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Summary: Open Women

The South Australian bats jumped Queensland early on in their first game of the day, with Johanna Grauer notching two doubles and two RBIs. The Heat clawed their way back into the game with good pitching and sound defence, but the Starz did enough to hold on for a 5-3 win, highlighted by a spectacular Madeline Cameron outfield catch in the bottom of the 7^th with runners on the corners.

New South Wales went about their business with a 7-0 win over the ACT in the opening game of the day. Grace Wrixon and Chantelle Ladner gave up just three hits combined, with Wrixon also recording an impressive eight strikeouts in four innings pitched.

South Australia needed an extra inning to overcome the ACT. With the Diamonds ahead 4-2 heading into the 7^th inning, an upset looked imminent, but an Amber Hood triple and a Johanna Grauer single resulted in two SA RBIs, tying the scores. SA pitcher Jade Peterson then kept the Diamonds scoreless, before Neve Adams ended the game with a walkoff single in the 8^th, the home state winning 5-4.

Victoria was again denied a win, with New South Wales muscling their way to a second victory for the day. The Titans pulled ahead 2-1 in the top of the 5^th, only for the Firestars to immediately reply with two runs in the bottom half of the frame. From there, Bridie Murphy closed the game out from the pitching circle, the defending champions ahead 3-2.

Queensland reminded their opponents they are not to be counted out in the tournament, putting on a dominant 11-1 display over Victoria. The turning point came in the bottom of the 3^rd, as the Heat put on seven runs, helped by three Queensland errors. Sandra Holden also turned in a sound pitching performance for the Heat, giving up just two hits in four innings.

Victoria was dealt more pain in the evening, handed a 7-0 defeat by South Australia. The home state’s defence again proved to be the difference, highlighted by Lana Kaesler’s stunning catch leading to a double play in the 4^th inning.

ACT scored a run in the 7^th frame to force extra innings against Queensland, but they couldn’t get over the line for the win, giving up two runs across the 8^th and 9^th innings. Hirari Kurihara possibly the pick of the batters for the Heat, with two runs and three hits, while Chelsea Zunker was also impressive from the pitching circle, with one hit and four strikeouts in three innings pitched.

Day 3 Results:

SA 5 def QLD 3

NSW 7 def ACT 0

SA 5 def ACT 4

NSW 3 def VIC 2

QLD 11 def VIC 1

SA 7 def VIC 0

QLD 6 def ACT 5

For completed game reports, please click here.

For complete standings, please click here.

For the complete schedule, please click here.

Games start at 9:00am AEDT with a 15-minute break between each game

Day 4 What to Watch For

Queensland are a better team than their 3-5 record suggests, and have proven a handful of in each of the games they’ve played against the teams ahead of them on the ladder. Victoria lives to fight on for another day, while the ACT have been competitive in most games, only for a lapse in concentration costing them games.

On the surface however, the 2022 Gilley’s Shield appears to be a two-horse race. South Australia and New South Wales finished level on wins and losses, and only a handful of runs difference in both runs for and against. The Starz have allowed just 16 runs against in eight games, but the Firestars depth of talent is almost overwhelming. If it is SA and NSW in the final, the story will be South Australia’s fist Nationals since 1956, or NSW’s fifth straight national Championship.

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Image courtesy Spacequake Sports