LISMORE, NSW – Day 2 of the Bendigo Bank Australian Little League Championships saw a mix of high-scoring games and close matchups. As runs crossed the plate, Mother Nature too flexed her muscles with a few light showers in the early evening that soon gave way to a spectacular sunset. Here are the results from the second day of pool play, with the third and final day of the tournament’s early rounds set for tomorrow.
Ryde North 4, Perth Metro Central 3
After getting on the board first with a run in the first innings, Ryde North emerged victorious in the end of an extra-inning thriller against Perth Metro Central. Travis Bazzana hit a solo home run in the top of the ninth innings to win the game for Ryde.
Southern Mariners 11, Gold Coast 5
After an early three-run lead in the second innings, Southern Mariners rode the wave of a six-run fourth innings to an 11-5 win over Gold Coast.
Cronulla 24, West Coast 3
Cronulla continued its dominance of pool play with a 24-3 win over West Coast. The Sharks scored 14 runs in the first innings in the win.
Adelaide North 11, Yarra Rangers 1
Adelaide North scored four runs in the first innings to take an early lead, eventually defeating Yarra Rangers 11-1.
Perth Metro North 6, Adelaide North 3
Reigning champion Perth Metro North scored twice in the bottom of the fifth innings to cruise past Adelaide North 6-3. Daniel Stephenson and Dylan Bojarski both homered for the Northern Metros in the win.
Swan Hills 11, Central Coast 4
Daniel Carter and Benjamin Hewett each clubbed solo home runs as Swan Hills defeated Central Coast 11-4.
Cronulla 12, Manly 1
Benjamin Andrews smashed a two-run home run as Cronulla scored six runs apiece in the first and third innings to beat Manly 12-1.
Yarra Rangers 11, Brisbane North 5
Yarra Rangers scored in every innings except for one to beat Brisbane North 11-5. Kurtis Smith led the Rangers at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a triple.
Perth Metro Central 15, Canberra 3
The Firebirds scored 11 times in the final two frames to beat Canberra 15-3. Benjamin Drew homered twice for Perth in the win, while Canberra got on the board in the top of the fifth innings thanks to hits by Jacob Van Leeuwen, Maddison Erwin, Sean Bennett, and Lochlainn Varian.
Swan Hills 9, Perth Metro East 1
Swan Hills jumped ahead to an early 5-0 lead in the first inning to win 9-1 over Perth Metro East. Jordan Norvall led the Aces at the plate with a home run and Bailey-Jay Cooke struck out seven batters on the mound.
Ryde North 23, Northern Diamondbacks 6
Ryde North sealed a decisive win over Northern Diamondbacks thanks to a 14-run outburst in the top of the fourth innings.
Hills 19, Brisbane North 0
NSW side Hills scored 11 runs in the top of the sixth frame en route to a 19-0 shutout of Brisbane North. Solomon Maguire homered twice for Hills, while Riley Watson also chipped in two singles and two triples.
Ryde South 9, Canberra 0
Ryde South put runs on the board early and late, with a pair in the first innings and seven more in the final two frames combined to shut out Canberra 9-0 in the final game of the day on Diamond 1.
Adelaide West 12, Northern Territory 1
Adelaide West defeated Northern Territory 12-1, led in part by a standout pitching performance by Harry Leaker and a solid day at the plate by Connor McLeod. Leaker struck out seven batters while McLeod clubbed a two-run home run.
For box scores click here.
Tomorrow’s schedule can be found here.
Check out game replays and highlights from Diamond 1 on the Baseball Australia playlist on ABLtv.com.