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Summary: Under 18 Women

Host state NSW began their National Championship title defence in strong form. After holding on to win 5-4 over South Australia in their opening game, NSW were rarely troubled by the ACT, cruising to a 6-2 win.

Victoria kept the ACT scoreless thanks to strong pitching by Holly Reynolds and Kiara Rhind-Luke, with Reynolds also notching two RBIs in the 8-0 win. Victoria couldn’t repeat the performance against South Australia, giving up 6 runs in the 4^th inning, the final score 10-3 to SA. Taylor Chillingworth finished with three hits and five RBI’s from her four trips to the plate, while Abi Jorgensen and Georgia Ballard both scored three runs for SA. Victoria later bounced back with a 5-2 win over WA, the victory set up with four runs in the opening three innings for the Big V.

Pitching was the difference in a tightly contested clash between Queensland and WA, with Emilee Solomon and Chelsea Zunker combining for seven strikeouts while conceding just up a single run in the 3-1 win. Queensland were equally dominant in their win over South Australia, coming out 7-1 in front. Chelsea Zunker turned in a solid performance from the pitching circle, giving up just one hit in seven innings.

The evening game between NSW and Queensland was an arm wrestle all the way until Queensland blew the match away in the 7^th innings, pouring on six unanswered runs to complete a 7-2 win. Meanwhile, ACT and WA played out a see-sawing battle on Diamond 2. ACT jumped out of the blocks with four runs in the 1^st inning, before WA chipped away to tie scores up at the midway point. Scores remained locked until the ACT scored three decisive runs in the 7^th setting up a 8-4 win.

Day 1 Results:

NSW 5 def SA 4

VIC 8 def ACT 0

WA 1 def by QLD 3

NSW 6 def ACT 2

SA 10 def VIC 3

SA 1 def QLD 7

WA 2 def by VIC 5

NSW 2 def by QLD 7

WA 4 def by ACT 8

For completed game reports, please click here.

For complete standings, please click here.

For the complete schedule, please click here.

Day 2 What to Watch For: Under 18 Women

A top-of-the-table clash kicks proceedings off on Day 2, with Queensland and Victoria meeting on Diamond 4 at 9am. Queensland face another key match-up against NSW tomorrow night, while Victoria faces possibly the hardest draw of the day, with critical games against a plucky South Australia, and NSW.

South Australia, currently in 4^th position, also need to secure wins over bottom placed ACT and WA to keep in touch with the leaders. Western Australia, winless after Day 1, also face an uphill battle against NSW and SA, although their best chance could come against the ACT tomorrow night.

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

Summary: Under 18 Men

Queensland dispatched the ACT and Western Australia in back-to-back games in the morning, the wins coming in part from solid batting performances from Haydan Dobe, Tom Halt, and Ayden Champneys.

NSW also made short work of the ACT, with Tim Gleeson, Dante Machiavello, and Ky Hurst combining for eight RBIs in their 18-6 win.

WA also began their tournament with a pair of losses, going down 13-4 to Victoria. Zavier Paki with the impressive score line of three runs, two hits, and four RBIs for the Big V. Victoria backed up later in the afternoon with a convincing 17-7 win over the ACT. Despite scores being level after 4 innings, Victoria piled on 13 runs in the 5^th and 6^th inning to set up the win.

NSW secured top spot on the ladder after Day 1, with a 10-2 win over Queensland late in the day. Cameron Taylor and Lachlan Hort proving dangerous with bat in hand, with five runs and five RBI’s between the pair.

Day 1 Results:

ACT 1 def by QLD 17

WA 9 def by QLD 11

ACT 6 def by NSW 18

WA 4 def by VIC 13

ACT 7 def by VIC 17

QLD 2 def by NSW 10

For completed game reports, please click here.

For complete standings, please click here.

For the complete schedule, please click here.

Day 2 What to Watch For: Under 18 Men

Day 2 kicks off with a tantalising clash between NSW and Victoria, the only remaining unbeaten teams. NSW then meet the ACT and Western Australia in their other games tomorrow, and must feel if they can win at least two of their three games on Friday, they will be well positioned for the weekend.

At the other end of the ladder, the ACT and WA will look to break their duck when they also meet early tomorrow. Their remaining games on Friday will be against states vying to keep pace with the top of the ladder, and a loss makes it that much harder to go deep into Sunday.

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

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