New South Wales Firestars are the winners of the 2023 Open Women's National Championships here on Kaurna Country, West Beach, South Australia

Stacey McManus set the tone for the Firestars in the bottom of the second with a home run on her second ball faced, to give NSW an early lead.

Kaia Parnaby pitched the full game, holding QLD Heat to just one hit and no runs.

It was the second inning where NSW exploded. With two outs and the score 2-0, QLD opted to walk Stacey Porter and load the bases.

Then came Taylah Tsitsikronis to hit a beautiful homer over left-field to empty the bases and make it 6-0 at the end of the second.

The lead gave QLD a lot of work to do, and allowed NSW to dictate the rest of the game.

A big score to chase against a field that barely put a foot wrong all tournament, and with the seventh run scored in the third, NSW brought the game to an end after the fifth.

In the post-game awards ceremony, the following awards were presented, congratulations to all recipients:

• Lorraine Woolley Medal - Best Pitcher: Stephanie Trzcinski (SA Starz)
• Sybil Turner Medal - Best Batter: Taylah Tsitsikronis (NSW Firestars)
• Rosemary Adey Medal - Rookie of the Year: Isabelle Hanna (NSW Firestars)
• Midge Nelson Medal - Most Valuable Player: Taylah Tsitsikronis (NSW Firestars)
• Player of the Grand Final: Taylah Tsitsikronis (NSW Firestars)

A big thanks to the team and volunteers at Softball SA for their outstanding work and hospitality over the past week, and to Spacequake Sports for their fantastic livestream coverage throughout the event.

We'd also like to thank our partners at Easton and SportsLink Travel for their on-going support.

The National Championships roadshow now heads to Mirrabooka, WA, for the Under 18 Women's and Under 19 Men's National Championships, that get underway tomorrow!