Bring yourself up to date with everything from the National Championships in our Daily Wrap.

Summary: Under 23 Women

Victoria’s game against Western Australia was essentially decided in the first innings. The Big V scored all seven of their runs in the opening frame, highlighted by Caitlin Olley and Kasey Smith both scoring two RBIs. WA often had runners on base in their remining innings, but couldn’t capitalise as Victoria held on for a 7-2 win.

WA bounced back in their next match and recorded their first win of the tournament against South Australia. The game was in the balance with two innings to go, but WA scored seven runs over their last two at-bats for a 13-6 win, punctuated by a single to Tabitha Rewell that resulted in three RBIs. Impressively, every WA batter also recorded a hit in the win.

Queensland’s hot form continued with back-to-back wins over Victoria (5-4) and SA (9-3) in the middle part of the day. Tayla Evans blew the game open for Queensland in the 4^th inning against SA with a three-run homer, but it took an 8^th inning to earn the win over Victoria. A Tallulah Civoniceva RBI put the Queenslanders ahead in the extra inning, who then held Victoria scoreless in the bottom of the frame for the win.

Queensland then extended their winning streak to seven, with a comprehensive 15-0 win over WA late on Day 3. Monique Smith had a remarkable five RBIs, while Chelsea Zunker recorded five strikeouts and gave up just one hit in the three innings pitched.

New South Wales also put together back-to-back wins in the afternoon. The Blue Bloods set the tone early in their game against WA, scoring four runs in each of the 2^nd and 3^rd innings, with an Alyssa Connell double that brought home three NSW runners possibly the highlight in that stretch. The Blue Bloods were even more dominant in their 7-0 win over Victoria. Breanna Evans batted in two runners in the 1^st, while Victoria did not help their cause with four errors in the field.

However, South Australia kept NSW from an undefeated day, with a 7-0 win in the last game of the preliminary rounds. Millie Fidge batted in two runners in the 1^st, with NSW errors allowing in more runners in the 1^st and 3^rd innings. A further three runs in the 5^th ended the game early, with SA registering their fourth win of the tournament.

Day 3 Results:

VIC 7 def WA 2

WA 13 def SA 6

QLD 5 def VIC 4

NSW 10 def WA 6

QLD 9 def SA 3

NSW 7 def VIC 0

SA 7 def NSW 0

QLD 15 def WA 0

For completed game reports, please click here.

For complete standings, please click here.

For the complete schedule, please click here.

Games start from 9:00am, with a 15-minute break between each game

Day 4 What to Watch For

South Australia pinched a game against NSW late on Day 3, and buoyed by the heroics of last week, must feel they can win from anywhere on their home track. Victoria too have shown promise, but their only two wins came against WA, and barring an upset, New South Wales and Queensland look destined to compete for the Joyce Lester Shield tomorrow afternoon.

Queensland have dropped only one game in the preliminary rounds, and that was against the Blue Bloods in the first game of the tournament. NSW have dropped two games, but one was against SA when they had nothing to play for, while the other was against Queensland at the end of a four-game day. The two teams have the firepower and defence to subdue other teams, and it would be a fitting end to the tournament to see the two best teams go at it for the Joyce Lester Shield.

Interested in playing Softball? Find your nearest softball club at the Club Finder.