Wales)
NSW outfielder Solomon Maguire confirmed his status as one of the brightest young bats in the country with an outstanding tournament.
Maguire finished with a .550 batting average, a tournament high 11 hits and seven RBI.
A feature of Maguire’s game is his speed, and he showed that with three doubles and three triples across the ten day tournament.
U18 Gold Glove: Ben Fierenzi (Victoria)
2017’s U16 MVP continued his rise through the ranks, capping off a strong tournament with a U18 Gold Glove.
Ben Fierenzi finished the tournament with a perfect fielding percentage, 18 assists and five double plays turned as he cemented himself as a star of the Victorian infield.
U16: Gold Glove: Jarryd Wood (Victoria Blue)
Victorian infielders have had a long history of success, and they seem to have found another with Jarryd Wood.
Wood turned four double plays and gave Victoria Blue a consistent bat throughout the tournament.
Six hits, a home run and three doubles added to his legitimate infield glovework.
U16 7th Place Playoff: Victoria White 8-6 Australian Capital Territory
Familiar foes Victoria White and the ACT played out another tight ballgame, but Victoria White’s consistency was the difference as they finished their tournament with an 8-6 victory.
Victoria White scored in five of their six offensive innings, including a game-changing four spot in the third which swung the momentum their way.
The top half of the Victorian lineup did the damage in this one, as Cal Vance finished his tournament on the right note, going 2-for-4 with two RBIs.
Tom Shakespeare and James Warwick picked up two hits apiece for the ACT as they jumped out to an early lead.
However the ACT’s offence was slowed by Victorian Finn O’Connell who tossed three scoreless innings to keep his team in the ballgame.
Vic White pushed a run across in each of the final three innings as they withstood a late ACT fightback to finish seventh.
U16 5th Place Playoff: Queensland 4-2 New South Wales Country
Queensland used three first inning runs to set the tone, and held on against a fast finishing NSW Country side to claim fifth place at the Australian Youth Championship.
Patrick Day was outstanding for Queensland on the hill, as he struck out six in 6.2 fantastic innings of work.
Day was given a three run cushion early on, as Deegan Powell’s two RBI triple capped off the big first inning.
Day’s opposite number, Country starter Brett Allen overcame a slow start to settle into his work nicely.
Allen struck out four and only allowed one run in his final four innings of work.
As they’ve done all tournament, NSW Country consistently found their way on base, and the final inning was no exception.
Back to back singles and a sac-fly scored a run for Country, but they couldn’t push any more across as Queensland held on to finish their tournament in fifth.
U16 Bronze Medal: Western Australia 7-3 South Australia
Western Australia scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth to secure the Bronze Medal, as they defeated South Australia.
Will Sherriff battled all morning on the mound for Western Australia in his five inning start, while Tye Kazmierowski shut the door on South Australia, as the WA utility tossed two scoreless innings to end the ballgame.
Ben Drew was the only WA played to record multiple RBIs (2) from a triple and two walks, while Ayden Cartwright finished his solid tournament with a pair of hits.
Liam Bull and Kiall Whitcher claimed two hits apiece, with Bull picking up two RBIs.
South Australia took the lead in the third inning, but from there it was all WA, as they scored the final five runs of the ballgame to finish in third place.
U16 Gold Medal: New South Wales 3-2 Victoria
New South Wales U16s capped off their perfect Australian Youth Championship with a walkoff victory in the gold medal game against Victoria.
Clayton Campbell put the ball in play with two outs in the bottom of the seventh and final inning, and despite his solid tournament at shortstop, Jarryd Wood couldn’t complete the final out as the winning run crossed the plate.
Both teams were understandably on edge in the early frames, with Keenan Spence’s mammoth solo shot giving Victoria an early one run lead.
Chris Nielsen was immense for Victoria, as the righty gave his team every chance to win.
Nielsen’s fourth outing of the tournament was one of his best, as he cooled the hottest offence in the competition – only giving up two runs in 5.1 unbelievable innings of work.
NSW starter Blake Cavill failed to settle on the mound, as manager Scott Tunkin turned to his bullpen early.
That moved proved a master stroke, as Josh Pearl only gave up one hit and struck out six in 2.2 innings of relief.
Solomon Maguire continued his excellent form in the final, as the right fielder finished with three hits.
Neither team blinked in the late stages, as extra innings seemed a formality.
However as they have done all tournament, New South Wales failed to take their foot off the pedal and with two outs they took control.
Back-to-back singles from Travis Bazzana and Solomon Maguire had everyone on edge, and from there it was Clayton Campbell whose quality hitting enabled Bazzana to score the winning run.
U18: Western Australia 7-4 New South Wales
New South Wales got the jump on Western Australia, but late runs saw WA get home on the final day of the Australian Youth Championship.
Lochlan Southee gave up four runs in the first two innings, but eventually settled nicely to end up with a complete game for Western Australia.
Jett Wright finished off his tournament well, as the Perth Heat representative went 2-for-3 with two doubles and three RBI.
Josh Gessner was given the start for NSW and worked manfully on the hill, as he struck out eight and only allowed three runs in five innings of work.
Jaylin Rae lead the line for New South Wales with three hits, while clean-up hitter Caleb Shepherd drove in three of NSW’s seven runs.
New South Wales threatened all the way to the end leaving the bases loaded in the ninth, but WA had the final say to sneak home.
U18: Western Australia 5-3 Australian Capital Territory
Western Australia finished their U18 campaign on a solid note, overcoming a pair of strong ACT pitchers to win 5-3.
The ACT rolled out their two Australian U18 representatives in Jake Green and Brodie Cooper-Vassalakis, with Cooper-Vassalakis striking out seven and only allowing one hit in his three innings of relief.
Daniel Ivester nailed a solo homer in the sixth to bring it back for the ACT, while Thomas Lord had a team high two hits.
Hits were shared for Western Australia, as each of the top five in the lineup claiming a base hit each.
Jack Bowins fanned five in his two innings of work, while Raleigh Pelkonen and Broadee Binder combined to keep the ACT offence quiet through the middle frames.
The ACT scored twice in the second to claim an early lead, however some strong team play from Western Australia pulled them back and the 2017 champions held on for their fifth win of the tournament.
U18 Bronze Medal Game: Victoria 9-4 New South Wales Country
Victoria scored early and withstood a Country comeback to claim the bronze medal in the U18s this morning on Diamond 1.
Behind a fantastic start from Liam Evans (4IP, 3H, 1ER, 8K), Victoria sealed a well-earned third place.
Evans was backed up by a strong Victorian offence, as four hitters recorded two hits each.
Zak Skinner picked up a team high two RBIs, as Victoria consistently found men on base throughout.
The early innings was where the game was won for Victoria, as they scored eight runs in the first four innings.
Jack Fishburn did his best to keep NSW Country in the ballgame, striking out five and only conceding one run in 4.1 innings of work.
Pinch-hitter Mitchell Pearce picked up two RBIs from his double in the eighth inning as Country scored three runs.
Country had a couple of runners on base in the ninth inning, but Richard Kiel finished off the ballgame for Victoria as they sealed bronze.
U18 Gold Medal Game: South Australia 9-0 Queensland
South Australia have broken a 30 year drought as they claimed the U18 Australian Championship at Blacktown International Sportspark this afternoon.
Behind a stunning start from Adelaide Bite representative Tyson McKee, South Australia defeated Queensland 9-0.
McKee finished with seven shutout innings on the day, scattering four hits and striking out five in a performance for the ages.
Queensland starting pitcher Kaiki Furutani-Burns battled all afternoon against a tough SA lineup, but South Australia broke the game wide open in the fourth inning.
Jarrod Miller began the fourth with a leadoff double, and capped it off seven runs later with his second double of the inning.
Miller finished the ballgame with two doubles, three RBI and a seventh inning home run, sending his South Australia teammates into raptures on the bench.
As they have done all tournament, South Australia’s pitching and defence lead the foundation for the victory, which enabled their bats to string together multiple hits.
Queensland played some outstanding baseball all tournament, but they ran into a high quality arm and a red-hot South Australian offence.
This U18 Australian Championship is South Australia’s first in 30 years, with the 1988 team including former MLBer Mark Hutton and Adelaide Bite General Manager Nathan Davison.
U16 Final Standings
1. New South Wales
2. Victoria Blue
3. Western Australia
4. South Australia
5. Queensland
6. New South Wales Country
7. Victoria White
8. Australian Capital Territory
U18 Final Standings
1. South Australia
2. Queensland
3. Victoria
4. New South Wales Country
5. Western Australia
6. New South Wales
7. Australian Capital Territory
South Australia have broken a 30 year drought as they claimed the U18 Australian Championship at Blacktown International Sportspark this afternoon.
Behind a stunning start from Adelaide Bite representative Tyson McKee, South Australia defeated Queensland 9-0.
McKee finished with seven shutout innings on the day, scattering four hits and striking out five in a performance for the ages.
Queensland starting pitcher Kaiki Furutani-Burns battled all afternoon against a tough SA lineup, but South Australia broke the game wide open in the fourth inning.
Jarrod Miller began the fourth with a leadoff double, and capped it off seven runs later with his second double of the inning.
Miller finished the ballgame with two doubles, three RBI and a seventh inning home run, sending his South Australia teammates into raptures on the bench.
As they have done all tournament, South Australia’s pitching and defence lead the foundation for the victory, which enabled their bats to string together multiple hits.
Queensland played some outstanding baseball all tournament, but they ran into a high quality arm and a red-hot South Australian offence.
This U18 Australian Championship is South Australia’s first in 30 years, with the 1988 team including former MLBer Mark Hutton and Adelaide Bite General Manager Nathan Davison.
New South Wales U16s capped off their perfect Australian Youth Championship with a walkoff victory in the gold medal game against Victoria.
Clayton Campbell put the ball in play with two outs in the bottom of the seventh and final inning, and despite his solid tournament at shortstop, Jarryd Wood couldn’t complete the final out as the winning run crossed the plate.
Both teams were understandably on edge in the early frames, with Keenan Spence’s mammoth solo shot giving Victoria an early one run lead.
Chris Nielsen was immense for Victoria, as the righty gave his team every chance to win.
Nielsen’s fourth outing of the tournament was one of his best, as he cooled the hottest offence in the competition – only giving up two runs in 5.1 unbelievable innings of work.
NSW starter Blake Cavill failed to settle on the mound, as manager Scott Tunkin turned to his bullpen early.
That moved proved a master stroke, as Josh Pearl only gave up one hit and struck out six in 2.2 innings of relief.
Solomon Maguire continued his excellent form in the final, as the right fielder finished with three hits.
Neither team blinked in the late stages, as extra innings seemed a formality.
However as they have done all tournament, New South Wales failed to take their foot off the pedal and with two outs they took control.
Back-to-back singles from Travis Bazzana and Solomon Maguire had everyone on edge, and from there it was Clayton Campbell whose quality hitting enabled Bazzana to score the winning run.
U16: Western Australia 8-1 South Australia
Western Australia left it late, but eventually got the job done as they defeated South Australia 8-1.
A six run inning capped off by Caiden Deal’s three run double turned the game on its head, as Western Australia kept the line moving throughout the big inning.
South Australia turned the only triple play of the tournament, as four SA players combined to record outs in centrefield, third base and second base.
Carter Dowling went 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI in the nine hole for Western Australia, as his team’s offence clicked into overdrive late.
A fantastic start from Dan Carter kept Western Australia in the ballgame throughout, as he only gave up two hits in five strong innings.
U16: New South Wales 7-5 Victoria Blue
New South Wales were on the brink of their first loss of the tournament, but a six run inning flipped the script, as they maintained their perfect record.
Dylan Clarke continued his strong tournament for NSW driving in a team high three RBI, while Nicholas Chappell went 2-for-2 with two RBI.
Clarke and Chappell were the catalysts for the NSW comeback, as they both claimed 2RBI singles in the sixth.
Dylan Martin was immense in keeping NSW in the ballgame, tossing 2.1 innings of perfect relief, as he did not yield a baserunner.
Tom Seddon gave his team an ideal platform, as the Victorian starter only gave up one earned run in three solid innings.
Blake Holding had a team-high two hits, with the RBIs split evenly among the Victorian lineup.
U16: Queensland 17-8 New South Wales Country
Queensland used a late offensive showing to eclipse New South Wales Country on Diamond 3.
A seven run seventh inning was capped off by a two-run blast from Marcus Feagaiga as Queensland finally shook off a solid New South Wales Country team.
Josh McDonald was one of Queensland’s best on the bump, as the reliever struck out five in three strong innings.
New South Wales Country hit consistently all day, as first baseman Lex Trattles finished with a team-high two RBI.
Country scored five runs in the third inning to take an early lead, but a flurry of runs highlighted by Feagaiga’s home run and a pair of triples lead Queensland to a nine run win.
U18: Western Australia 14-7 Australian Capital Territory
The ACT flew out of the blocks, but Western Australia reeled them in to record a 14-7 victory.
Samuel Collier came in during a difficult spot for Western Australia, but kept his composure to finish with five strong innings of work.
Lachlan Brear hit well all afternoon, picking up four RBI from his three doubles.
Dawson Summers, Cayden Nicoletto and Nicholas Riley all contributed at the top of the WA order with two hits each.
The ACT offence was evenly spread, with first baseman Jordan Kelly finishing with a team-high three RBI.
Western Australia used a massive seven run inning to break the game wide open, as they never looked back to finish with their second win from as many second-round games.
U18: Victoria 5-0 New South Wales Country
Declan Croker twirled an absolute gem as Victoria got over New South Wales Country on Diamond 1.
Croker only surrendered one hit and struck out four in 6.1 near-perfect frames, giving his team the perfect launching pad for success.
New South Wales Country’s pitchers also managed to keep the Victorian lineup relatively in check throughout the ballgame with Lachlan Dean (3IP, 3H, 1ER, 1K) the pick of the pitchers.
Josh Meyer lead the line for Victoria with a pair of hits, while Chase Karn and Jack Fishburn recorded the two hits for New South Wales Country.
William Kline-Marantelli threw two scoreless innings to end the ballgame for Victoria, as they finished with two wins from their three games in the second round of action.
U16: Victoria White 8-7 Australian Capital Territory
Victoria White eclipsed a six run deficit through the middle innings to record a walk-off win against the ACT on Diamond 3.
Cal Vance sent Victoria White fans home happy, as his RBI single in the bottom of the seventh scored Sadi Nergiz to complete the comeback.
Vance finished with a team high three hits, while catcher Cameron Zimmerman showed patience at the plate, going 1-for-2 with an RBI and two walks.
Beckham Crooks was fantastic for the ACT on the mound, striking out five and only yielding one run in his three innings.
Tom Shakespeare lead his ACT team with two hits and two RBIs, while Sam Patton also drove in two runs.
Vic White snatched back momentum scoring two runs in the bottom of the fourth, as from there, they never looked back.
U18: New South Wales 7-2 Australian Capital Territory
Both teams scored early, but New South Wales managed to keep it rolling as they eventually ran out 7-2 winners.
New South Wales starter Liam Holm gave up a pair of runs in the opening inning, but settled well after that, tossing four scoreless to give his team an ideal platform.
From there, NSW turned to Shannon Ward-Underhill who steered his team home with a pair of scoreless innings.
Caleb Shepherd picked up three RBIs to lead the line for NSW, while for the ACT, Trent Buchanan finished with a triple and an RBI.
Lachlan McKinnon was admirable in relief for the ACT, as he only gave up one earned run in three innings of work.
Both teams settled in to some solid relief, but NSWs early lead held up, as they wind up their tournament.
U18: South Australia 10-6 Queensland
In a dramatic finale to pool play on Diamond 1, South Australia defeated Queensland 10-6 to seal their place in the gold medal game.
Despite that loss, Queensland also has the chance to play for gold.
Queensland held a two run advantage heading into the sixth, but as they have all tournament, the South Australian bats came to life.
SA scored eight of their ten runs in the final three frames to record a morale boosting win.
Australian U18 teammates Duane Johannsen and Jack O’Loughlin dueled it out on the mound for their respective teams.
South Australian O’Loughlin struck out seven through six innings, and once both he and Johannsen were relieved, both bullpens were called upon to finish the game.
Contagious hitting has been a trademark of South Australia all tournament and tonight was no exception, as they struck together nine hits in the final three innings to get over a dogged Queensland unit.
The final day of the Australian Youth Championship is upon us, click here for the schedule!
U18: Queensland 8-2 Victoria
A complete game from Jett Hasegawa anchors Queensland to a strong win on Diamond 1.
Hasegawa scattered five hits in seven innings, as he only gave up the one earned run in a fantastic performance.
Queensland scored five runs in the first two frames to gather early momentum, and three runs in the sixth proved vital, as they kept Victoria at bay throughout.
Alex Skepton lead the Queensland lineup with three hits and two RBI, while Callum MacDonald and Daniel Shannon finished with two hits apiece.
Kyle Morrison did his best to keep Victoria in the ballgame, striking out four and only giving up one hit in 2.2 relief innings.
Josh Meyer and Mohi Kahui each picked up an RBI for Victoria, but it wasn’t enough as Queensland began their second round off with a win.
U16: New South Wales Country 11-1 Victoria White
A fantastic start and tournament first highlighted New South Wales Country’s ten run win over Victoria White.
Luke Jacobs nailed the first inside the park home run of the tournament for Country, while Jack Grey’s start (3IP, 1H, 1ER, 5K) set his team up for victory.
Jacobs finished with a team-high three RBI, while Kyle Yeo, Brandon Tangaroa and Brent Iredale all drove in two runs apiece.
Mitchell Shane, Cal Vance and Kurtis Smith were the three Vic White players to claim base hits, but Country’s consistent scoring lead them to a big win.
U18: New South Wales 1-0 Australian Capital Territory
New South Wales scored their first and only run of the ballgame in the fourth which was enough as they snuck home against the ACT.
With two out in the fourth, Luis Gonzalez doubled to left field, was moved around to third and eventually stole home after a throwing error from the ACT catcher.
Both pitching staffs were strong throughout, as NSW reliever Sam Xotta finished the game with 5.1 scoreless innings of work.
Jordan Kelly and Cody Godbold claimed a hit and a walk apiece for the ACT, while Nick Graham only conceded one run in his four inning start.
Gonzalez’s double was the only extra base hit of the game, as Shannon Ward-Underhill, Rhys Dewick and Lachlan McCarthy all picked up singles for New South Wales.
U18: Victoria 1-0 South Australia
Both starting pitchers threw complete games in one of the most unique ballgames of the tournament so far as Victoria defeated South Australia by the slimmest of margins.
Blake Townsend struck out seven in a complete game shutout, while Australian U18 World Cup team member Ky Hampton struck out five and only allowed one run in the epitome of a pitching duel.
Sean Maple kept his strong tournament going with a pair of hits, while Conor Myles finished with two hits.
Chris Burke drove in the game's only run, scoring Josh Meyer care of an RBI single to left.
South Australia threatened with late baserunners, but Townsend did the job - as the Victorian lefty completed his second lights-out start of the tournament.
U18: Queensland 8-2 New South Wales Country
New South Wales Country struck first, but Queensland had the last laugh, claiming their second win of the day and moving one step closer to the gold medal game.
Tyson Zamora finished with two hits, two RBI and three stolen bases at the top of the Queensland lineup, while Duane Johannsen also finished with a pair of hits.
Callum Pike had a fantastic four innings relief effort for Queensland, only allowing three hits and keeping NSW Country hitters at bay throughout.
Rixon Wingrove continued his strong tournament with two hits and an RBI while Tristan Watts went 2-for-3 with a double.
Both teams finished with eight hits on the day, but Queensland made the most of runners in scoring position to get their second round off to a flying start.
U18: Western Australia 2-1 New South Wales
Western Australia and New South Wales played out a tight and tense encounter, before an extra innings go-ahead run saw WA claim a tight win.
Raleigh Pelkonen kept his cool in the bottom of the eighth, with the WA reliever not allowing a run in the extra inning, as Jett Wright made the game ending putout.
Both starting pitchers were strong in warm conditions, as WA pitcher Lachlan Waite (5.1IP, 4H, 0ER) and Lachlan Giulieri (7IP, 3H, 1ER, 1K) both did their best to quell the opposition’s offence.
Rhys Dewick was the only NSW hitter to finish with a hit and an RBI, while Daniel Bannon chimed in with a sixth inning double.
New South Wales had the winning run at third base in the bottom of the seventh but couldn’t capitalize.
The extra inning wasn’t without drama, but Pelkonen kept his cool, claiming the final two outs with the bases loaded to give WA some momentum moving forward.
U16: Victoria Blue 3-2 South Australia
South Australia had the go-ahead run on base in the final inning, but a game-ending double play sealed a tense victory for Victoria Blue.
Victoria’s pitcher Dante Caruso caught a liner off the bat off Ethan Chuck then tossed it to shortstop to end complete the game-ending double play.
Earlier in the ballgame, Caruso went 2-for-2 with an RBI as Victoria Blue broke through in the third inning.
Charlie Collins set his team up with a scoreless three inning start, while Chris Nielsen worked hard in relief, only giving up one run in his three innings.
Jack Higginbotham kept his SA team in the ballgame throughout, going 5.2 strong, while with bat in hand, Jasper Clark and Jacob Scott picked up two hits apiece.
U16: New South Wales 10-0 Western Australia
New South Wales kept rolling on at the U16 Australian Youth Championship, defeating Western Australia for their ninth win in as many games.
Josh Pearl gave his team a great start on the mound, striking out three in two complete innings, and his offence clicked into gear early.
Jake Burns finished with a team high three RBI, while Solomon Maguire continued his excellent tournament.
Maguire went 3-for-3 with three doubles and two RBIs to lead the NSW offence.
New South Wales scored six of their ten runs in the second inning, as they carried that momentum throughout.
Elijah Hewett, Ben Drew and Dan Stephenson all managed two hits apiece for Western Australia, while on the mound, Josh Paull threw 2.1 outstanding innings to keep the red-hot NSW offence at bay.
U16: Queensland 4-3 Australian Capital Territory
The ACT scored three runs in the fourth, but at the end of the day it was Queensland who claimed a walk-off 4-3 win.
Riki Ward got ahold of a ball with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, scoring Harrison White with two outs to seal a memorable win.
Ward was also Queensland’s best hitter on the day, going 4-for-4 with a triple and the game-winning RBI.
Deegan Powell struck out five in 3.2 innings of strong relief, including a tense seventh inning to deprive the ACT of any runs.
Cleanup hitter Jack Mitchell finished with three hits for the ACT, while leadoff man James Warwick nailed a double and finished with a team high two RBI.
The ACT had the bases loaded with one out in the top of the seventh as they continued to threaten, but Queensland got the job done in a ballgame of exceptional quality.
U18: South Australia 9-7 New South Wales Country
A see-sawing affair put the exclamation point on a fantastic day of baseball, as South Australia kept their championship hopes alive with a 9-7 win.
Country scored two runs in the sixth inning, but Tyson McKee threw a pressure filled scoreless inning to end the ballgame.
Harry Knuckey and Brodie Arriola each drove in three runs for South Australia as they scored four runs in the fifth inning to break the game wide open.
Rixon Wingrove’s two run blast in the opening frame gave NSW Country the momentum as the U18 World Cup team member finished with four RBI on the night.
New South Wales Country made the most of their opportunities, plating seven runs from five hits, but South Australia had the final say as they remain in contention for Gold at the Australian Youth Championship.
Check out the schedule for the penultimate day of action here!
U16: New South Wales 20-0 South Australia.
New South Wales failed to take the foot off the pedal all game, as they posted a tournament high score of 20 to defeat South Australia.
Dylan Martin drove in a tournament high seven runs, as he went 3-for-4 with three doubles. James Nati also chimed in with three hits, while four NSW hitters picked up two RBIs apiece.
Blake Cavill struck out five and only allowed one hit in his three inning start as well as driving in two runs with bat in hand.
Riley Yeatman was the only SA player to claim a hit as New South Wales kept their undefeated tournament intact.
U18: South Australia 10-8 Western Australia
South Australia have pulled off the most remarkable comeback win of the tournament so far, scoring nine runs in the top of the ninth to snatch a two-run win over Western Australia.
Eight singles and a double from the South Australian offence in the ninth inning yielded nine runs and gave them their first and only lead of the ballgame.
Harry Knuckey only allowed one hit in his 3.2 innings of work for South Australia, while Curtis Mead and Brodie Arriola both picked up three hits from their five at bats.
Frazer Brice and Jack Bowins both threw well for Western Australia, with Brice tossing four scoreless innings to begin the ballgame.
U18: New South Wales Country 11-8 New South Wales
New South Wales used a five run inning to bring themselves back into the ballgame, but their Country counterparts had an extra inning explosion, as they ran out 11-8 winners.
Country scored four runs in the top of the seventh to send the games to extras, and capitalized on the tiebreaker rule to finish their first round on a good note.
At the top of the Country lineup Mitch Ellison finished with two hits and two RBI, while Taituha Nukunuku and Luke Clapson lead the team with three RBI.
Catcher Caleb Shepherd went 2-for-4 and drove three runs in for NSW, while third baseman Ethan Stacy, Jack Dormor and Lachlan McCarthy finished with two hits each.
Hayden Daniels was fantastic in relief for Country, throwing exceptionally well in a tiebreaker scenario.
Daniels was given confidence by his offence scoring four times in extra innings, as Country walked away with a crucial victory.
U16: Victoria Blue 4-3 Western Australia
Western Australia scored a pair of runs to tie it up late, but Victoria Blue had the last say, claiming a walk-off win on Diamond 1.
Dante Caruso drove in the game winning run with two outs, scoring Mack Turley on a well hit ball to left field.
Victoria’s win was set up by a fantastic five inning start from Harvey Hadlow. Western Australia had few answers for Hadlow, as the righty scattered two hits in a strong performance.
Tye Kazmierowski was immense for Western Australia on the mound, only allowing one hit in 3.1 innings of relief.
Reece Longstaff finished with three doubles for Victoria Blue, as they scored three runs in the opening frame.
WA utility Ben Drew kept his team in the ballgame with a two run single in the top of the seventh, but ultimately Victoria claimed the win with the last play of the game.
U16: New South Wales Country 7-6 ACT
In another tight and tense ballgame, New South Wales Country began their second round with a walk-off victory against the ACT.
Sam McGoldrick scored on the final play of the ballgame in dramatic fashion after the ACT tied things up in the top of the seventh.
Matthew Teague nailed a big time triple with two out in the seventh for the ACT, before Lachlan Maurer’s single drove him in.
Kynan Harding finished with two hits on the day for NSW Country, while Teague, Maurer and Patrik Paramonov each claimed multiple hits for the ACT.
The ACT piled on three runs from four hits in the sixth to make things interesting in the late stages, but New South Wales Country had the final say.
U16: Queensland 7-0 Victoria White
Two pitchers combined for a four hit shutout as Queensland began their second round with a victory over Victoria White.
Patrick Day (4IP, 3H, 0ER, 3K) and Riki Ward (3IP, 1H, 0ER, 1BB, 1K) were outstanding throughout as they set the foundations for a solid win.
Marcus Feagaiga continued his impressive tournament, going 2-for-3 with an RBI, while shortstop Ian Lee also impressed.
Hitting in the nine hole, Lee finished with two hits, two RBIs and a stolen base.
Sadi Nergiz lead off the Vic White lineup with a double and a single, while Kye Stehr and Kurtis Smith each finished with one hit apiece.
U18: Victoria 10-5 New South Wales Country
Victoria scored four in the first and fifth in the last to get over a solid New South Wales Country side on Diamond 2.
Centrefielder Conor Myles was one of Victoria’s best with the bat, going 2-for-4 with a triple, three RBIs, two runs and a stolen base.
Brock Wells also chimed in with four hits for Victoria.
Kyle Morrison tossed two innings without conceding a run for Victoria, while for NSW Country, reliever Mitchell Pearce finished with 2.1 scoreless frames.
Bailey Van Leeuwen and Tristan Watts each had two singles for Country, who scored late runs to keep the pressure on.
Victoria left their rally late, but it was enough as they finished with three wins from their six opening round games.
U18: Queensland 10-5 ACT
Queensland scored early, and withstood a solid ACT rally to finish their opening round with a 10-5 win.
Tyson Zamora continued his strong tournament, claiming another three hits, while Ray Easton had a team-high two RBI.
Josh Marriott and Campbell Twigg both had extended outings on the hill for Queensland, with both pitchers putting in some solid work.
Will Simkin had a double and a pair of RBIs to lead the ACT’s offence, while Nick Hosie and Matt Gaughran finished with two hits apiece.
The ACT gained a one run lead heading into the bottom of the fifth, however Queensland’s four run seventh inning put the result beyond doubt.
Stay tuned for the U18 seedings, as well as the updated schedule!
U16: New South Wales Country 14-1 Victoria White
New South Wales Country scored seven in the first and never looked back, defeating Victoria White 14-1 in the opening game of the day.
No Country player claimed multiple hits as they used a solid team hitting performance to score their 14 runs.
Third baseman Ryan Hudson had a team high three RBI while in relief, Kynan Harding only allowed a pair of baserunners in two scoreless frames.
Connor Schibeci and Finn O’Connell both nailed doubles for Victoria White, who scored their lone run in the final inning.
U16: South Australia 12-11 Queensland
Both teams opened the offensive floodgates in the middle innings, and it was South Australia who held on, keeping Queensland scoreless in the seventh to record a tight win.
South Australia’s offence was well spread throughout, as five players drove in two runs each.
Jack Higginbotham had the unenviable task of completing the ballgame on the hill for SA, but stepped up and tossed 1.2 scoreless innings to seal the win.
Marcus Feagaiga was a home run away from the cycle, as he finished with three hits and three RBI. Queensland’s catcher Tim Preston also swung a consistent bat, going 3-for-4 with four RBI and a walk.
Queensland reliever Ian Lee threw the final three innings of the game scoreless, but South Australia held on for a much-needed victory.
U16: New South Wales 12-3 ACT
New South Wales kept their perfect record intact, scoring early and often to defeat a determined ACT lineup.
Centrefielder Aaron Riley drove in a team-high three runs for New South Wales, while Solomon Maguire was an impossible out for the ACT.
Maguire went 2-for-2 with a triple, two runs, two RBI and two walks.
Using a battery of six pitchers, New South Wales kept the ACT relatively quiet throughout, with James Nati striking out three in two perfect innings.
Lachlan Maurer finished with a double and two RBI for the ACT, while Darcy Franks claimed a team high two hits.
U16: Victoria Blue 4-2 Western Australia
Victoria’s pitching and defence shone as they defeated Western Australia in a high quality encounter.
Mitchell Thomas (3IP, 3H, 2ER) and Chris Nielsen (4IP, 1H, 0ER, 1K) consistently found the zone and let the Victorian defence work behind them as they combined for a fantastic pitching performance.
Jarryd Wood starred for Victoria Blue with the bat, claiming three of his team’s nine hits, including a pair of doubles.
William Sherriff drove in WA’s only earned run of the ballgame, while Caiden Deal and Josh Paull battled all game on the hill.
Western Australia had a pair of baserunners in the seventh and final inning, but couldn’t capitalise as Victoria sealed an important victory.
U18: Victoria 8-4 Western Australia
Both teams were strong in the first three frames, however Victoria pulled away to seal a much-needed four run win over Western Australia.
Lachlan Hockey was an integral part of the Victorian win, only conceding one run in 5.1 innings of relief work. Hockey shone in the late stages of the ballgame, as he failed to allow WA a baserunner in their final three innings.
Offensively it was Josh Meyer who lead the line for Victoria, driving in three runs from his three base hits.
Leadoff man Ben Fierenzi also chimed in, driving in two runs from his two doubles.
Nicholas Riley finished the game with two hits for WA, while Josh Greenham and Cayden Nicoletto drove in one run each for WA.
U18: New South Wales 6-5 Australian Capital Territory
In one of the games of the tournament, New South Wales had the final say, walking off the ACT 6-5 in dramatic circumstances.
Daniel Bannon scored the winning run after Luke Passmore’s sacrifice fly saw him scamper home in the bottom of the ninth.
Back-to-back doubles in the top of the ninth from Nick Hosie and Nick Graham tied up the game for the ACT, while Zac Rauter finished with two hits.
Brodie Cooper-Vassalakis struck out seven and only gave up one earned run in a fantastic five inning start.
Luis Gonzalez was one of NSW’s best with the bat, driving in a pair of runs from his two hits.
The ACT flew out of the blocks, scoring four times in the first two innings, but some solid relief work from the NSW trio of Jayden Bastow, Sam Xotta and Aidan Torpey kept their team in the game.
The final few innings were tense for both teams, however NSW prevailed in a fantastic display of baseball.
U16: Queensland 5-3 New South Wales Country
New South Wales Country scored two in the fourth to bring themselves back in it, but a late Queensland run proved the difference.
QLD left fielder Brock Wollin worked a bases loaded walk in the seventh for an extra insurance run.
NSW Country utility Chet Robinson nearly extended the game in the seventh, but was thrown out at home to end the ballgame.
Cooper Bake-Smith was the only Country player to claim multiple hits, as he went 2-for-3 with a walk.
Kailen Hamson, Ian Lee and Deegan Powell made up the top three of the Queensland lineup, as all three finished with two hits apiece.
A solid start from Jacob Ponton (3IP, 2H, 1ER, 3K) gave QLD a great platform to build on, while Country’s Ben Ridgewell also had a strong outing on the hill.
U16: Victoria White 5-4 ACT
Victoria White broke the tied game in the top of the ninth, and held the ACT scoreless to claim their first win of the tournament.
ACT’s designated hitter Luke Brown was one of the game’s best hitters, as he went 3-for-4 with three RBIs.
Connor Schibeci tossed three innings of scoreless relief for Victoria White, striking out three and only allowing the one hit.
On the opposite side, Jack Mitchell also impressed on the bump, with the ACT reliever giving up one run in 4.2 innings of work.
The ACT tied things up in the bottom of the fourth, however Cal Vance scored the go-ahead run in dramatic circumstances to see Vic White home.
U16: New South Wales 7-3 Victoria Blue
New South Wales scored early and often, and withstood a Victoria Blue comeback to maintain their perfect record.
Luke Krkovski was fantastic on the mound for New South Wales, only allowing two baserunners in three scoreless innings of work.
Dylan Martin continued his strong tournament, going 2-for-4 with a double, a single and three RBI.
The heart of the Victoria Blue lineup had another strong day, with Jacob Bald, Charlie Collins and Jarred Woodger all claiming two hits.
Victoria Blue scored their three runs in the final two frames to put some pressure on NSW, but it was too little too late as New South Wales picked up their seventh win from as many games.
U16: Western Australia 8-1 South Australia
Western Australia used a big sixth inning to topple South Australia and claim a confidence boosting victory at the end of pool play.
WA were anchored by Will Sherriff, who only gave up one hit and fanned four SA hitters in four fantastic innings.
Dan Stephenson and designated hitter Ben Drew picked up two hits apiece for WA, while Maddux Stivey and Tye Kazmierowski plated two runs each.
SA centerfielder Ethan Badcock was the only SA player to pick up two hits on the day, as Liam Bull drove in SA’s only run - an RBI single in the sixth inning.
Only two runs separated the teams at the end of five innings, however Kazmierowski’s two-RBI single capped off a massive sixth inning for WA, who never looked back.
U18: Queensland 12-9 New South Wales Country
New South Wales Country skipped out to an early lead, but Queensland reeled them in to hold on for a 12-9 win.
QLD’s Tyson Zamora was outstanding with the bat, going 3-for-4 and driving in a game-high five runs.
Second baseman Ryoto Kusumoto also finished with three hits for Queensland, while Callum MacDonald and Daniel Shannon picked up three RBI apiece.
Seth McClelland struck out three in four strong innings of work for Queensland, while starter Kaiki Furutani-Burns only conceded two runs in his four digs.
Mitch Ellison, Sam McLean and Luke Clapson all finished with two hits for NSW Country.
The final inning wasn’t without drama as Country rallied. Luke Livian drove in a run, which brought the tying run to the plate, but Jaiden Holly came in and got the job done for Queensland.
Please stay tuned for the reseeding of the U16s, as well as a schedule for the remaining four days of play.