A dominant pitching performance from Korea saw them defeat Australia 4-1 in their opening game of the U18 Baseball World Cup.
The Australian team threatened in the final frame with the bases loaded and the tying run at first base, however Jess Williams couldn't put bat to ball and the team fell just short.
Williams lead off the ballgame with a double off the wall, and was quickly joined on base by Josh Bedggood who drew a hit by pitch. They wouldn't advance any more however, as Korean starter Seo Jun Won found his rhythm.
ACT native Brodie Cooper-Vassalakis was outstanding in his six innings on the bump, striking out six and only allowing two earned runs against a top level offence. Cooper-Vassalakis kept his rhythm all afternoon on the mound, and despite getting into a couple of sticky situations, Cooper-Vassalakis showed maturity beyond his 16 years to give Australia every chance of victory.
Australian U18 Manager Steve Fish was ecstatic with Cooper-Vassalakis' performance.
"He really pitched great today," Fish said.
"Brodie threw every pitch in every count. Today he went out and trusted his stuff. He's a really talented kid and he put us in a great position today."
Australia's lone run of the ballgame came in the fourth, after Jarryd Dale singled and advanced to third on an error. Jamie Young then drove him in care of a fielders choice to try and spark a comeback for the Australians.
Cooper-Vassalakis was relieved by Lochlan Southee and Liam Holm, who both threw well to give their team a chance in the late frames.
In trademark Australian fashion, they never gave up to give the Koreans a scare in the ninth inning. Jamie Young reached on an error, Rixon Wingrove drew a walk, and when Nic Anderson-Vine singled to load the bases, Australia had the tying run on the base paths. However it was too little too late, as Yang Chang Seop claimed the final out of the ballgame to hand Australia an opening day loss.
Australia's next game comes against Italy, with first pitch scheduled for 11.30pm AEST, Saturday 2 September.