Summary: Under 18 Women

After a pedestrian opening day, South Australia have put themselves right in the mix with a strong performance on Day 2, recording wins over WA, the ACT and Victoria. The victory over the Big V was especially impressive, with Charlotte Dobroszczyk giving up just two hits in her six innings pitched on the way to a 7-1 win.

Victoria on the other hand had a day to forget. The defeat to SA was compounded by losses to Queensland and NSW, with the defence leaking 23 runs across the three games.

Meanwhile, Queensland are firming up as tournament favourites. Their defence has been impeccable, giving up just eight runs in six games, while the offence has recorded 42 runs, led by Keeana Henare and Syren Letizia. Their 5-3 win over NSW in the evening timeslot another reflection of their strength at these Nationals.

It would be foolish to count out the Blue Bloods however. They methodically took care of WA (11-8) and Victoria (5-1) on Day 2, with Erin Partridge one of their best performers with the bat.

Western Australia can consider themselves unlucky to still be winless at this point of Nationals. They’ve scored 27 runs for the tournament – more than Victoria – and given up fewer runs than the ACT. WA also led NSW 7-6 going into the 7^th inning but couldn’t hold on, and one innings cost them the game against ACT, conceding six runs in the 4^th. For the ACT, Bethany Wright, Alex Maiden, and Emma Behel look dangerous at the top of the order, but they will have their work cut out for them tomorrow, with games against SA, NSW, and Victoria.

Day 2 Results:

WA 4 def by SA 8

VIC 0 def by QLD 11

WA 8 def by NSW 11

ACT 1 def by QLD 9

NSW 5 def VIC 1

ACT 6 def by SA 17

VIC 1 def by SA 7

QLD 5 def NSW 3

ACT 12 def WA 8

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 3 What to Watch For: Under 18 Women

South Australia have batted in 47 runs for the tournament – the most by any team – which has rocketed them into second place on the standings. However, they face a true test tomorrow, with games against NSW, Queensland and the ACT to round out their competition.

Queensland have shown few signs of weakness through the first two days, and are a game clear at the top of the ladder. An early win over Victoria tomorrow and they may rest some players ahead of the finals on Sunday.

NSW meanwhile must give themselves a chance of reclaiming second place on the ladder, with games against the ACT and WA before a critical clash versus South Australia tomorrow night. Victoria and the ACT can’t afford a loss if they have any hope of climbing into third before Sunday, while Western Australia’s best chance of recording a win may come against Victoria, also tomorrow night.

Summary: Under 18 Men

Victoria and New South Wales kick the day off with a barnburner on the main diamond. The lead changed hands multiple times, with the game in the balance until the final out. William Richters was possible the pick of the batters for Victoria with three hits and three runs, while Ky Hurst, Jackson Newcombe, and Makye Telfer did the damage for NSW, with three RBI’s each.

The morning’s other game was equally as tense, with Western Australia recording their first win of Nationals over the ACT in a game that needed an extra innings to be decided. Trailing 5-7 at the bottom of the 7^th, the ACT scored two runs on a double to centre by Jivarhn Hill to extend the game, but they couldn’t go on from there, with WA recording two hits in the 8^th to set up the 9-7 win.

The Blue Bloods remaining games on Day 2 were somewhat less eventful, notching comfortable wins over both WA (7-2) and the ACT (10-0), and putting them in a strong position in the early stages of round 2.

Victoria’s second game in the day also didn’t go their way, falling 12-3 to Queensland. Tipene Harkness performed will at the top of the Queensland batting order, with Dane Spann also bating in three runners. Queensland rounded out their day with an 8-0 win over the ACT.

Victoria bounced back in their final game of the day with a 14-1 win over WA. Brodie Taylor scored four runs for the Big V, while Zavier Paki also recorded four RBI’s.

Day 2 Results:

VIC 12 def by NSW 15

ACT 7 def by WA 9

WA 2 def by NSW 7

VIC 3 def by QLD 12

NSW 10 def ACT 0

QLD 8 def ACT 0

VIC 14 def WA 1

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 3 What to Watch For: Under 18 Men

Like the women, a small gap is opening between the top three teams and the chasing pack. NSW remain undefeated and Queensland have only one loss, while Victoria also looks competitive, although they have given up 39 runs on defence.

The ACT have winnable games tomorrow, with games against WA and the Victoria, while Western Australia face one of the tougher draws on Day 3, taking on NSW and Queensland.

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