A massive sixth inning from Victoria Blue proved the
difference, as they defeated South Australia 9-5 in the opening game of the day
on Diamond 1. SA started the game strongly scoring a run in the first inning,
before Victoria tacked on a run in both the third and fourth inning to claim a
2-1 lead. Blake Farr and Tyson McKee had two RBI each for SA, while Will
Kortekaas and Rion Sato claimed the other hits. Ben Fierenzi lead off strongly
for Victoria White, nailing three hits from his three at-bats. Jarryd Wood,
Mohi Kahui and Dante Caruso did the bulk of the damage with bat in hand, all
picking up two RBI each. Despite walking a few SA hitters, Vic Blue started
Liam Evans kept his cool, only conceding one earned run from 5.2 innings of
work.
U16 – Queensland 12-2
Victoria White
Victoria White took an early two run lead against
Queensland, but the Bandits bounced back big time to record a 12-2 victory.
Hits were shared for Queensland, with Marcus Feagaiga, Trent King and Mac
Butler all driving in two runs. Brock Wollin had a strong outing on the mound,
striking out four and not giving up an earned run in 4.2 innings of work.
U16 – New South Wales
Country 16-10 Australian Capital Territory
In one of the strangest game at the National Youth
Championships to date, New South Wales Country pegged back a 10-1 deficit
against the ACT to come back and record a 16-10 victory. NSW Country tacked on
eight runs in the bottom of the fourth, to come back after the ACT scored all
10 of their runs in the first four innings. Bailey Van Leeuwen had one of the
best games of the National Youth Championships so far, with three hits and
three RBI, as well as striking out four throwing two innings of perfect relief.
Sam McLean and Kalin Marum both had three RBI each for NSW Country, while for the
ACT Grant Craft, Stuart Tharle and Riley Watson all had an RBI each.
U16 – Western
Australia 4-1 New South Wales
A strong pitching performance and some timely hitting from
Western Australia sealed a 4-1 victory in the final game on Diamond 3 for the
day. Caiden Nicoletto was one of WA’s best with bat in hand, claiming two hits
and an RBI. The WA pitching duo of Scott Cornish and Zach Holland threw
strongly with some quality defence behind them, giving up only two hits for the
ballgame. Jake Burns and Ky Jackson were the only NSW players to collect hits,
with Aidan Torpey the lone man to cross the plate for NSW.
U18 – South Australia
3-2 Victoria White
Victoria held a two run lead with three innings to play in
the opening game on Diamond 2, however South Australia came home with a bang,
scoring three late runs to claim a tight 3-2 victory. Damon Arnold threw
strongly in warm conditions, striking out five and only giving up two earned
runs in his six innings of work. His opposite number, Vic White starter Adam
Pahos only gave up one earned run in his five innings on the mound. Brock Wells
and Alex Barling picked up a pair of hits each for Victoria.
U18 – South Australia
8-3 Victoria Blue
Two big innings from the South Australians saw them topple
Victoria Blue 8-3, and in turn, claim their second scalp of the day. Victoria Blue
scored an early run, but five runs in the second inning from South Australia
opened the game up. Curtis Mead was
unstoppable with bat in hand, claiming four RBI from his two hits. Vic Blue’s Mitch
Wilcox struck out four in his 1.2 innings of scoreless relief, while for SA;
Tom Norley threw 2.2 innings of shutout relief despite giving up four hits. Pinch-hitter
Harry Knuckey extended SA’s advantage in the sixth, driving in a pair of runs
to seal the win.
U18 – Queensland 8-5
Victoria White
Queensland exploded out of the blocks and held on to win 8-5
despite a late comeback from Victoria White. Queensland put up six runs in the
second inning, with James Franco having a perfect day of the plate, with four
hits from his four at bats. Tyson Zamora’s sole hit drove a pair of Queensland
runs in as the Bandits lead by eight after four innings. Victoria White mounted
a late comeback lead by Lachlan Medew, who’s 2-RBI triple kept Victoria White
in the ballgame. Richard Kiel’s two innings of relief kept Queensland’s bats at
bay, with the Victoria White reliever striking out three.
U18 – Western
Australia 13-0 Australian Capital Territory
Western Australia flexed their muscle in their U18 game
against the ACT, claiming a 13-0 victory on Diamond 3. Every player in the WA
starting lineup claimed a hit, with Josh Greenham claiming three RBI from a
double and a triple. David John and Brock Molloy combined to shut-out the team
from the nation’s capital, with John picking up three strikeouts from his five
innings. Nick Hosie, Tim Dutton and Ricky Deeble all picked up two hits each
for the ACT, while Luke Clapson and Tom Symonds combined for three scoreless
innings.
U18 – New South Wales
3-1 Australian Capital Territory
Despite the best efforts of Brodie Cooper-Vassalakis, New
South Wales snatched a late victory 3-1. Cooper-Vassalakis was immense on the
mound for the ACT, striking out a tournament high nine NSW hitters. Mitch
Skinner was incredible in relief for NSW, striking out six and not giving up a
hit in his four innings. It took til the final inning of the ballgame for NSW
to get on top, with Jack Dormor scoring the go-ahead run, following by an
insurance run from Matt Martinson.
U18 – Western
Australia 8-1 Queensland
Queensland struck early in their contest against Western
Australia, but in the end couldn’t hold on, as WA claimed an 8-1 victory on
Diamond 2. James Franco and Luke Turner both claimed hits in the middle of the
lineup, while Conor Laverty scored Queensland’s only run in the first. Frazer
Brice threw 2.1 innings of perfect relief for WA, striking out two Queensland
hitters, while with bat in hand, Tama Wright-Pihama claimed two RBI from his
two hits. Alex Hall and Jake Taylor also finished with two RBI each for WA.
U18 – New South Wales
Country 8-7 Victoria Blue
Runs were scored early and often between New South Wales
Country and Victoria Blue, but it was NSW Country who snuck home 8-7. Both
teams scored two runs in the first inning, while neither starting pitched could
find any rhythm. Luke Cartwright had a perfect day at the plate for Victoria
Blue, with three hits and two RBI from his three at bats. In the leadoff role
for NSW Country, Nic Anderson Vine was a key contributor, crossing the plate
three times to go along with a hit and an RBI. Jake Amos and Rhys Neuhold were
the only NSW Country players to claim multiple hits, while for Victoria Blue,
Jarryd Dale picked up two hits and two RBI of his own. Ayden Norman threw well
late for Vic Blue, but it wasn’t enough as NSW Country held on to drop Vic Blue
to 0-3 at the tournament so far.
U18 – New South Wales
Country 9-2 New South Wales
In the marquee matchup of day three, New South Wales Country
got the better of their state counterparts with a 9-2 victory under lights at
Blacktown International Sportspark. Jake Amos continued to impress at the
tournament, as he went 3-for-4 with two RBI. NSW Country’s pitching staff
dominated tonight, with Alex Osborne, Samuele Xotta, Josh Peruch only giving up
two hits and striking out eight combined. Alex Brook claimed the only RBI of
the ballgame for NSW, with Mitch Driver claiming the other hit. Patrick Glover
finished with a pair of RBI, while Nic Anderson-Vine picked up two hits for
NSW.
On an emotion charged morning at the National Youth
Championships, Western Australia dug deep and defeated Victoria Blue in a hard-fought
contest on Diamond 1. Both teams found the scoreboard in the early innings,
however a three-run fifth from WA proved the difference as Victoria couldn’t
quite recover. Broadee Binder had two RBI to go with his two hits, while
catcher Dylan Walsh was also a tough out, with a hit, two RBI and two walks on
the day. Victoria Blue mounted a comeback in the final inning, but Dylan
Hopkins-Treloar kept his cool to record the final out and seal the game for WA.
U16 – Victoria White
8-6 New South Wales Country
Despite a strong comeback from NSW Country, Victoria White
held on to claim an 8-6 win, their first of the tournament. Cooper de Haan had
a strong start for Victoria White, throwing 3.2 innings and only giving up one
earned run. Damon Hill and Kobe Greenhalgh were the best with the bat, with two
and three RBI respectively. For NSW Country, Sam McLean created history, as the
first player to claim a home run at this year’s tournament. A five run fifth
inning from NSW Country pulled them back in the ballgame, but it wasn’t enough
as Vic White held on.
U16 – New South Wales
18-0 Australian Capital Territory
New South Wales scored early and often and kept the ACT at
bay, eventually running out 18-0 winners on Diamond 1. Thomas Horne claimed
four RBI from his two hits, while Hayden Lyberopoulos crossed the plate four
times, claimed two hits and three RBI from his two at bats. Ky Jackson, Luke
Livian and Kobe Kunce combined for the second no-hitter of the tournament, only
allowing one base runner during the game.
U16 –New South Wales
14-5 New South Wales Country
Runs were flowing thick and fast in the first all-NSW
matchup of the tournament, but in the end, New South Wales had just too much
firepower, defeating New South Wales Country 14-5 in the final game on Diamond
1. The middle of the NSW lineup did the damage, with Ethan Stacy (2H, 3RBI),
Aidan Torpey (2H, 3RBI) and Kobe Kunce (2H, 2RBI) all swinging the bat well.
Daniel Bannon threw 3.1 innings of hitless relief for NSW, striking out five
Country hitters. Sam McLean continued his strong day for NSW Country, going 2.1
innings on the mound, and only giving up the one hit. Tom Newbold drove in
three of Country’s five runs on the day after a bases clearing triple in the
third.
U18 – Western
Australia 4-0 New South Wales Country
Both starting pitchers settled into their work early,
however Western Australia came up big when it counted, claiming a 4-0 shutout
victory against New South Wales Country this afternoon. Jackson Riley threw
strongly for WA in his start, striking out four and not giving up an earned run
in his four innings. Jett Wright claimed two RBI from his two hits, including a
triple, while Grant Kerry also hit well, picking up one RBI from his two
doubles. Travis Xuereb threw 2.1 innings of scoreless relief for NSW Country,
while Nic Anderson-Vine claimed a hit and two walks.
U18 – New South Wales
3-1 Victoria Blue
Victoria Blue claimed an early lead, but couldn’t hold on
against New South Wales, who came back for a tight 3-1 victory. Jackson Boyd
started strongly for Vic Blue, as he didn’t give up any earned runs in his
three innings of work. His opposite number Liam Holm threw equally as well,
striking out three Victorian hitters and only giving up one unearned run in 4.2
innings. Luke Passmore was the one of the better NSW hitters, with a hit, an
RBI and a run scored, while Jacob Krkovski claimed the other NSW hit on the
day.
After two days of play, you can see the U16 statistics here, and the U18 statistics here. There will be 12 games tomorrow, and you can see the
schedule for Sunday 8 January’s play here.
U16 – South Australia
6-5 Queensland
A high scoring game saw eventuated on Diamond 2 to begin the
day, and it was South Australia who just got the better of Queensland, claiming
a 6-5 victory. A big second inning from SA proved the difference, with four runs
scored. Callum Park was one of SA’s best on the day, claiming three RBIs and
throwing two scoreless innings on the mound to finish the ballgame. Angelo
Natale had two RBI from his two hits, while Maxim Watson struck out five in
three innings for Queensland.
U16 – Western
Australia 9-1 Victoria White
Lachlan Waite, Blake Monaghan and Calvin Eissens combined to
throw the first no-hitter of the National Youth Championships, as Western
Australia defeated Victoria White 9-1 in their opening game of the tournament.
Victoria White scored the opening run of the ballgame in the first, with Connor
Hickey crossing the plate, on a throwing error. WA took a little bit of time to
get going, however eventually found their offensive groove, scoring all nine
runs in the fourth and fifth inning. Matt Martin and Cody Nicholas had three
RBI each, while Evan Perera chimed in with two hits and an RBI of his own for
WA.
U16 – Victoria Blue
14-3 Queensland
Victoria Blue took an early one run lead and never looked
back, scoring plenty of runs late to defeat Queensland 14-3. Jarryd Wood scored
on an unearned run in the opening inning as both starting pitchers settled into
their work. A massive seven run third inning proved the difference between the
teams capped off by a 2-RBI single from Mackenzie Salmon. Queensland pegged
three runs back in the fourth, but two scoreless innings to finish from Lachlan
Hockey sealed the deal for Victoria Blue.
U16 – South Australia
Australian Capital Territory
South Australia scored early and often as they narrowly
defeated the ACT 9-8 in the final game of the day on Diamond 1. An RBI from
Brodie Arriola and 2-RBI from Kane Woolman made sure Tyson McKee was pitching
with a lead after the first inning. Bailey Curtis’ sac-fly made sure the ACT
were on the board, but another three run inning from SA kept ACT at bay. The ACT exploded for four runs in the fifth,
with RBI singles from Hamish Lambert, Trent Buchanan and Grant Craft to make
the SA boys a little nervous. Both teams scored runs in bunches late, however
Callum Park again proved tough to handle in relief, throwing a scoreless final 1.2
innings of the ballgame to give South Australia their second win of the day.
U18 – Australian
Capital Territory 8-7 Victoria White
Despite a strong comeback from Victoria White, the
Australian Capital Territory held on to claim their opening win of the
tournament 8-7. The ACT raced out of the
blocks, taking a seven run lead after three innings. Tim Dutton, Matt Gaughran
and Liam Sherer all picked up two hits each for the ACT, with Sherer claiming
two RBI. Jarrod Belbin was one of Vic White’s best with the bat, with two hits
and a pair of RBI. Vic White pulled five runs back in the fifth, but couldn’t
hold on as Canberra Cavalry representative Brodie Cooper-Vassalakis sealed the
deal in the last inning.
U18 – Queensland 3-2
South Australia
Despite a strong start from Queensland, South Australia made
a late comeback to sneak home 3-2 in the opening game on Diamond 1. Ky Hampton
was outstanding for South Australia on the mound, throwing only 70 pitches in
his eight innings of work. Queensland made a fast start, with Josh Bedggood and
Callum MacDonald driving in runs in the opening innings. From there, both pitchers
settled, with Queensland’s Duane Johannsen throwing 6.1 scoreless innings. Nick
Platten was the hero for SA, driving in the winning runs in the ninth to give
SA a perfect start to the tournament.
Given today’s play was rain affected, the schedule for tomorrow’s
games and the rest of the championships has been revised. Click hereto view the schedule.
Click here for the U16/U18 Tournament Schedule
Click here to visit the U16 Tournament Homepage.
Click here to visit the U18 Tournament Homepage.
Click here for U16 statistics.
Click here for U18 statistics.
Congratulations to the 18 young men that will represent Australia at the U12 World Cup Qualifiers in early January.
William Baker – QLD
Cameron Bieker – VIC
Cole Buck – NSW
Lucas Burnell – SA
Jye Burns – NSW
Jack Bushell – SA
Angus Catt – SA
Joshua Davies – WA
Jack Hutton – SA
Oscar Hyde – QLD
Ryan Langworthy – VIC
Rorke Miles – WA
Liam Padovan – NSW
Finn Ramanauskas – NSW
Brendan Regan – NSW
Kyan Roach – NSW
Charlie Steer – NSW
Jett Watson – NSW
Head Coach – Brian Murphy
Assistant Coach – Shayne Watson
Assistant Coach – Matt O’Neill
Executive Officer – Louise Riddell
This team will participate in a three-team tournament in Guam between the 12-17 January, where they will play host nation Guam and American Samoa in the Oceania Championship. The winner of this tournament will gain entry to the U12 World Cup held in Taiwan during 2017.
Stay tuned to baseball.com.au for scores and updates from the U12 Qualifier.
Congratulations to the 18 young men that will represent Australia at the U12 World Cup Qualifiers in early January.
William Baker – QLD
Cameron Bieker – VIC
Cole Buck – NSW
Lucas Burnell – SA
Jye Burns – NSW
Jack Bushell – SA
Angus Catt – SA
Joshua Davies – WA
Jack Hutton – SA
Oscar Hyde – QLD
Ryan Langworthy – VIC
Rorke Miles – WA
Liam Padovan – NSW
Finn Ramanauskas – NSW
Brendan Regan – NSW
Kyan Roach – NSW
Charlie Steer – NSW
Jett Watson – NSW
Head Coach – Brian Murphy
Assistant Coach – Shayne Watson
Assistant Coach – Matt O’Neill
Executive Officer – Louise Riddell
This team will participate in a three-team tournament in Guam between the 12-17 January, where they will play host nation Guam and American Samoa in the Oceania Championship. The winner of this tournament will gain entry to the U12 World Cup held in Taiwan during 2017.
Stay tuned to baseball.com.au for scores and updates from the U12 Qualifier.
Following on from the announcement that the Reds and Monarchs brands well be resurrected when the East and West clash in the first ever Division 1 Victorian Summer League All-Star Game takes place, both rosters for the game have today been announced.
Baseball Clubs and fans are reminded that entry is FREE. We'd love to see as many people out supporting local baseball on the day as possible.
The game is being proudly supported by Fielders Choice Victoria and will take place at Melbourne Ballpark on Wednesday 18 January, from 7PM.
Coach | Adam Blackley
| Adam Burton | Melbourne |
| Alan de San Miguel | Waverley |
| Andy Jones | Blackburn |
| Ben Leslie | Cheltenham |
| Bryan Kloppe | Cheltenham |
| Cain Bumpstead | Moorabbin |
| David Fischer | Springvale |
| Glen Mascoll | Springvale |
| Grant Irving | Moorabbin |
| Hayden Dingle | Blackburn |
| Jeremy Young | Waverley |
| Jesse Barron | Blackburn |
| Matt Kent | Melbourne |
| Mitch Kennedy | Waverley |
| Nathan Aron | Melbourne |
| Nic Rossell | Blackburn |
| Oliver Dunn | Waverley |
| Ryan Dale | Waverley |
| Scott Mitchinson | Blackburn |
| Tyler Dale | Waverley |
Coach | Peter Giles
| Alex Turlea | Fitzroy |
| Gareth Formisano | Essendon |
| Jimmy Jensen | Newport |
| Josh Davies | Essendon |
| Josh Tols | Fitzroy |
| Kelii Zablan | Geelong |
| Kyle Bedford | Essendon |
| Luke Abels | Essendon |
| Matt Lawman | Newport |
| Michael Formisano | Essendon |
| Mike Walker | Preston |
| Reed Mason | Sandringham |
| Rudy Jaramillo | Geelong |
| Scott MacIntyre | Essendon |
| Shane Lindsay | Essendon |
| Tim Sullivan | Essendon |
| Tom Dicker | Fitzroy |
| Tony Cevec | Sandringham |
| Tristen McDonald | Essendon |
| Yu Chen Teng | Preston |
| Zach Rhodes | Fitzroy |
2016 has been a pretty good year for Australian Baseball.
From getting some much needed time together in beautiful Holland for the 2016
Honkbalweek, the incredible feat of claiming a silver medal at the U23 World
Cup and finishing 2016 as the 11th ranked baseball nation in the
world, there’s plenty to be excited about.
After beginning the year as the 13th ranked
nation in world baseball, following the silver medal at the U23 World Cup,
Australia has moved into Premier12 territory for the first time effort, after
narrowly missing out one the 2015 edition of the tournament.
As well as the U23 Team’s successes, the National Team also
is aiming high come the 2017 World Baseball Classic in Japan. Having dramatically defeatedthe World All-Stars in the annual Australian Baseball League All-Star Game
recently, Australia’s focus now shifts to Cuba, China and #1 ranked nation in
the world Japan as their opponents at the 2017 World Baseball Classic.
The 28-man team for the World Baseball Classic will be
finalised in early 2017, and will feature the best talent Australia has to
offer in a bid to move on to the second round of the World Baseball Classic for
the first time ever.
As well as the World Baseball Classic quickly approaching,
one eye of Australian baseball must turn to maintaining a world ranking of 12
or greater to secure qualification for the next Premier12 tournament in 2019.
As well as the 2019 tournament, the next Olympics shapes as a historic moment
in baseball history, as baseball/softball return for the first time since 2008.
As one very successful chapter closes in Australian
Baseball, every single baseball fan in the country will be hoping 2017 takes it
to the next level.
Successful
players and coaches were recently advised of their inclusion in the 2017
Emeralds Futures program. The program aims to provide ongoing player and coach
performance and pathway development opportunities designed to provide the
greatest number of Australian female baseballers with the best opportunities to
reach their peak performance.
Initially
the players will be provided with a mentor who is a current Emerald, and
coaches will also be provided mentors from within Australia's coaching ranks.
The program will kick off from 1 January, with Emeralds Head Coach Wearne
wanting to start the year on the right foot.
"I
want to provide as many female baseballers as I can the opportunity to be the
best they can be.” Wearne said.
“We have
designed this program to provide individual growth and expose the players to
the culture we are trying to develop including commitment, mental toughness and
selflessness."
For the
players, not only does the program involve mentoring, they will be also provided
with a very important insight into the culture of the Emeralds and the
expectations of a player on the national team. They will have access to information
sharing resources, individual analysis of their game and many other invaluable
opportunities to help them grow as a player and person.
Player
mentor Bronwyn Gell, one of the longest standing members of the Emeralds had
this to say about the program.
"This
is a great initiative.” Gell said.
“I had
great mentors as a young player and their support and guidance made a
significant difference. I am honoured for the opportunity to give back to the
Emeralds program and watch the next generation grow and blossom."
Coaches
will be provided with their own opportunities, resource sharing, workshops and
the opportunity to be in and around the players in the Futures program.
The program
will be initially run up to the end of April 2017.
Any player
or coach who has not been notified of the outcome of their application should
contact Narelle Gosstray on narellegosstray@gmail.com.
For the second year in a row, Team Australia has recorded an epic come from behind walk off win to claim honours in the ABL All-Star Game, presented by Boral.
When Melbourne's Ronald Acuna slapped the first pitch of the ballgame into the right-centre alley for a double, it looked like we were in for a night of offense but it was pitching that again dominated the Australian Baseball League's showcase game.
Despite two hits in the first innings, including Acuna's lead-off double, The World All-Stars had to wait until the fourth before they'd open the scoring.
Back-to-back walks to Mike Reeves and Stone Garrett brought Brisbane's Kevin Padlo to the plate with one away and when Padlo turned on a ball to deep left field scoring Reeves from third, we had our first run of the ballgame.
Team Australia's first hit came from the bat of Mitch Nilsson in the third but when Keisuke Honda threw multiple walks in the sixth, Team Australia was threatening for the first time of the night.
With the bases loaded, Honda's night was done and the ball was handed to his Melbourne Aces teammate Shogo Noda.
Ahead in the count, Noda, known for his mix of pitches, threw a breaking ball to Team Australia's Mitch Dening. The ball got away from replacement catcher Hitoto Komazuki allowing Kyle Perkins to score and level things up at 1-1.
That's how the game would remain until Trent D'Antonio (quickly becoming Team Australia's ASG walk-off specialist) singled with two-out in the bottom of the ninth, just Australia's second hit of the night.
A pitch in the dirt allowed the Blue Sox infielder to advance to second and when Stefan Welch singled to right field, D'Antonio was able to score, sealing another walk-off win for Team Australia.
In 2015 it was D'Antonio with the winning hit, this year he was the winning run.
No surprises as to the game's MVP with Adelaide's Stefan Welch given the award after his last inning heroics.