News

The Australian baseball community shifts their attention to Redcliffe, Queensland for two tournaments running side-by-side in July. It’s the final national championship of the 2026 season.

A flock of baseball loving 9-12 year-olds will be coming to experience a week long tournament in one of the most beautiful parts of the world.

Here you will find schedules and information for each division for the event running from July 7-11, sponsored by the City of Moreton Bay.

Games scheduled on Diamond 1 will be broadcast live & free on Baseball+. Each team in the tournament will have two games on broadcast, in line with all other national championships.

You can follow along the rest of the action on GameChanger.

COMBINED SCHEDULE: Download the PDF

Baseball Australia has confirmed the locations for Little League National Championship Events for a three-year cycle between 2027-2029.

The four national championship events will continue to serve as entry to some of the most prestigious youth sporting tournaments in the world, with each Australian champion earning direct entry to their respective World Series event in the United States.

Little League Baseball is one of the world’s largest and most participated youth sports programs, involving millions of players across more than 80 countries and regions each year.

For Australian teams, the opportunity to represent their community and country on the international stage remains one of the sport’s most unique experiences.

The successful host clubs were selected following an extensive application process, with Baseball Australia receiving numerous expressions of interest and formal submissions from clubs and associations across the country. The next hosting application process will open in 2028.

The three-year hosting cycle provides certainty for local organisers and allows host clubs, associations, and state bodies to strategically plan, invest, and enhance their events over time.

The championships are spread across four different states and four different clubs during the cycle, showing off the strength of grassroots and community baseball.

The venues are:
– Senior League Championships: Glenelg Tigers and Adelaide Angels (SA)
– Junior League Championships: Pine Hills Lightning (QLD)
– Intermediate League Championships: Knox Falcons (VIC)
– Little League Championships: Blacktown International Sports Park (NSW)

Ryde Red stayed composed in an intense Gold Medal Game on Monday afternoon in Sydney.

Watch the highlights and read the recap with all the stats below.

DAY 6 RESULTS – MONDAY 8 JUNE

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Gold Medal

– Ryde Red 9 def Central Firebirds 3 | Replay |

Ryde win the Championship and advance to the Little League World Series 

Consolation Games

– Bronze Medal: Adelaide Marlins 5 def Eastern Phantoms 1

– Canberra 13 def NT Buffaloes 4
– Brisbane North 10 def Melbourne Athletic s0
– Brisbane Metro 5 def Cronulla Black 4
– Ryde Black 3 def Melbourne Rangers 0

RECAPS

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GOLD MEDAL | Ryde Red hold their nerve to book Williamsport berth

Ryde Red are heading to Williamsport.

In front of a packed grandstand at Blacktown International Sportspark, Ryde Red defeated Central Firebirds 9-3 in Monday’s Australian Little League Championship Gold Medal Game, securing Australia’s place at the 2026 Little League World Series in Pennsylvania this August.

Watch the Replay: Ryde Red 9 def Central Firebirds 3

The scoreline tells part of the story. The composure shown by Ryde Red tells the rest.

It was a different environment than a typical baseball game these 10-12 year olds would be used to.

A 10-minute pre-game ceremony saw every player individually introduced to the crowd. Music echoed throughout the stadium. A live anthem singer delivered the national anthem. Nearly 1,000 spectators packed the venue, including dozens of fellow Little Leaguers who spent the afternoon chanting and cheering from the grandstands.

With a trip to the most famous tournament in youth baseball on the line, the pressure was immense.

Ryde’s response was calm, cool and collected.

The Firebirds threatened immediately in the top of the first. Ashton Fisher, Flynn Kalin and Jacob Krawec all collected hits as Central loaded the bases with one out against Ryde starter Hikaru Kaneko.

The right-hander never blinked.

Kaneko induced an infield fly before winning a tense nine-pitch battle for strike three to escape the inning unscathed.

It proved to be one of the defining moments of the championship game.

Moments later, Ryde struck.

Riley Fury opened the scoring with an RBI triple before Kaneko helped his own cause with a run-scoring single. Jasper Pearse delivered the biggest blow of the inning, lining a two-run double with the bases loaded as Ryde surged to a 5-0 advantage.

It was a composed response to one of the most emotionally challenging innings of the tournament.

Defence became the story in the second when Cormac Dillon produced an unassisted double play to erase another Firebirds threat.

Central Firebirds showed their guts and refused to go away.

Flynn Kalin delivered a clutch two-run triple in the third inning to cut the deficit to 5-2, before another run crossed on a wild pitch in the fourth.

Suddenly the Firebirds had life.

The momentum had shifted but Ryde never panicked.

With two runners aboard and two outs in the third, manager Paul Jones turned to Edin Becirevic out of the bullpen.

The reliever delivered one of the gutsiest outings of the championship. Becirevic worked 3.1 innings, allowing five hits and one run while not issuing a single walk.
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The championship was effectively sealed in the fifth inning.

Ryde loaded the bases before Kaneko dropped a soft liner into centre field to score two runs and collect his second and third RBI of the afternoon. Frederick Loats followed with an RBI single as Ryde scored four times in the inning to stretch the lead to 9-3.

The Firebirds mounted one final challenge in the sixth, placing two runners aboard with one out.

Becirevic remained calm.

Two routine fly balls later, gloves were in the air and Ryde Red were celebrating a trip to Williamsport.

“It’s a fantastic feeling,” manager Paul Jones said. “The last couple games our bats really lit up. We kept the pressure on, we got base runners on, our pitchers did the job. It was unbelievable.”

For the players, the reality of what they had achieved was still sinking in.

“I was very stressed and very nervous, but I’m happy to be going to Williamsport,” Kobe Bosman said after recording the final out – something his cousin did just five years prior.

The victory caps a perfect championship run for Ryde Red and sends them to the Little League World Series, where they will represent Australia on one of the biggest stages in youth sport. It’s the first time a Ryde team has advanced to the marquee Little League series event.

PLAYERS: Jayden Lee, Frederick Loats, Calum Lesser, Riley Fury, Nicholas Robson, Aaron Dare, Kobe Bosman, Hikaru Kaneko, Daniel Warwick, Cormac Dillon, Jasper Pearse. COACHES: Paul Jones (Manager), Ryan Fury, Andrew Ross. EO: Matt Pearse.

RYDE RED

Hits: D. Warwick (2), H. Kaneko (2), R. Fury, J. Lee, E. Becirevic, F. Loats, J. Pearse, C. Dillon

RBI: H. Kaneko (3), J. Pearse (2), J. Pearse (2), R. Fury (1), E. Becirevic (1), F. Loats (1)

Pitching:
– H. Kaneko — 2.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO
– E. Becirevic (W) — 3.1 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO

CENTRAL FIREBIRDS
Hits: K. Ogilvie (2), H. Welten (2), A. Fisher, F. Kalin, J. Krawec, B. Saban-Smithers, K. Aizlewood, V. Buckley
RBI: F. Kalin (2)

Pitching:
– C. Moffat (L) — 2.0 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO
– K. Aizlewood — 2.0 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 SO
– K. Ogilvie — 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 SO

BRONZE MEDAL | Hunter Ung strikes out 13 as Marlins claim 5-1 bronze medal win over the Eastern Phantoms

Hunter Ung and the Adelaide Marlins needed just 68 minutes to defeat the Eastern Phantoms and win a bronze medal at the 2026 Australian Little League Championships.

Ung, the Marlins’ starter, pitched like he had somewhere to be. He allowed just four hits and a run over 6.0 innings, striking out an equal tournament-high 13 batters and walked none. Of the 74 pitches he threw, 59 were for strikes.

Darcy Brewis also had a solid start for the Phantoms. All five of his runs were unearned. He threw 5.0 innings, allowing seven hits with one walk and eight strikeouts.

The Phantoms struck first off a fielder’s choice in the first.

Cameron Majewski tied the game at one on the bottom of the inning, and later took the lead off an error.

Hunter Ung and Connor Maidment both had RBI to push the Adelaide lead to 4-1 in the fifth. Cooper Kenny doubled in Adelaide’s fifth and final run in the fifth.

Congratulations to the Marlins on winning bronze!

ADELAIDE MARLINS

Hits: C. Majewski (2), C. Kenny (2), O. Patman, W. Cox, C. Maidment
RBI: H. Ung (1), C. Maidment (1), O. Patman (1), C. Kenny (1)

Pitching:
– H. Ung — 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 13 SO

EASTERN PHANTOMS

Hits: N. Rowland, D. Brewis, L. Kendall, A. Kelly
RBI: J. McCay (1)

Pitching:
– D. Brewis — 5.0 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 SO

CONSOLATION | Evan Grobler nearly perfect, sets new tournament high in strikeouts, in big Brisbane North win

Evan Grobler’s stat line is something to behold.

5.0 IP | 0 H| 0 BB | 0 R | 14 SO

It wasn’t quite perfect because the Athletics had a base runner off a dropped third strike and an error.

Still, an amazing effort in Brisbane North’s 10-0 win.

Grobler finishes the tournament with 27 strikeouts in 9.2 innings. He’s only 11 and eligible to return to next year.

Oh, he also hit an inside-the-park home run.

Meanwhile, Brisbane North scored in four of the five innings. Porter Cox and Averey Griffin each had two hits. Griffin drove in a pair.

BRISBANE NORTH

Hits: A. Griffin (2), P. Cox (2), H. Lokeni, E. Grobler, M. Fogg, C. Black, J. Young
RBI: A. Griffin (2), E. Grobler (2), H. Lokeni (1), P. Cox (1), T. Hession (1), A. Gaskell (1)

HR: E. Grobler

Pitching:
– E. Grobler — 5.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 14 SO

MELBOURNE ATHLETICS

Hits: None

Pitching:
– M. Keane — 2.0 IP, 4 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 2 SO
– S-Q. Yang — 2.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 2 SO

CONSOLATION | Canberra score nine unanswered runs after breaking tie vs NT Buffaloes

The NT Buffaloes fought hard to rally and score three runs in the third to tie the game up at four.

Canberra responded instantly, scoring five in the fourth and four in the last to run away with a 13-4 win.

Eddie Tudor and Layton Kowert led the team with the bats and on the mound. They combined to allow just one hit between them. They both had two hits at the plate.

Kaylan Herath had a pair of RBI. It’s Canberra’s third win of the tournament.

CANBERRA RANGERS

Hits: E. Tunningley (2), L. Kowert (2), K. Herath, L. McIntyre, T. Tudor, T. Matavesi, D. Hurley
RBI: K. Herath (2), L. McIntyre (1), T. Tudor (1), L. Kowert (1), T. Jenkins (1)

Pitching:
– T. Tudor — 1.1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 6 BB, 4 SO
– L. Kowert — 4.1 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO

NT BUFFALOES

Hits: C. Brown (1)

Pitching:
– B. Derr — 3.1 IP, 4 H, 7 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO
–  W. George — 2.2 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO

CONSOLATION | Ryde Black shutout Melbourne Rangers in fast moving gam

Ryde Black needed just 66 minutes to shut down the Melbourne Rangers.

Haruki Sawa tossed a complete game shutout, allowing just six hits and no walks. He struck out three while trusting his defense behind him.

Liam Punch had a two-RBI double in the top of the third to put Ryde Black up 2-0. Ned Fernie led the way with two hits.

Archie Watt-Sinclair had two hits for the Rangers.

RYDE BLACK

Hits: N. Fernie (2), L. Punch, A. Post, H. Sawa, I. Choi, J. Melhem, K. Komine
RBI: L. Punch (2), M. Chamberlain (1)

Pitching:
– H. Sawa (W) — 6.0 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO

MELBOURNE RANGERS
Hits: A. Watt-Sinclair (2), H. Duncan, J. Sambell, E. Andrzejewski, H. Reenan

Pitching:
–  J. Sambell (L) — 4.2 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO
–  A. Watt-Sinclair — 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO

CONSOLATION | Brisbane Metro win it extra innings despite giving up four run lead

Despite seeing a four-run lead disappear, Brisbane Metro held off Cronulla Black by scoring a winning run in the final inning of a 5-4 consolation game.

It was scoreless until the fourth. Then, Axel Holmstrom, Toby Sheeran and Anderson Wild drove in runs to take a 4-0 lead.

Cronulla Black pieced together a great rally in the bottom of the sixth, taking advantage of walks and errors to tie the game at four.

Toby Sheeran then singled home a run in the top of the first extra inning.

Ari Holmstrom shut the door to win it 5-4.

It’s semi-final Sunday in Sydney.

Today two teams will book a spot in the 2026 Australian Little League Championship game where they will take their shot at winning it all and advancing to the Little League World Series.

Want to know how we got here? Here’s the recap story from the last day of Pool Play.

Catch up on today’s recaps, stats, highlights and results below.

Watch live on Baseball+ and follow on GameChanger.

DAY 5 SCHEDULE – SUNDAY 7 JUNE

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SEMI-FINALS, watch replays on Baseball+

– Ryde Red 4 def Adelaide Marlins 0

– Central Firebirds 9 def Eastern Phantoms 2

Ryde Red and Central Firebirds advance to Gold Medal Game at 1:30PM AEST on Baseball+.

CONSOLATION

– Brisbane North 11 def Northern Territory 0
– Canberra Rangers 7 def Melbourne Athletics 3
– Cronulla Black 10 def Ryde Black 0
– Melbourne Rangers 4 def Brisbane Metro 3 (Extras)

Live Scoring: GameChanger | Watch on Baseball+ 

MONDAY SCHEDULE: Click here.

SEMI FINAL RECAPS

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RYDE RED 4 def ADELAIDE MARLINS 0 | Aaron Dare tosses complete game, one-hit shutout to send Ryde to the final

Aaron Dare was nearly perfect. He had to be. There were only two hits combined across the entire game.

The Ryde starting pitcher threw all 6.0 innings, allowing just one hit with an equal tournament high 13 strikeouts.

It was an all-time performance that moves Ryde Red just one win away from going to the Little League World Series.

He was locked in a pitcher’s duel with Adelaide starter Cameron Majewski.

It was scoreless until the bottom of the fourth, when Scrappy Warwick dropped in sacrifice fly. The eventual winning run slid into home, narrowly avoiding a tag and staging off an epic throwing attempt by the Adelaide centrefielder.

1-0.

Majewski didn’t concede a hit until the top of the fifth inning, when a bases-loaded single from Frederick Loats drove in an insurance run.

Ryde added two more runs to push the score to 4-0 thanks to errors.

Ryde will now play the winner of Eastern Phantoms and Central Firebirds in the Gold Medal Game on Monday afternoon.

Adelaide will play in the bronze.

RYDE RED

Hits (1): F. Loats
RBI: Loats, Warwick

Pitching:
– A. Dare: 6.0 IP, 0 ER 1 H, 0 BB, 13 S

ADELAIDE MARLINS

Hits (1): Hunter Ung
Pitching:
– C. Majewski: 4.2 IP, 3 ER, 1 H, 3 BB, 9 SO
– M. Guo: 0.1 IP, 1 SO

CENTRAL FIREBIRDS 9 def EASTERN PHANTOMS 2 | FIREBIRDS SCORE EXPLODE OUT THE GATE, HOLD ON TO ADVANCE TO GOLD MEDAL GAME

The Central Firebirds piled on six runs in the bottom of the first inning and held on from there to book their spot in the Gold Medal Game.

Starting pitcher Jacob Krawec factored heavily into this one. He went the distance. More on him later.

Let’s talk about the absolute dream start for the Western Australians.

Krawec needed just nine pitches to retire their cross-state rivals in the top of the first inning. The offense used the momentum to catapult ahead.

With two outs in the bottom of the first, Declan Strain, Harrison Welton, and Vincent Buckley ripped off a string of three hits to drive in six runs and place the Firebirds firmly in control.

They added two more in the third, large in part to a triple to Kai Ogilvie.

The Phantoms dented the scoreboard in the fifth after starting the inning with three hits. Ollie Duck drove in one on a sacrifice fly and Mitch Renwick scored on a wild pitch to cut the deficit to 8-2.

The Firebirds added an extra insurance run off a passed ball in the bottom of the fifth

Krawec remained steady on the mound. He tossed a complete 6.0 inning game, allowing five hits, two runs and no walks with 10 strikeouts.  Just 24 hours earlier, Krawec delivered the walk-off winning hit to send the Firebirds to the finals.

Kai Aizlewood and Harry Welton led the Firebirds with two hits apiece. Ashton Westwood and Lachlan Kendall had two hits for the Phantoms.

The Firebirds advance to Monday afternoon’s Gold Medal Game against Ryde Red. The Phantoms will play for bronze on Monday morning vs the Marlins.

CENTRAL FIREBIRDS

Hits: H. Welten (2), K. Aizlewood (2), A. Fisher, F. Kalin, K. Ogilvie, D. Strain, V. Buckley

RBI: B. Saban-Smith (2), D. Strain (2), H. Welten (2), K. Ogilvie, B. Price, V. Buckley

3B: A. Fisher, K. Ogilvie

Pitching:
– J. Krawec — 6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 10 SO

EASTERN PHANTOMS

Hits: L. Kendall (2), A. Westwood (2), M. Renwick
RBI: O. Duck (1)

Pitching:
– N. Rowland — 1.0 IP, 4 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 1 SO
– A. Kelly — 4.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO

DAY 5 RECAPS – CONSOLATION

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BRISBANE NORTH 11 def NT BUFFALOES 0 | Averey Griffin homers twice in Brisbane North win

Averey Griffin had a day to remember.

The Brisbane North slugger hit two homers – one over the fence and one inside the park – in an 11-0 win.

Griffin drove in five runs and his big fly is the only hit to clear the fence this week.

His inside-the-park homer was the swing that pushed the game to 11-0.

Brisbane North also dominated on the mound. 14 of their 15 outs were via the strikeout.

Porter Cox struck out 11 in 4.0 shutout innings, conceding just one hit. Evan Grobler struck out three in the win.

NT BUFFALOES

Hits: B. Derr

Pitching:
– C. Brown — 3.2 IP, 6 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 5 BB, 7 SO
– T. Brown — 0.2 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 1 SO

BRISBANE NORTH

Hits: P. Cox, T. Lyall (2), A. Griffin (2), T. Hession, E. Grobler (2)
RBI: T. Lyall (2), A. Griffin (5), E. Grobler

Pitching:
– E. Grobler — 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO
– P. Cox — 4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 11 SO

CANBERRA RANGERS 7 def MELBOURNE ATHLETICS 3 | Lincoln McIntyre strikes out 11 in Canberra’s second win

Lincoln McIntyre struck out 11 batters over 4.0 innings, allowing just one hit, one walk and one unearned run.

It helped propel a steady Canberra offensive effort. They scored runs in four of five innings, including three in the second that helped erase a 2-0 deficit.

Tom Jenkins drove in a pair to lead all players, while Chase Hackett and Kaylan Harath drew three walks.

CANBERRA RANGERS

Hits: T. Tudor, H. Kerns, T. Jenkins, T. Matavesi, L. Kowert

RBI: H. Kerns, B. MacDonald, T. Jenkins (2)
Pitching:
– L. McIntyre — 4.0 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 11 SO
– B. MacDonald — 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO

MELBOURNE ATHLETICS

Hits: S. Yang, L. Giles, L. Lidgett
RBI: L. Lidgett

Pitching:
– O. Allen — 2.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 1 SO
– A. Neill — 2.2 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 8 BB, 5 SO
– L. Giles — 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 SO

MELBOURNE RANGERS 4 def BRISBANE METRO 3 | Carter McGowan goes off as Rangers score extra-innings walk-off win

Brisbane Metro and Melbourne Rangers played out a thriller on Sunday afternoon. Archie Watt-Sinclair scored on a Carter McGowan ground ball to walk-it-off.

Moments earlier McGowan pitched a nervy top of the extra inning, keeping Metro scoreless despite inheriting a courtesy runner.

McGowan threw all 7.0 innings, allowing seven hits with no walks and three unearned runs.

Brisbane Metro opened the scoring in the top of the fourth thanks to a pair of errors. 2-0.

The Rangers scored three in the bottom of the fourth after Archie Griffiths doubled, scoring. one run, and Carter McGowan doubled in a pair.

Axel Holmstrom’s fielder’s choice tied the game at six in the top of the sixth to force extra innings.

MELBOURNE RANGERS

Hits: F. Fleiner (2), A. Griffiths, A. Watt-Sinclair, C. McGowan, P. Lane, B. McNamara
RBI: C. McGowan (3), A. Griffiths

Pitching:
– C. McGowan — 7.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO

BRISBANE METRO
Hits: K. McKenna (2), N. Akahoshi (2), A. Holmstrom, T. Sheeran, H. McMahon

Pitching:
– K. McKenna — 3.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO
– N. Chang — 0.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO
– A. Holmstrom — 2.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO

CRONULLA BLACK 10 def RYDE BLACK 0 | Big fourth inning leads Cronulla Black to run-rule victory

Cronulla Black scored seven runs in the fourth inning to pull away in consolation play.

Ethan Wall doubled in one run, Alexi Fils-Aime cashed in another, and Owen Fowler doubled in a pair.

Flynn Donnelly threw 4.2 innings of shutout ball in his start, allowing two hits, one walk and struck out six. Leonardo Percey worked the final two outs with no trouble.

Xavier Dunn had three hits.

CRONULLA BLACK

Hits: X. Dunn (3), L. Percey (2), E. Wall (2), J. Smith, A. Fils-Aime, O. Fowler
RBI: E. Wall (3), L. Grant, J. Smith, A. Fils-Aime, O. Fowler

Pitching:
– F. Donnelly — 4.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO
– L. Percey — 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO

RYDE BLACK
Hits: L. Punch (2), J. Melhem

Pitching:
– L. Punch — 2.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO
– L. Wolstenholme — 2.0 IP, 5 H, 7 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 1 SO
– A. Post — 1.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO