Gold Coast Cougars 13-9 Macarthur
Both teams scored four runs in the opening inning, but Gold Coast went to another gear in the second, piling on nine runs to claim a 13-9 victory over Macarthur on Diamond 1.
Matt Hughes steadied his team’s pitching staff after a shaky start, tossing three shutout innings and striking out three in the middle innings to cement Gold Coast’s lead.
Sam Reeves went 2-for-5 with two runs, a double and three RBI for Gold Coast, while Mason Robson also hit well, picking up two RBI of his own.
Rhys Dewick continued his excellent tournament for Macarthur, driving in three of Macarthur’s runs with Hayden Blackborrow and Tim Nelson each picking up a hit and two walks.
Pitching and defence reigned supreme in the final four frames, with neither team managing to push a run across.
Hills 8-1 Eastern Athletics
Hills sealed their place in the Semi Finals as they consistently scored to defeat Eastern Athletics 8-1.
Hits were shared for Hills, with leadoff man Hayden Lyberopoulos, Lachy McCarthy and Eaden McLeod all picking up two hits each.
Marcus Macdonald gave up a run in the first frame for Hills, but from there, he never looked back, only giving up three hits and striking out five in 6.2 innings of work.
Riley Light drove in the Athletics only run of the ballgame, while Harvey Mitchelhill and Nick Dimitrakopoulos each picked up a hit each.
Hills sewed up the second seed in Pool A after claiming three wins from four games in pool play.
Greater Western 4-3 Ryde
A topsy turvy encounter began with Ryde shutting out the Warriors, however a four run fifth inning proved the catalyst as Greater Western snuck home with a 4-3 victory.
Liam Spinks was perfect during his four innings on the mound for Ryde as they pulled away to a three run lead. RBIs from Jai Hetherington, Shannon Underhill, Cody Godbold and Tom Fester in the fifth inning saw G.W grab the lead.
Billy Oldfield was immense in his 6.1 innings of work for the Warriors, as he scattered four hits and three runs.
Luke Livian picked up two hits for Ryde, however it wasn’t enough as Greater Western kept their cool and came away with a hard-fought 4-3 victory.
Southern Mariners 9-5 Western Meteors
The Southern Mariners put up two runs in each of the first three frames as they set the tone and claimed the top seed in Pool B. The Meteors fought back hard but couldn’t get over the line as the defending champions claimed a 9-5 win.
Aiden Flynn struck out five and only gave up two runs in an exceptional five-inning start for the Mariners. Flynn’s offence took the pressure off, with leadoff man John-Paul Callil and Ben Fierenzi each claiming three hits.
Fierenzi and Callil were both members of the Mariners side that claimed the inaugural Australian Senior League Championship last year, and both will be key cogs in their tilt for back-to-back titles.
Luke Houston and Mitch Brown each picked up hits for the Meteors, while their plate discipline was evident as they drew nine walks as a team.
In trademark Meteors fashion, they tacked on three runs in the final frame to send a scare through the Mariners camp, but the damage was done and the defending champions sealed their place as the #1 seed from Pool B.
Adelaide Armada 13-0 Eastern Athletics
The final game of the day on Diamond 1 saw the Adelaide Armada cap off pool play with their fourth consecutive victory, shutting out the Eastern Athletics 13-0.
Curtis Mead was outstanding with bat in hand for the Armada, as he nailed a triple and the first inside the park home run at the Australian Senior League Championship, finishing with four RBI.
The bottom half of the Armada lineup swung it well too, with Rion Sato (2H, 3RBI), Austin McClure (2H, 2RBI) and Cameron Blackwell (H, 2RBI) all chipping in to cap off a team hitting performance.
Callum Park struck out five in two perfect innings of work for the Armada, while the bullpen combined to only allow four baserunners as the Armada finished pool play undefeated as the #1 seed in Pool A.
Given the inclement weather looming for Friday in Lismore, Championship Director Michael Ibbotson has revised the schedule. Please see a statement below from Michael.
With the weather forecast for Friday looking to have a very high chance of a significant amount of rain, we have made the decision to schedule the Championship Final tomorrow following the completion of the Semi Final games. The Bronze medal game played between the losing teams from both semi-finals will be scheduled for Friday.
Considering all possible factors and the possible alternative if a Championship Final cannot be completed, the choice to made this change was not made lightly, however, in believed to be the best option to ensure we are able to crown an Australian champion.
Both the semi finals and the Championship Game will take place tomorrow, click here for the full schedule.
Macarthur 10-2 Eastern Athletics
Macarthur began their day on the right foot, knocking over the Eastern Athletics in convincing fashion to claim their first win of the tournament.
Eastern Athletics were two runs ahead after three complete innings, but a five run fourth inning from Macarthur opened the floodgates and from there the NSW side never looked back.
The hits were shared for the Macarthur team, with Tim Nelson, Rhys Dewick and Maddison Heath each driving in two RBI.
The Macarthur bullpen also shone, with Jordan Richardson, Corey Thurtell and Hayden Blackborrow conceding a combined two hits in the final 4.2 defensive innings.
Nick Dimitrakopoulos did his best for the Athletics, giving up the one hit in his 1.2 innings of work, however the damage was done late in the game as Macarthur piled on ten runs across two innings to shut the door on the Athletics.
Southern Mariners 10-2 Ryde Hawks
The reigning champion Mariners flexed their muscle against a solid Ryde lineup, claiming a 10-2 win on Diamond 1.
The game was knotted at two after four innings before the Mariners piled on four runs in the sixth and seventh inning to put the game beyond reach.
The bottom third of the Mariners order did the damage on the day, with Darcy Trewarn driving in three runs batting in the nine hole. Dante Caruso and Lucas Taylor each drove in two runs for the Mariners, with Conor Myles making the most of his two hits, legging both into doubles.
Despite not striking out any Ryde hitters, Tatsuya Kume managed to scatter four hits across his 3.2 innings of work. Kume, who represented Victoria at the U18 National Youth Championship in 2017, didn’t concede an earned run in a solid performance.
Hits were shared for Ryde, with Tom Pellow picking up the only RBI of the day for the Hawks.
Hills 7-1 Macarthur
Anchored by a dominant pitching performance from Dylan Clarke, Hills defeated Macarthur 7-1 on Diamond 3.
Clarke was perfect through 4.2 innings, striking out four before Corey Thurtell broke up the perfect game bid with a single. Clarke’s offence tacked on a pair of runs early before blowing the game open in the latter frames.
Lachy McCarthy continues to impress this tournament, as he drove in four of Hills’ seven runs, with two of his three hits extending to doubles.
Bryce Stewart, Tim Nelson and Corey Thurtell all managed hits for Macarthur, but five late runs saw Hills skip away to the second win of their tournament.
Adelaide Armada 4-0 Gold Coast Cougars
The Adelaide Armada were lead by an incredible performance from Austin McClure on the mound as they defeated the Gold Coast Cougars 4-0 on Diamond 3.
McClure tossed a complete game shutout, only allowing three hits and striking out five in the performance of the Championship so far.
McClure was backed up well by his offence, as the Armada managed to score runs in the first and third inning, with Curtis Mead continuing his outstanding tournament for the Armada, as he picked up three hits.
Gold Coast’s Doug Briese ensured the game was kept close early as he only gave up the one earned run across four innings of work.
Jett Hasegawa, Briese and Ryan Towart had the Cougars’ three hits, but it was McClure and the Armada’s day as they improved to 3-0 on the tournament.
Greater Western 13-10 Ryde Hawks
A late comeback from Greater Western saw them claim their first win, and in turn keep them in contention for the Australian Senior League Championship.
It took until the top half of the final frame as the Warriors erased a two run deficit against to seal a famous come from behind victory.
Blake Price nailed a bases-clearing triple to send the Warriors dugout into raptures, while NSW state representative Cody Godbold also managed to claimed two RBI from his two hits.
Hayden Salt struck out four across his 2.2 innings pitched for G.W. to keep a powerful Ryde offence at bay. Luis Gonzalez had the game on his shoulders in the final inning, as he drilled a ball to right field. That ball had a chance to leave the ballpark but Mark Thompson was playing just deep enough to claim a game-winning catch and seal a historic win for Greater Western.
Western Meteors 14–4 Southern Mariners
The Western Meteors claimed their first win at the Australian Senior League Championship, and they claimed a scalp, knocking off reigning champions Southern Mariners 14-4.
The top three in the Meteors order did the damage with Caydyn Hancock (H, 3RBI), Ethan Gozzi (2H, 2RBI) and Dylan Walsh (H, 3RBI) each performing strongly. Despite walking six in his 2.2 inning start, Joseph Ranford managed to keep his run total to zero off the back of some solid Meteors defence.
Conor Myles was the only Mariners player to claim multiple hits, as well as two RBI pinch-hitting for River Stevens-Dobby.
No Mariners pitcher managed to find rhythm, however given their two previous victories, their qualification for the second round was guaranteed.
Western Meteors 6-5 Greater Western
The Western Meteors sealed their place in the Australian Senior League Championship semi finals following a heart-stopping walk-off win over Greater Western.
Luke Houston scored the winning run from third after a passed ball, got away from the Greater Western catcher, and in back-to-back games, the Western Meteors claimed two wins and in turn, knocked out a determined and passionate Greater Western lineup.
The Meteors came from five runs down after four innings to score the final six runs of the ballgame, with Daniel Ivester going 2-for-2 with an RBI.
Not only did Luke Houston score his team’s winning run, he set his team up for victory with three shutout relief innings, striking out three in the process.
Shannon Underhill did all he could for the Warriors, striking out seven in 3.2 innings of work, as well as picking up two hits and an RBI.
Western Meteors and Southern Mariners have qualified from Pool B and will remain in contention for the Australian Senior League title.
Following tomorrow’s play, we’ll know which two teams from Pool A will qualify.
Click here for tomorrow’s Australian Senior League Championship schedule.
Gold Coast Cougars 12-7 Eastern Athletics
The opening ballgame of the day saw the Athletics strike first, but they were unable to contain the Gold Coast Cougars, who survived a late charge to claim their first win of the tournament.
The Athletics kept the Cougars at bay for the first few innings, however seven runs across the third and fourth inning saw the game blown open. Jett Hasegawa was one of Gold Coast’s best with bat in hand, going 3-for-4 with four RBIs in the leadoff position.
David Hurley was one of the Athletics’ best with bat in hand, picking up three hits and an RBI.
Leading by eight in the final frame, the final three outs proved the toughest for the Cougars, as the Athletics scored three runs. However the damage was done as the Cougars claimed a win in their debut appearance at the Australian Senior League Championship.
Southern Mariners 8-6 Greater Western
The Southern Mariners took on Greater Western in the first game on Diamond 2, and the defending champion Mariners snuck home despite a late fightback from the Warriors.
The defending champion Mariners flexed their muscle early, piling on six runs in the opening inning.
Conor Myles lead the charge for the Mariners, picking up three RBI from his three hits, including a two-RBI double in the opening inning. Reigning U16 National Championship Hitting Champion Dante Caruso kept his great form on the national stage going, driving in two runs from his two hits.
In their first ever game at any Australian Championship, Greater Western started slowly but came home well, scoring five of the last seven runs to make the Mariners earn it.
Cody Godbold, Shannon Underhill and Mark Thompson each had two hits for the Warriors, while on the mound, Brian Fonacier struck out three and only gave up one run in his 2.1 relief innings.
Adelaide Armada 9-6 Macarthur
Following a disappointing Australian Senior League Championship by their standard in 2016, the Adelaide Armada got themselves off to the best possible start, claiming a win over a determined Macarthur side.
Armada shortstop Curtis Mead displayed both power and speed in his five at bats, claiming two triples and a double to go with his two RBIs, while his teammate Callum Park also claimed an RBI from his three hits.
Will Kortekaas was outstanding on the hill for the Armada, striking out five and not giving up any earned runs in his four innings.
Conor Marsh and Dylan Hillyer threw well for a fast-finishing Macarthur side, with the pair combining for 3.2 strong relief innings.
Just when the game looked done and dusted, Macarthur sprang into life in the final frame, driving in four runs and forcing the Armada to make a pair of pitching changes.
Ryde 3-2 Western Meteors
In an extremely high quality encounter on Diamond 3, Ryde edged out the Western Meteors 3-2.
Shane Turner gave up only two earned runs and struck out three in five innings of work for the Meteors, while his opposite number Ky Jackson walked six in his two innings of work, but only managed to concede the one earned run.
Bas Matthews was the only Ryde player to claim multiple hits, while Caydyn Hancock went 4-for-4 for the Meteors, as he racked up two thirds of his teams hits.
Tom Pellow and Jack Dudley both claimed an RBI each for Ryde, with NSW Senior League Championship hero Luke Livian tossing a scoreless final frame to seal a hard-fought victory for his team.
Hills 12–3 Gold Coast Cougars
Hills flexed their offensive muscle to blow by Gold Coast 12-3 in the third game of the day on Diamond 1.
The long-ball was working early for both teams with Faenza Bishop launching a two-run shot to left field in the opening inning. That was cancelled out half an inning later when Caleb Shepherd launched a three run bomb that landed well over the trees in right field to give Hills a 3-2 lead.
From there, Hills never looked back, with Dylan Clarke and Lachy McCarthy each driving in a pair of runs. Ryschan Thompson and Jett Hasegawa both picked up two hits each for the Cougars, however it was too little too late as Hills pulled away for an opening day win.
Adelaide Armada 10-8 Hills
The last game of the day on Diamond 1 saw two excellent teams do battle, and despite a late comeback, Hills fell short, as the Armada claimed an 10-8 victory.
Hills took an early 2-1 lead, however in the bottom of the third, the Armada offence came to life.
The SA Senior League champions piled on seven runs in the inning, all with two outs. The inning was capped off with the third homer of the day on Diamond 1, with Armada catcher Mason Clavell dropping one over the left field fence to give the Armada a six run lead.
After making his debut in the ABL this past season, Ky Hampton struck out six and only gave up two runs across his four innings of work for the Armada.
Hills put up a five spot that seemingly swung the momentum of the game in the fifth inning. Caleb Shepherd continued his great form for Hills, finishing with two RBI from his two hits. Jordan Castle also claimed a pair of hits for the 2016 Australian Senior League runners up.
The Armada finished the day with two wins in Pool A, with Ryde and the Southern Mariners each claiming a win each in Pool B.
Ryde and the Mariners meet in the opening game of Day 2, with the game to be streamed live on ABLTV.com.
Click here for the full day's schedule.
Following a 6am field inspection by tournament officials at the Albert Park Baseball Complex, the following amended schedule has been confirmed for the beginning of play on Day 2 of the Australian Senior League Championship.
Time
Diamond 1
Time
Diamond 2
9:15 AM*
Gold Coast Cougars
Eastern Athletics
11.15 AM
Greater Western
Southern Mariners
12:00 PM*
Macarthur
Adelaide Armada
Not before 2 PM
Southern Mariners
Ryde Hawks
2:45 PM*
Hills
Gold Coast Cougars
TBC
Western Meteors
Greater Western
5:30 PM
Hills
Adelaide Armada
TBC
Western Meteors
Ryde Hawks
Given the minimal chance of rain at Albert Park today, this schedule may be amended in the event of fields becoming available.
Please stay tuned to this post for further updates.
* denotes streamed games on www.abltv.com
Last updated 10.20am AEST
Please see attached for the full Announcement
After a waterlogged start to the Australian Senior League Championship, Championship Director Michael Ibboston has revised the schedule.
Given the uncertainty of the conditions of the outer diamonds at Albert Park Baseball Complex, Michael has detailed the most up-to-date schedule for day 2.
|
Time |
Diamond 1 |
Time |
Diamond 2 |
||
|
9:15 AM* |
Gold Coast Cougars |
Eastern Athletics |
9:00 AM |
Greater Western |
Southern Mariners |
|
12:00 PM* |
Hills |
Gold Coast Cougars |
11:45 AM |
Southern Mariners |
Ryde Hawks |
|
2:45 PM* |
Macarthur |
Adelaide Armada |
2:30 PM |
Western Meteors |
Greater Western |
|
5:30 PM |
Hills |
Adelaide Armada |
5:00 PM |
Western Meteors |
Ryde Hawks |
Time
Diamond 1
Time
Diamond 2
9:15 AM*
Gold Coast Cougars
Eastern Athletics
9:00 AM
Greater Western
Southern Mariners
12:00 PM*
Hills
Gold Coast Cougars
11:45 AM
Southern Mariners
Ryde Hawks
2:45 PM*
Macarthur
Adelaide Armada
2:30 PM
Western Meteors
Greater Western
5:30 PM
Hills
Adelaide Armada
5:00 PM
Western Meteors
Ryde Hawks
* denotes streamed games on www.abltv.com
This schedule is subject to change, stay tuned to baseball.com.au for the most up-to-date information.
Members of the Australian women's baseball squad are currently in Indonesia undertaking the 'Diamonds in The Rough' program to empower Indonesian girls through baseball. The program is now on its third trip to Indonesia, where squad members of the Australian Emeralds presented by Boral teaches local schoolgirls baseball skills and develops their self-confidence through mentoring workshops.
Diplomacy through sport isn't a new concept, but the Diamonds in the Rough program is the first to see an Australian women's national team deliver a program aimed at engaging and empowering schoolgirls from one of our most important international neighbours.
Funded by the Australian Government through the Asian Sports Partnerships small grants fund, the program has been shown to improve self-confidence in previous participants by 33% and aims to show girls that they can make choices for their future beyond what they may have previously been told.
A father of local Balinese schoolgirl has praised the program, saying it does so much more than just teaching baseball.
"My daughter has never had an opportunity like this before,” the father said.
“Being coached by these Australian players and building her self confidence is so important for her. I wish the Emeralds would come back regularly so that even more children can have this opportunity."
Travelling with the program is Charlie King, founder of the No More campaign to reduce family violence. Charlie brings his strong message to program participants about the importance of linking up and speaking out about domestic violence.
The message is one that has been strongly backed by Baseball Australia, with the Australian Baseball League being the first national sports league to support the campaign.
In addition to the skills clinics and off-field workshops with the Indonesian girls, the Emeralds squad also engages the local community through exhibition games against the local men's baseball teams. The squad is a combination of veteran Emeralds and those working to make their first open national team, and with two games played in Bali and two in Bandung, the team members also have the chance to refine and demonstrate their skills to Australian head coach Simone Wearne during the trip.
"We have had a great response to the Diamonds in the Rough program in 2017 so far,” Wearne said.
“With over 100 Indonesian girls participating in our workshops daily, it is fantastic to see the impact we can make on so many young lives. These local girls have a rare chance to build powerful and lasting relationships with positive Australian women and they comment often about how happy they are to be mentored by this group of strong and passionate women - one girl said our squad are like real-life super heroes."
The program returns to Bandung, West Java this week with a further two days of clinics and exhibition games scheduled before the final session in Bali.
To keep up to date with the program, head to their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Diamondsintherough2016
Following it’s debut year at the Adelaide Shores Baseball Complex, the 2017 Australian Junior League Championship rosters and schedule have been announced.
The Australian Junior League Championship is made up of 16 of the best charter teams from all across Australia. These charters are made up of the best players from their local associations. For the second consecutive year, the winner of the Australian Championship will represent the Australia Region at the Junior League World Series. The Junior League World Series will take place between 13-20 August with teams from all over the world travelling to Taylor, Michigan to compete.
Perth Metro Central (WA) took out the Australian Junior League Championship in 2015, while in 2016; Cronulla (NSW) defeated Ryde (NSW) in a high quality final to claim the Australian Championship and become the first Australian team to represent at the Junior League World Series..
24 games including the semi finals, bronze and gold medal games will be streamed live on www.abltv.com.
All streamed games will be available live and on-demand through Baseball Live, the new Baseball Australia app. Live scoring for all 48 games will also be available through Baseball Live. To download Baseball Live, click here.
Click here for #AustJLChamps Rosters
Click here for #AustJLChamps Schedule
After a highly successful debut year on the Baseball Australia events calendar in 2016, the Australian Senior League Championship returns this year to beautiful Lismore, NSW.
The championship for 13-17 year olds will see nine charter teams from all across Australia compete at the Albert Park Baseball Complex, with the tournament running from 14-19 May. These charters are made up of the best players from their local associations.
For the nine competing teams at this year’s edition, there is a lot to play for, with the winner of the Australian Championship gaining automatic entry to the Senior League World Series.
2017 is the first year that the Australian Senior League Champion will gain automatic entry to the World Series, with 2016 champions Southern Mariners (VIC) needing to win the Asia-Pacific Championship to seal a berth at the World Series.
The Mariners took out the inaugural championship in 2016 with a win over Hills (NSW) in the Gold Medal Game. They then went on to win the Asia-Pacific Championship, before eventually claiming the silver medal at the 2016 Senior League World Series. An incredible effort considering the Mariners was the first Australian team to represent at the Senior League World Series.
This championship has extra significance, as it will be the first tournament at the Albert Park Baseball Complex since the devastating effects of ex-tropical cyclone Debbie. The work of the Far North Coast Baseball Association volunteers has been incredible, with the quality of the fields and facilities a testament to their determination and unity.
13 games including the semi finals, bronze and gold medal games will be streamed live on www.abltv.com.
All streamed games will be available live and on-demand through Baseball Live, the new Baseball Australia app. Live scoring for all 34 games will also be available through Baseball Live. To download Baseball Live, click here.