News

Sydney’s Hills have just finished their run in Livermore, California while representing Australia at the 2025 Intermediate League World Series.

They are one of 12 teams (six international, six American) who will compete in the tournament.

It’s the second straight year this group of Hills players will represent their country after competing in the Little League World Series in 2024.

This is where you follow their journey. Here you will find:
– Game Recaps & Highlights;
– Schedule;
– How they qualified;
– Roster (at bottom);

Here is what you need to know:

Three weeks after the tournament was scheduled to finish, the Junior and Intermediate League Championships reached a conclusion in Melbourne with two national champions crowned on Friday 20 June, 2025.

After the originally scheduled finals were washed out due to heavy rain in Lismore & Gold Coast, Baseball Australia flew in the remaining teams in each division to Melbourne to finish the tournament.

Today, we played two semi-finals & a Gold Medal match in Junior League, plus a Preliminary Final and Gold Medal Game in Intermediate League.

Congratulations to Hills (Intermediate League) and Brisbane North (Junior League) on winning your respective national crown.

This is the day’s recap story filled with stats, game reports and information. Keep scrolling for your divisions recap if you don’t see it initially.

The winners of the tournament now advance United States and represent Australia at the their respective World Series event.

Make sure you visit the respective Tournament Hub for archived scores, stories and information.

JUNIOR LEAGUE HUB: www.baseball.com.au/juniorleague

INTERMEDIATE LEAGUE HUB: www.baseball.com.au/intermediateleague

RECAPS & SCORES

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INTERMEDIATE LEAGUE – @ Essendon

Preliminary Final – Melbourne Athletics 4 def Central Firebirds 3

Gold Medal Game – Hills 12 def Melbourne Athletics 2

JUNIOR LEAGUE – @ La Trobe

Semi Final 1 – Brisbane North 5 def Cronulla Black 2

Semi Final 2 – Melbourne Athletics 11 def Melbourne Mets 1

Gold Medal Game – Brisbane North 11 def Melbourne Athletics 2

INTERMEDIATE LEAGUE RECAPS

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PRELIM FINAL: MELBOURNE ATHLETICS 4 def CENTRAL FIREBIRDS 3 – Eva Lane hits homer, collects three hits and scores winning run as Athletics advance to Gold Medal Game 

On the Chris Lane Field in Melbourne, Eva Lane shone bright for the Athletics. Lane went 3-for-3 with a homer, two RBI and two runs in the Athletics win.

She launched a two-out go-ahead homer in the bottom of the third to put the Athletics up 3-2 at the time.

The Firebirds levelled the score at three in the fifth inning.

But Lane (bel0w) kickstarted the Athletics’ rally in the bottom of the sixth. She singled to left field to get on base, before Leo Moulton delivered a game-winning RBI base-hit to put the Athletics up 4-3.

Moulton had two hits on the day.

The Athletics outhit the Firebirds 12-1 but left nine runners on base. Summer Hiscock had the only hit for the Firebirds.

Phil Toye threw 3.2 innings, allowing just one hit and two unearned runs in his start. He walked four and struck out six. Hao Huang threw 3.1 innings on no hit ball, allowing one walk and one run with three strikeouts in relief.

The Central Firebirds struck first in the third inning by capitalising off Athletics’ walks and errors.

The Athletics turn around quickly and play Hills in 30 minutes for the national title.

MELBOURNE ATHLETICS

Hits (12): Eva Lane (3), Leo Moulton (2), Jack Downs, Jackson Berg, Charlie Fegan, Haydn Dogonay, Hao Huang, Phil Toye, Josh Moulds

HR: Lane

RBI: Lane (2), Moulton, Berg

CENTRAL FIREBIRDS

Hits (1): Summer Hiscock
RBI: Hiscock, Taj Humble, Jack Johnston

GOLD MEDAL: HILLS 12 def ATHLETICS 2 – Hills pile it on to claim second straight World Series berth 

Tell you what – this is a special group of players from New South Wales’ Hills.

Nearly the same squad who won the 2024 Little League Championships has just won the 2025 Intermediate League title.

They’ll represent Australia at the 2025 Intermediate League World Series in Livermore, California from July 27-August 3.

Sayre Howick racked up twelve strikeouts & Hugh Graham hit a key homer in the mercy rule victory in Melbourne on Friday.

Melbourne held a 2-0 lead after the first two innings, but Hills ripped off four runs in the third, fifth and sixth innings.

Ten different players combined for 12 hits.

Pitching was a big story of this game. Sayre Howick (below) threw 5.0 innings, allowing five hits & two runs. He struck out 12.

But things didn’t look easy early. Charlie Fegan hit an early homer for the Athletics and had Melbourne up 2-0 after two.

Hills found their spark through the bat of Hugh Graham in the third.

He levelled the game at two apiece with a monster two-run bomb. Sayre Howick compounded the inning by adding a fourth run off an RBI single just a few batters later 4-2.

Hills pulled away with a two-out rally in the fifth.

Graham, Anton Jacovides, Harry Hobbs and Justin Jang ripped off four straight singles – all with a pair of outs on the board – to push the scoreline to 8-2. Jang had the most damaging swing with his two-RBI single.

Spencer Dobb and Ethan Cross opened the sixth inning with RBI singles. Emma Gainsford put the nail in the coffin with a two-out, two-RBI single to increase the lead to 12-2 and put the scoreline in run rule territory.

Justin Jang pitched a shutout sixth inning to seal victory.

Hugh Graham finished with a 2-for-3 stat line with a homer and three RBI. Emma Gainsford and Justin Jang also drove in a pair.

Congratulations to Hills! The players on the winning team are: Anton Jacovides, Fletcher Dobb, Spencer Dobb, Hudson Dobb, Justin Jang, Sayre Howick, Emma Gainsford, Harry Hobbs, Archer Connelly, Ethan Cross, Hugh Graham, Talen Lachmund-Davis. Coaches: Adam Dobb (Manager), Dylan Wright, Scott Wright, Jarrad Salmon, Fiona Cross (EO)

HILLS

Hits (12): Anton Jacovides, Harry Hobbs, Justin Jang, Sayre Howick, Talen Lachmund-Davis, Spender Dobb, Ethan Cross (2), Fletcher Dobb, Emma Gainsford, Hugh Graham (2)

HR: Hugh Graham

RBI: Graham (3), Gainsford (2), Cross, S. Dobb, Jang (2), Hobbs

ATHLETICS

Hits (5): Charlie Fegan, Leo Moulton (2), Haydn Dogonay, Nixon Dikranis

HR: Fegan

RBI: Fegan, Josh Moulds

JUNIOR LEAGUE RECAPS

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SEMI-FINAL #1: BRISBANE NORTH 5 def CRONULLA 2 – Chase Crew tosses complete game as opportunistic Brisbane North s squeeze by Cronulla to advance to Gold Medal game

Brisbane North may have only had three hits but they made the most of their opportunities during there semi-final win on Friday morning.

The Vikings worked eleven walks and systematically rolled over the scoreboard in their win. Brisbane North tallied a single run in each of the first four innings and one in the seventh for good measure.

Chase Crew (below) was solid on the mound. He tossed a complete game: 7.0 innings, 2 runs, 4 hits, 4 walks and 8 strikeouts.

Ten different players reached base. Kenneth O’Brien led Brisbane North with three walks. Logan Lokeni, Edward Jones, and Tyler Wilson had RBI.

Zac Jacenko had a triple for Cronulla while Liam McGuckin-Anderson and Ben Napier had RBI.

Brisbane North will advance to the Gold Medal Game to play the winner of the Melbourne Mets and Melbourne Athletics. The game will be played half-an-hour after the second semi-final concludes.

BRISBANE NORTH

Hits (3): Logan Lokeni, Tyler Wilson, Barry Hunter
RBI: Lokeni, Edward Jones, Wilson

CRONULLA BLACK

Hits (4): Aiden Southcombe, Zac Jacenko, Liam McGuckin-Anderson, Samuel Regan
RBI: McGuckin-Anderson, Ben Napier

SEMI-FINAL #2: MELBOURNE ATHLETICS 11 def MELBOURNE METS 1 – Jacob Tayler and Maximillian Lord combine for six hits as Athletics storm to Gold Medal Game

A pair of prolific performances has helped secure a place in the Gold Medal Game for the Melbourne Athletics.

Jacob Tayler went 3-for-4 with four RBI and a triple & Maximillian Lord (below) went 3-for-3 with an RBI and two runs.

The Athletics pulled away from their Melbourne counterparts with a six run fourth inning to push out the score to 8-0.

Tayler (below) had two RBIs in the inning, but he was added by a bases loaded walk from Finn Welte, and a two-RBI triple by Harper Pitts.

Oliver Allen was terrific on the mound. The 2023 U12 World Cup pitcher tossed 5.0 innings with nine strikeouts, allowing just four hits, one run, three walks.

Patience paid off for the Athletics, who worked ten walks in the game.

Flynn Scargill led the Mets with two hits. Cruize Chase started on the mound for the Mets.

It’s a quick turnaround for the Athletics, who now face Brisbane North in the Gold Medal game for a spot in the Junior League World Series.

MELBOURNE ATHLETICS

Hits (8): Jacob Tayler (3), Maximillian Lord (2), Harper Pitts, Kella De Sylva
RBI: Tayler (4), Pitts (2), Peter Baade, Lord

MELBOURNE METS

Hits (4): Flynn Scargill, Cale Morris, Hayden H
RBI: Morris

GOLD MEDAL GAME: BRISBANE NORTH 11 def MELBOURNE ATHLETICS 2 – Brisbane North out muscle Melbourne Athletics to claim Australian Junior League Championship

Brisbane North out-hit, out-pitched and out-scored them in a dominating Gold Medal Game display.

Brisbane North collected 14 hits to Melbourne’s four and had a big pitching performance from Tyler Wilson in the win.

They’ll now represent Australia at the 2025 Junior League World Series in Taylor, Michigan.

Coby Holt led Brisbane with a three hit performance. Tyler Wilson, Barry Hunter and Chase Crew also picked up a pair of hits.

Tyler Wilson (below) threw 5.0 innings, allowing just one run, three hits, four walks and had eight strikeouts.

It looked early as if Melbourne Athletics would chuck a lopsided number on the ledger. They loaded the bases with nobody out in the second inning.

Enter Tyler Wilson.

The right-handed Brisbane North pitcher struck out the side and walked just one batter. He escaped the inning with just one run on the board and the bases full of Athletics.

It seemed to spark the offence.

Brisbane North scored three runs immediately following in the third inning. Coby Holt tied the game with an RBI single to right-field. Two batters later, Patrick Fogg hit a ground ball and reached on an error by the pitcher which caused two more runs to score on the play.

3-1.

Aaron Bell drove in a pair with a two-RBI single to left in the fifth. Barry Hunter and Kenneth O’Brien picked up RBI singles in the fifth.

7-1.

Meanwhile, Wilson was cruising. His final stat line read 5.0 innings, with three hits, one run, four walks and eight strikeouts.

The Athletics pegged one back in the sixth but Brisbane North sailed away to a Golden sunset in the top of the seventh. They plated four runs thanks to a bases clearing triple from Logan Lokeni and a line drive RBI from Logan Larkin.

Patrick Fogg recorded the final three outs.

Brisbane North will represent Australia at the 2025 Junior League World Series in Taylor, Michigan from August 3-10.

The players are: Chase Crew, Joey Perkins, Tyler Wilson, Barry Hunter, Archer Peterson, Logan Lokeni, Patrick Fogg, Kenneth O’Brien, Coby Holt, Aaron Bell, Logan Larkin, Eddie Jones. Coaches:

BRISBANE NORTH

Hits (14): Patrick Fogg, Logan Lokeni, Chase Crew (2), Logan Larkin, Barry Hunter (2), Kenneth O’Brien, Tyler Wilson (2), Aaron Bell, Coby Holt (3)

RBI: Lokeni (2), Bell (2), Larkin, Hunter, O’Brien, Holt

MELBOURNE ATHLETICS

Hits (5): Edison Bush, Peter Baade, Oliver Allen, Joel Roberts
RBI: Harper Pitts, Reiley Marshall

INTERMEDIATE LEAGUE – SCHEDULE & HOW THEY GOT HERE

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Games played at Chris Lane Field at Essendon Baseball Club

9:30AM: Preliminary Final – Central Firebirds vs Melbourne Athletics

11:45AM: Gold Medal Game: Hills vs Winner of Preliminary Final

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Central Firebirds: The Western Australians posted a 2-1 record in in Pool B to finish second, losing only to Cronulla. In the first final, the Firebirds fell 10-4 to a strong Hills outfit. In a must win game in the Elimination Final, the Firebirds came out hot by defeating Cronulla 10-5. Their 54 runs scored is second in the tournament. Haruki Yamamoto leads the team with nine hits in five games while Taj Humble fronts the Firebirds with six RBI.

Melbourne Athletics: The Athletics went through Group A in second place, losing only to Hills by one run in their opening game. In the first final, the Athletics rode great pitching from Charlie Fegan and Philip Toye, who combined to allow just two hits to a dangerous Cronulla offense in a narrow 3-1 win. The Athletics were overpowered 19-3 in a rain interrupted Qualifying Final.

Hills: This group of players are looking to do something special – repeat as champions. This collective represented Australia at the Little League World Series in 2024 and have been rolling that momentum over in the next age group up. They went through the group stage undefeated and then beat the Firebirds in the first final and the Athletics in the Qualifying Final. Hills had to do it the hard way early. They narrowly defeated the Athletics in their first game (5-4) before mounting an eight run comeback vs the Eastern Phantoms in a 12-11 win. They’ve outscored opponents 60-22. Justin Jang leads the team in hits (9) and RBI (8).

JUNIOR LEAGUE – SCHEDULE & HOW THEY GOT HERE

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Games Played at La Trobe University Baseball Club

9:30AM: Semi Final 1 – Cronulla Black vs Brisbane North

11:45AM: Semi Final 2 – Melbourne Mets vs Melbourne Athletics

2:00PM: Gold Medal Game – Winners of Semi Finals

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Cronulla Black: Cronulla were 3-0 in Pool A, finishing top. Their last game vs Canberra was called off due to rain and was unable to be played but had no implications on group placings. The Cronulla charter won the 2024 Junior League Championship. They’ve outscored opponents 33-6 in their three games with 11-4 being their narrowest margin of victory. Every player on the team has a hit. Hugh Kelly turned in a remarkable 5.0 innings allowing just one base runner in an early Pool Play victory.

Brisbane North: Finished Pool B with a 3-1 standing, although the record has an * next to it. That’s because in their fourth game – a battle of the undefeated teams with Melbourne Mets – the game was called off in a second extra inning with the Mets leading 22-12. In fact it was one of the wildest games of the tournament – you should read about it here. They’ve scored a tournament high 46 runs in four games, led by Archer Peterson who has 7 hits, 10 RBI and a homer. Patrick Fogg has not allowed a run in 8.0 innings pitched so far this tournament.

Melbourne Mets: Finished top of Pool A with a 4-0 record while scoring 43 runs including a 22 run effort in their final pool play game. Their 17 runs allowed is second lowest in the tournament. The Mets have won in different ways – like a 4-2 pitcher’s duel over Southern Hills Warriors, a 10-0 shutout win and a 22-12 shootout victory. Cruize Chase leads the team with six hits, a homer and four RBI.

Melbourne Athletics: This collection of players finished runners-up in Intermediate League in 2024. They went 3-1 in Pool Play, losing only to Cronulla. They had to defeat Adelaide on the final day just to get in. They did so with a 10-3 win in a game that featured an eight run inning and solid pitching from Peter Baade. Every player has reached base multiple times.