Walkoffs, sensational pitching performances and stirring comebacks highlighted an action packed day one of the Australian Youth Championship presented by Beastwear.
U18: Victoria Blue 11-10 Queensland | BOX SCORE
A pitchers duel through five innings turned into a 12-inning epic as Victoria Blue edged Queensland in the day's opening game.
Mariners farmhand Blake Townsend gave Victoria Blue the perfect platform, striking out eight in four perfect innings. His opposite number - Queensland's Patrick Day - was equally solid, tossing four scoreless to begin the ballgame.
Kai-Noa Wynyard broke the scoreless deadlock with a two-RBI single in the sixth, as both teams went back and forth.
Scores were locked at five after nine innings, and it took 12 to separate them as Zak Skinner's two-RBI single in the top of the 12th proved the difference.
Dante Caruso held his nerve in four innings of relief, claiming the crucial final three outs to lift Victoria Blue to a hard-fought win.
Kobe Greenhalgh sparked the Victorian offence, finishing with six RBI.
U18: New South Wales 16-3 Australian Capital Territory | BOX SCORE
New South Wales exploded out of the blocks and didn't look back as they recorded a mercy-rule victory over the Australian Capital Territory.
Luke Krkovski tossed three one-hit innings and his offence backed him up perfectly, as NSW raced to a 12-0 lead after two.
Caleb Shepherd and Blake Cavill lead the offence with three hits, with both driving in two runs apiece.
Grant Craft tripled for the ACT, while James Warwick, Aaron Riley and Trent Buchanan drove in their first RBI of the tournament.
U18: Western Australia 13-9 New South Wales Country | BOX SCORE
New South Wales Country jumped out to an early lead, but Western Australia pulled it all the way back to record a hard-fought win on Diamond 1.
Country lead 7-4 in the fifth, but WA scored eight of the last 10 runs to record a 13-9 victory.
Caiden Nicoletto - who has spent some time with the Perth Heat this season - was a perfect 4-for-4 and needed a homer to complete the cycle.
Jarred Hutchins and Ben Drew finished with a team-high three RBI for WA.
Drew's bases clearing triple in the eighth gave WA the lead, and Caiden Deal finished the job, tossing 1 2/3 scoreless innings to end the ballgame.
Despite his team's loss, Sam McLean put in a sparkling performance for Country on day one, going 4-for-4 with a single, two doubles and a triple. McLean drove in five of his team's nine runs.
U16: Victoria White 5-4 Australian Capital Territory (box score coming soon)
Victoria White produced a stirring comeback in the bottom of the seventh to walk-off the Australian Capital Territory on Diamond 1.
Ned Hargreaves sent Victoria White fans home happy with a two-RBI walkoff single in the bottom of the seventh, capping off a three-run frame.
In her first appearance at an Australian Youth Championship, Genevieve Beacom was outstanding, as she gave up one hit and struck out seven in four innings.
Connor Schibeci lead Victoria White with two hits, while Jack Bennetts also finished with two hits for the ACT.
Patrik Paramonov struck out nine in his start for the ACT, to lead all-comers on day one.
U16: Western Australia 7-4 Queensland | BOX SCORE
Western Australia were behind for most of the game before a clutch four-spot saw them take a hard-fought win over Queensland.
Queensland's Declan Summerford only surrendered one run in his 3 2/3 innings, but Western Australia made their charge late, which began with Max Chipper's RBI triple.
First baseman Dylan Bojarski had a team-high three hits for WA, while Queensland's Jaime Fox chimed in with two hits of his own.
After taking the lead in the bottom of the sixth, Tye Kazmierowski tossed a scoreless final inning, sealing the win for Western Australia.
U16: New South Wales 12-2 Victoria Blue | BOX SCORE
After two scoreless innings to begin with, New South Wales let loose, running away winners against Victoria Blue.
NSW scored five runs in the third and fourth inning, with Quinn Johnson and Christos Lyberopoulos driving in a team-high three runs.
Jake Burns nailed a home run and finished with two RBI, while Clayton Campbell struck out six in 3 2/3 innings of work.
Darcy Longstaff was one of Victoria Blue's best, going 3-for-3 with a double and an RBI.
U16: South Australia 8-1 New South Wales Country | BOX SCORE
Yeatman worked five efficient innings, as the young righty only needed 62 pitches.
His battery mate Cooper Davidson-Peacock was one of South Australia's best offensively, going 3-for-4 with a team-high three RBI.
Country tied up the ballgame in the third, but seven late runs saw South Australia begin their tournament in dominant fashion.
U18: South Australia 8-7 Victoria White (f/7) | BOX SCORE
Victoria White came home with a flurry, but South Australia just held on as rain shortened the final game of day one action.
Victoria scored three runs in the top of the sixth, but with high levels of thunder and lightning in the area, South Australia were declared victorious after six and a half innings.
SA wasted no time, as Joe Gluyas and Seiichiro Suzuki picking up RBIs in the bottom of the first. Suzuki lead the charge for South Australia with a team-high two hits.
Victoria tied things up at two, but a crucial four-spot from South Australia sealed the deal.
Charles Sutherland nailed a double and a triple for Victoria White. Victoria White kept the pressure on South Australia all game, but fell just short as the rain and lightning set in.