The 2019 U18 State Winter Championships hosted by Sunraysia Baseball League wrapped up on Sunday with wet weather slowing things down. Off-and-on heavy rain showers throughout the day had an impact on the completion of games, as grounds crews worked diligently to try and keep the fields in a suitable playing condition.
The first two games of the day finished early, with Geelong and Ringwood taking away victories. By 11:15 am, Field 2 was deemed unplayable for the rest of the day. The Geelong vs. Dandenong game was moved to Field 1 scheduled at 1:15pm following the conclusion of the Latrobe Valley vs. Sunraysia game.
Another heavy downpour halted the Geelong vs. Dandenong game when it was still the top of the first, and the game was called with Geelong being crowned champions as they had a 3-0 record round robin record. Dandenong finished in second place with a 2-1 record, with Ringwood, Sunraysia and Latrobe Valley rounding out the final standings.
Well done to all the teams that participated and the volunteers who made it all possible. Congratulations Geelong on a well-earned championship!
Game 7
Latrobe Valley vs. Geelong
2 5
After a slight rain delay, the battle between undefeated Geelong and a winless Latrobe Valley side got underway. Geelong started things off right with a single by Nicholas Zanghi and three walks as they went up 1-0 in the top of the first. Latrobe Valley had a quick response, tying things up in the bottom half of the inning. Zanghi's second single of the day boosted Geelong in the top of the second as they took a 5-1 lead. Latrobe Valley put one on the board in the bottom of the second, but persistent rain halted the game and Geelong came away with their third victory of the tournament.
Game 8
Ringwood vs. Sunraysia
4 0
These two teams kept warm during the rain delay with a fun game of wiffle ball, and they carried their competitive spirit through to the actual game with some impressive pitching performances. The Home Run Derby participants from both teams - Raiden Wakefield of Sunraysia and Damon Hill of Ringwood - had singles in their first at-bats, but the scoring didn't happen until the second. That's when Ringwood's Rhys Saultry led off with a triple to right, coming around to score on a sacrifice fly by Aiden Higgins. By the end of the inning, it was 2-0 in favour of Ringwood.
Damon Hill recorded a groundout and two strikeouts on 11 pitches to bring Ringwood back up to bat in the bottom of the third. Declan O'Connor led things off with a walk, followed by back-to-back singles from Damon Hill and Joshua White to make it 3-0. Ringwood added one more for a 4-0 lead when the game was called. In his three innings on the mound, Hill gave up just two hits while striking out six, another excellent performance that helped him earn the All-Star Player honour for Ringwood.
Ringwood vs. Sunraysia
4 0
These two teams kept warm during the rain delay with a fun game of wiffle ball, and they carried their competitive spirit through to the actual game with some impressive pitching performances. The Home Run Derby participants from both teams - Raiden Wakefield of Sunraysia and Damon Hill of Ringwood - had singles in their first at-bats, but the scoring didn't happen until the second. That's when Ringwood's Rhys Saultry led off with a triple to right, coming around to score on a sacrifice fly by Aiden Higgins. By the end of the inning, it was 2-0 in favour of Ringwood.
Damon Hill recorded a groundout and two strikeouts on 11 pitches to bring Ringwood back up to bat in the bottom of the third. Declan O'Connor led things off with a walk, followed by back-to-back singles from Damon Hill and Joshua White to make it 3-0. Ringwood added one more for a 4-0 lead when the game was called. In his three innings on the mound, Hill gave up just two hits while striking out six, another excellent performance that helped him earn the All-Star Player honour for Ringwood.
Game 9
Sunraysia vs. Latrobe Valley
12 0
Sunraysia ended their 2019 U18 campaign on a high note with a huge win over Latrobe Valley. Raiden Wakefield had three hits and Jack Barrot had 2 RBI's as Sunraysia collected 10 hits in total while holding Latrobe Valley to just two.
Felicity Clissold led off with a walk and Joel Hector singled for Latrobe Valley's first turn at the plate, but they couldn't get any runs on the board. Sunraysia's scoring started in the first with Wakefield's single, Barrot's double and Joel Trevaskis' triple. They were up 4-0 by the time the inning was over.
Barrot continued to hold things down on the mound for Sunraysia, striking out three in the second inning. Hector and the Latrobe Valley defence kept Sunraysia quiet in the bottom of the second, but Sunraysia plated two more in the third with a big double from Trevaskis, his second huge hit of the game.
Nathan Keilar had Latrobe Valley's second hit of the game in the top of the fourth, but Sunraysia would double their lead in the bottom frame on 2-out hits from Wakefield, Lachlan Scott, Ronan Scott and Chase Hayden.
Despite the loss, Hector had an impressive 10 first pitch strikes and six strikeouts, while Barrot gave up just one hit with three strikeouts in three innings.
Game 9
Sunraysia vs. Latrobe Valley
12 0
Sunraysia ended their 2019 U18 campaign on a high note with a huge win over Latrobe Valley. Raiden Wakefield had three hits and Jack Barrot had 2 RBI's as Sunraysia collected 10 hits in total while holding Latrobe Valley to just two.
Felicity Clissold led off with a walk and Joel Hector singled for Latrobe Valley's first turn at the plate, but they couldn't get any runs on the board. Sunraysia's scoring started in the first with Wakefield's single, Barrot's double and Joel Trevaskis' triple. They were up 4-0 by the time the inning was over.
Barrot continued to hold things down on the mound for Sunraysia, striking out three in the second inning. Hector and the Latrobe Valley defence kept Sunraysia quiet in the bottom of the second, but Sunraysia plated two more in the third with a big double from Trevaskis, his second huge hit of the game.
Nathan Keilar had Latrobe Valley's second hit of the game in the top of the fourth, but Sunraysia would double their lead in the bottom frame on 2-out hits from Wakefield, Lachlan Scott, Ronan Scott and Chase Hayden.
Despite the loss, Hector had an impressive 10 first pitch strikes and six strikeouts, while Barrot gave up just one hit with three strikeouts in three innings.
Game 10
Geelong vs. Dandenong
0 0
Rain interrupted this game within the first few minutes, and continuous downpour left the field flooded and unplayable. Geelong was named champions with their undefeated record, a sweet finish to a tournament in which their teamwork and dedication was evident from the start.
Please view more photos from this weekend on the Baseball Victoria Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pg/BaseballVictoria/photos
Geelong vs. Dandenong
0 0
Rain interrupted this game within the first few minutes, and continuous downpour left the field flooded and unplayable. Geelong was named champions with their undefeated record, a sweet finish to a tournament in which their teamwork and dedication was evident from the start.
Please view more photos from this weekend on the Baseball Victoria Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pg/BaseballVictoria/photos