Victoria booked a spot in the gold medal game after winning the semi-final against Western Australia on Day 5 of the 2022 Australian U16 Youth Championship in Redcliffe, Queensland.
The first game on Friday was a tough 9-8 loss for Victoria, with ladder-leading NSW emerging victorious after stealing the lead late.
Victoria's 1-0 lead in the first didn't last long as NSW piled on three in the first, four in the third, and one more in the fourth. VIC battled back, scoring seven runs in the top of the fifth to tie it at eight apiece. Jayden Kim walked, Devin Leahy hit a fielder's choice, Zach Dunkley took a base on balls, and Jack Ratcliffe hit a grand slam.
Addison Bishop-Worn and Dunkley pitched for Victoria, with NSW coming back to score the go-ahead run in the bottom of the fifth.
Victoria bounced back in the semi-final, overpowering WA 3-2 as both pitchers were strong on the mound. Logan O'Brien got the win, giving up five hits and two runs across five innings with a strikeout. Jayden Kim handled two innings in relief.
WA was first on the board in the second before Victoria made it 2-1 in the fourth. WA tied it up in the fifth but Victoria managed one more run to get the win.
Ryder Wilson, Jayden Kim, Addison Bishop-Worn, Will Cavanagh, and Ben Howard each had one hit.
Victoria's booked in for a rematch with NSW in the gold medal game. First pitch is Saturday afternoon at 3:00pm.
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