News

The 2026 Under 16 and Under 18 Youth Championships is in the books.

Here are your final standings and award winners from each division.

HUB: Follow the tournament on Baseball.com.au

Victoria piled it on late in their four run comeback to claim a 9-4 Gold Medal Game victory over Western Australia at Essendon Baseball Club.

Here’s how it all happened.

You can watch the recap free on Baseball+.

The game story by Raff Casey and the mini-match highlights are below.

Follow us on socials at baseball.com.au for Australian Baseball news.

Tournament Hub: www.baseball.com.au/ayc2026 

Three one run ball games in the Under 18 Finals at Essendon. There were also two walk offs.

Our Gold Medal match is set.

The recaps, with mini-match highlights, are posted below.

Don’t forget to follow us on socials via baseball.com.au and through our Hub at www.baseball.com.au/ayc2026 for up-to-date news.

SCHEDULE / RESULTS

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Here is the schedule and format for the remainder of the tournament:

Qualification Final: Western Australia 3 def Victoria 2 | WA advances to Gold. Victoria plays in the Preliminary Final.

Elimination Final: NSW 3 def SA 2 | New South Wales advances to preliminary final against Victoria

Preliminary Final: VIC 10 def NSW 9 | Victoria advances to Gold Medal Game. New South Wales wins bronze.

GOLD MEDAL GAME: Victoria vs Western Australia, 2:30PM on Thursday 15 January at Essendon.

Watch live and free on Baseball+. All games at Essendon Baseball Club.

Consolation Game: Queensland 16 def ACT Roos 3

RECAPS & MINI MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

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WA 3 def VIC 2 | Western Australia win ‘game of the tournament’ in walk-off fashion

This one had it all.

Clutch pitching. Big time hits. Double plays. And a walk-off.

Let’s set the stage of the last inning. 2-2, bottom of the seventh. With one out and a runner on first and second, Lenny Golding grounded into what could have been an inning ending double play to force the game to extras.

Victoria made the first out at second, but Golding hustled down the line and there throw to first was not in time.

It allowed Cam Bahr to fly around third and slide in safe for the winning run.

Moments earlier, Jake Bertucci tied the game at 2 for Victoria, with his team down to their final out in a dramatic top of the seventh.

The game was tight throughout. Each team was stifled by a tremendous pitching performance.

Riley Peoples tossed 3.1 innings in his start for Victoria. He allowed six hits, one run and four strikeouts. Cooper Busch allowed one unearned run in his 2.2 innings of relief. Cooper Bishop-Worn took the loss.

Luan Van Splunder threw 4.2 innings, allowing just three hits and one unearned run in his start for Western Australia. Dylan Palethorpe threw 2.1 innings, allowing three hits and one run.

There were no runs until the fourth inning, when they each traded a pair. WA took the lead briefly in the fifth inning and led 2-1 until the last.

Western Australia advance to the Gold Medal Game. Victoria have another chance to get the gold but they’ll need to beat either South Australia or New South Wales.

Western Australia will now play for Gold.

Watch the highlights below:

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Hits (10): E. Samukawa, Q. Fatai, C. Bahr, C. Branch (2), L. Golding (2), C. Barber, H. Wooden, C. Benseman

RBI: Wooden, Williams

VICTORIA

Hits (6): Jake Bertucci (2), Bishop-Worn, Coote, Brodie
RBI: Bertucci

NSW 3 def SA 2 | Ashton Kennedy shuts down South Australia and advances New South Wales to a Preliminary Final

By Raff Casey

Ashton Kennedy put up an MVP worthy performance in NSW’s win over South Australia. He pitched a complete game that secured at least a bronze medal for his state.

He became the first pitcher to record ten strikeouts this tournament.

After sitting down the first six SA batters, NSW took the lead from Ben Sawyer’s RBI single.

Kennedy struck out another two hitters in the third alongside a great throw by catcher Draven Fatu to catch the South Australian runner stealing.

In the fourth South Australia found a run of their own. Following is Single, Harry Taintey went on to steal second and third, before crossing the plate on a wild throw. 1-1.

NSW were quick to take back their lead.

Ryan Chou worked a walk before being brough in to score by a long Draven Fatu double.

Sam Galpin turned an excellent un-assisted double play to end the inning.

Liam Worne added to NSW’s advantage with a single. 3-1.

The South Aussies engineered one more run via a sacrifice fly off the bat of Owen Couzner, but were unable to tie the game.

Ashton Kennedy proved to be almost unstoppable. He pitched all 7.0 innings allowing just three hits and one earned run. He struck out ten SA hitters. He also cashed in a hit of his own.

Toby Kortekaas stepped on the mound for SA to throw the remaining 1.1 innings. He allowed one hit and no runs, striking out three.

New South Wales moves onto the preliminary final against Victoria live on Baseball+.

NSW

HITS: K. Cusbert, A. Kennedy, L. Worne, F. Clarke, D. Fatu (2), B. Sawyer (2)

RBI: L. Worne, D. Fatu, B. Sawyer

SA

HITS: H. Taintey, O. Hayes, J. Wilton

RBI: O. Couzner

VIC 10 def NSW 9 | Victoria come from behind and walk off New South Wales in a thrilling slugfest

One of the most chaotic games of the tournament’s most climatic moment came in the bottom of the penultimate inning.

Mitch Langworthy launched a solo shot for Victoria to tie the game at nine.

It gave Victoria a chance to score the winning run, and that they did, on a wild pitch in the last inning, to walk off New South Wales and head to the Gold Medal Game.

This game was a pure slug fest.

NSW took an early lead in the first thanks to RBI’s from Tahlan Cavill and Frank Clarke. 3-0. All runs were scored before Victoria registered an out. Windsor Breckenridge came in relief and stopped the damage at three.

It allowed Victoria to take control and reply with six runs of their own in the bottom of the inning. 6-3 after one.

Sam Walk begun the rally with an RBI single, and was backed up by Coote, Shanks, Brodie, and Bishop-Worn.

Back and forth was the name of the game as NSW scored five more to take the lead in the second.

Cusbert drove in one on a single before Liam Worne hit a comedic bases-clearing double that he scored on via throwing errors. 8-6.

Once again, Victoria had a response in the bottom of the second.

Sam Walk knocked in another RBI before later crossing the plate himself to tie the game. 8-8.

In the third, Liam Worne once again drove in a run on a single, giving NSW the 9-8 lead.

With time running out, Victoria needed a run to keep the game going.

Mitch Langworthy stepped up to the plate and crushed a solo-homerun to bring the game to a tie once more.

After holding New South Wales scoreless in the fifth, Victoria had a chance to walk it off.

A single, intentional walk, sacrifice bunt and a wild pitch allowed the winning run to cross the plate.

Victoria will face WA in the gold medal game LIVE on Baseball+.

 

VIC

HITS: C. Bishop, B. Stokes, M. Langworthy (2), S. Walk (2), R. Coote, R. Shanks (2), H. Brodie (2)

RBI: C. Bishop, M. Langworthy, S. Walk, R. Coote (2), R. Shanks, H. Broke (2)

HR: M. Langworthy

 

NSW

HITS: K. Cusbert (2), A. Kennedy (2), T. Cavill, L. Worne (3), F. Clarke, R. Chou, D. Fatu, B. Sawyer, R. Reekie

RBI: K. Cusbert, T. Cavill, L. Worne (3), F. Clarke (2)

CONSOLATION: Queensland 16 def ACT Roos 3 | Queensland pile it on in consolation clash

Queensland scored early and often in their consolation win.

They scored two in the first thanks to Lachlan Pawsey and Coleby Ryerson base hits.

ACT Roos took a 3-2 lead in the top of the second thanks to two Kai Ueki RBI.

Then Queensland took off. They scored seven in the second and seven in the fourth.

Cooper Reed had three hits to lead all players. Cody Harrison also had three RBI.

Blake Pearce and Tom Calvert combined to allow just two hits with seven strikeouts.

QUEENSLAND

Hits (11): Reiss McDermott, Lachlan Pawsey (2), Paddy McLouglin, Coleby Ryerson (2), Axel Strachan (2), Cooper Reed (3)

RBI: L. McKenna (2), R. McDermott, L. Pawsey, P. McLoughlin, C. Ryerson (2), A. Strachan (2), Cooper Reed (3)

ACT Roos

Hits (2): F. Starkey, C. Lewis
RBI: K Harris

photos by Hugh Whittle, story by Eric Balnar

Congratulations to New South Wales, your 2026 Under 16 Australian Youth Championships Gold Medal Winners.

They defeated Victoria 12-1 at Essendon to secure the chocolates. You can read the recap and watch the mini-match below.

Meanwhile, two Under 18 Finals were played.

The recaps are sorted by division and in order of completion. Looking for something? Keep scrolling.

Don’t forget to follow us on socials via baseball.com.au and through our Hub at www.baseball.com.au/ayc2026 for up-to-date news. You can find the FULL SCHEDULE there.

SCORES AND SCHEDULE

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U16 Division 

– GOLD MEDAL: New South Wales 12 def Victoria 1

– Consolation: NSW Country 7 def Western Australia 3
– Consolation: Queensland 14 def South Australia 6

U16 Game Changer Scoring Link: Click here

U18 Division

– Finals Game 1 (G1): Victoria 9 def New South Wales 2

– Finals Game 2 (G2): Western Australia 10 def South Australia 1

– Consolation: New South Wales Country 10 def ACT Roos 4

U18 GameChanger Scoring Link: Click here 

REMAINING U18 FINALS SCHEDULE & BRACKET

WEDNESDAY

– 11:30AM: Qualification Final: Victoria vs Western Australia
– 2:00PM: Elimination Final: New South Wales vs South Australia
– 4:30PM: Preliminary Final: Winner Elimination Final vs Loser Qualification Final

THURSDAY

– 2:30PM: Gold Medal: Winner Preliminary Final vs Winner Qualification Final,

RECAPS – U16 Gold Medal

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NSW 12 def VIC 1 | Noah Nash leads New South Wales to glory as they win gold over Victoria

By Raff Casey

Noah Nash had a game he will remember for a long time.

He had four hits, two RBI, a diving catch, two shutout innings pitched and a save, as he helped lead New South Wales to a dominating 12-1 in the Under 16 National Championship Final.

Nash was named tournament MVP.

The rest of his team was excellent, too. They tallied 19 hits.

Jack Phegan tossed 5.0 innings, allowing one run. He won the Golden Arm Award.

NSW wasted no time getting started, scoring three runs in the first inning before an out was recorded.

Noah Nash’s two-run triple was the biggest blow. He was later brought in by Mitch Howay on a single.

Howay knocked in another single in the second inning to add two more to their advantage. Owen Hart and Alex Bennetts backed him up with RBI hits of their own.

While the score may not show it, the pitching and defense from both sides was incredible.

NSW starter Jack Phegan shoved 5.0 innings allowing eight hits but just one run. He struck out three.

Victorian reliever Cale Morris threw 4.0 innings. He saw just one run cross the plate and also sat down three on strikes.

Many great defensive plays were made from both sides, highlighted by a sliding catch by Noah Nash. He went through contact with his teammate and held onto the ball. Tom Hill also had a great catch to deny Stockdale of a double.

Not only did Nash stay in the game after the collision, but he also stepped onto the mound to throw the remaining 2.0 innings for New South Wales.

It was two no-hit innings. He also added a strikeout to his tally.

NSW added five more runs in the seventh inning to secure their win. Beau Stockdale, Mitch Howay, Nicholas Turley, and Austin Murdoch all had RBI contributions.

New South Wales accumulates nine-teen hits in the game, where six different athletes had a multi-hit game. They stole six bases, two of them via Beau Stockdale.

TOURNAMENT AWARD WINNERS:

MVP: Noah Nash (NSW)

Golden Arm: Jack Phegan (NSW)

Golden Bat: Buzz Mecham (QLD)

Golden Glove: Daniel Price (NSW)

NEW SOUTH WALES

Hits: B. Stockdale (3), J. Kelly (2), N. Nash (4), M. Howay (3), O. Hart (2), A. Bennetts, N. Turley, A. Murdoch (2), C. Smith

RBI: B. Stockdale (2), N. Nash (2), M. Howay (3), O. Hart, A. Bennetts, N. Turley, A. Murdoch

VICTORIA

Hits: O. Shimakura (2), J. Northfield, J. Burton (2), J. Thomas, J. Tayler (2)

RBI: T. Hill

RECAPS – U18 Finals

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VICTORIA 9 def NEW SOUTH WALES 2 | Liam Puncher shoves as Victoria advance to Qualification Final

Liam Puncher came through with perhaps the best pitching performance of the 2026 Under 18 Championships so far.

The Victorian starter tossed 5.0 innings, allowing three hits, no earned runs and two walks with nine strikeouts.

Both New South Wales runs were unearned.

It allowed the bats to take flight.

After trailing 2-0 early, Victoria ripped off three runs in the second to take a 3-2 lead. They added a pair more in the third and four in the sixth to round out the scoring.

Brody Stokes led the charge, going 3-for-4 with 2 RBI. Harrison Brodie went 2-for-3 with 3 RBI in a tremendous effort.

Roman Coote and Cooper Bishop-Worn also had two hits.

Kobe Cusbert, Jake Shorey, Christian Morrison and Griffiths shared the pitching load for New South Wales, who were very careful to not go over their pitching restriction limits.

Victoria will play in the Qualification Final on Wednesday morning vs the winner of South Australia and Western Australia. The winner of the Qualification Final goes directly to the Gold Medal Game.

New South Wales will play the WA / SA loser in an Elimination Final tomorrow afternoon with their tournament lives on the line.

VICTORIA

Hits (12): Brodie Stokes (3), Cooper Bishop-Worn (2), Mitch Langworthy, Sam Walk, Roman Coote (2), Riley Shanks, Harrison Brodie (2)

RBI: Stokes (2), Coote, Shanks (2), Brodie (3)

NEW SOUTH WALES

Hits (3): Liam Worne, Kobe Cusbert, Ryan Reekie
RBI: Liam Worne

WESTERN AUSTRALIA 10 def SOUTH AUSTRALIA 1 | Samukawa homers, Bandy tosses complete game, Western Australia secure at least a bronze medal

Dylan Bandy provided a solid base for his Western Australian team mates to lift off vs South Australia.

Bandy tossed 6.0 innings, allowing six hits, one run and two walks to help Western Australia advance to the Qualifying Final vs Victoria. It’s another excellent outing in the tournament baseball career for the reliable pitcher.

Western Australia capitalised off a couple miscues to take an early 2-0 lead. Carlton Branch continued his huge tournament with a 2-RBI double in the third. 4-0.

Eita Samukawa hit his third homer of the week to expand the lead to 5-0.

Sam Galpin made sure South Australia got on the board in the fifth with a solo shot of his own. 5-1.

Western Australia sealed the deal with a five run sixth. Tom Williams provided a 2-RBI single, before Lenny Golding drove in a pair on his double.

Williams led all batters with two hits.

Zac Tibbits tossed 3.1 innings, allowing four earned runs for South Australia. Toby Kortekaas followed with 1.2 shutout innings.

Jack Wilton had two of South Australia’s six hits.

Western Australia will play in the Qualification Final on Wednesday morning vs Victoria. The winner of the Qualification Final goes directly to the Gold Medal Game. They can’t finish worse than third.

South Australia will meet New South Wales in an Elimination Final tomorrow afternoon with their tournament lives on the line.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Hits (8): T. Williams (2), E. Samukawa, Q. Fatai, C. Bahr, C. Branch, L. Golding, C. Benseman
RBI: T. Williams (2), C. Branch (2), L. Golding (2), C. Bahr, E. Samukawa
HR: Samukawa

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Hits (6): J. Wilton (2), O. Couzner, S. Galpin, W. Tanner, L. Manson
RBI: Galpin
HR: Galpin

CONSOLATION GAME RECAPS

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U16 | NSW COUNTRY 7 def WESTERN AUSTRALIA 3 | Seven run sixth powers New South Wales Country to comeback win

Trailing 3-0 in the bottom of the sixth, New South Wales Country ripped off seven runs to secure their third win over the tournament.

Dustan Evans delivered the biggest blow of the inning, driving in two runs on a double. Tennyson Bragg led all Country batters with a 2-for-4 effort with 2 RBI.

There were some nice pitching efforts in this game.

Corey Daniels started for Country. He gave up five hits and three runs over 3.2 innings. Cooper Stark threw 3.1 innings of no-run ball in relief for County.

Archie Moffat tossed 4.1 shutout innings with just three hits allowed for Western Australia.

NSW COUNTRY

Hits (8): T. Bragg (2), H. Kelly, K. Gilbert, L. Gardner, D. Evans, A. Turner

RBI: D. Evans (2), T. Bragg (2), L. Gardner,

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Hits (6): R. Lines, C. Humble, A. Samukawa, H. Ostazewskyj
RBI: R. Lines, T. Massamini, H. Ostazewskyj

The Group Stage of the 2026 Australian Youth Championships is complete in the Under 18 Division.

All seven teams have played six games against each other.

Finals begin Tuesday live and free on Baseball+. The U16 Gold Medal Game is played at 2:30PM

Here’s a look at the leaders after the minor rounds.

A massive thank you to all our scorers for their hard work this tournament.

HUB: Follow the Tournament (U16 and U18)

That was perhaps the best day (so far) of the Australian Youth Championships.

At the start of the day, New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia woke up battling for two spots in the Gold Medal Game across three games in the Under 16 division.

In the Under 18s, it was the final day of Pool Play. Queensland and South Australia had a game to decide who would go through in the Top 4. Western Australia played for top spot. The finals are now set.

Eric Balnar and Raff Casey have a recap below. We also have FULL MINI MATCH HIGHLIGHTS in the recap below of the Under 16s finals

The recaps are sorted by division and in order of completion. Looking for something? Keep scrolling.

Go Bills.

Scroll for schedule, scores and recaps from both divisions.

Don’t forget to follow us on socials via baseball.com.au and through our Hub at www.baseball.com.au/ayc2026 for up-to-date news. You can find the FULL SCHEDULE there.

RESULTS

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U16 Finals Bracket and Schedule

– Qualification Final (QF) – Victoria 14 def New South Wales 12

– Elimination Final (EF) – South Australia 11 def Queensland 9
– Preliminary Final (PF) – New South Wales 8 def South Australia 3

– Consolation: NSW Country 7 TIE A.C.T. Roos 7

– GOLD MEDAL GAME:  Victoria vs NSW, 2:30PM on Tuesday at Essendon

Under 18 Division Scores

– Queensland 9 def A.C.T. Roos 2
– New South Wales 11 def NSW Country 0
– South Australia 9 def Queensland 1
– Western Australia 10 def Victoria 9

U18 GameChanger Scoring Link: Click here 

FINAL POOL PLAY STANDINGS – U18
*clinched finals spot

1. Western Australia 6-0*
2. Victoria 4-2*
3. New South Wales 4-2*
4. Queensland 3-2

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5. South Australia 2-3
6. NSW Country 1-5
7. ACT Roos 0-6

U18 FINALS SCHEDULE

TUESDAY
– Finals Game 1 (G1): Victoria vs New South Wales, 9:00AM, Essendon
– Finals Game 2 (G2): Western Australia vs South Australia, 11:30AM, Essendon

WEDNESDAY
– Qualification Final: Winner Game 1 vs Winner Game 2, 11:30AM, Essendon
– Elimination Final: Loser Game 1 vs Loser Game 2, 2:00PM, Essendon- Preliminary Final: Winner Elimination Final vs Loser Qualification Final, 4:30PM, Essendon

THURSDAY
– Gold Medal: Winner Preliminary Final vs Winner Qualification Final, Thursday 2:30PM

UNDER 16 RECAPS

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QUALIFYING FINAL | VIC 14 def NSW 12 | Victoria to play for Gold after bookmarking game with a pair of big innings

Victoria started and finished strong.

They scored seven in the first and seven in the last in a game that got a little crazy.

Their reward: a spot in the Under 16 Gold Medal Game on Tuesday afternoon.

The final seven run inning was crucial. It stopped a sting of five unanswered runs for New South Wales, who had just cut the deficit to 7-5. It put them up 14.

New South Wales did score seven runs in the bottom of the seventh, even though they couldn’t mathematically win the game due to he seven-run per-inning rule.

In the first, Jackson Burton and Tom Hill doubled in the first two runs. Bodhi Evans and Jack Northfield followed with 2-RBI singles in the first.

Hill, Parks Halasz, Evans and Burton all had RBI base hits in the last to put a bow on the game.

Burton and Halasz both finished with three hit games. Burton and Evans led the team with 3-RBI.

New South Wales scored two in the third, one in the fourth and one in the sixth as part of their five unanswered runs. They added a pair of runs in the seventh when the game was ‘technically’ over.

They were kept in the game thanks to a wonderful relief pitching performance from Nick Rowley. The reliever threw 5.0 innings, allowing three hits and three runs.

Jack Kelly had three hits. Noah Nash, Dan Price, Cooper Smith and Mitch Howay each had two hits.

New South Wales actually out-hit Victoria 16-13, but Victoria were aided by two double plays.

Victoria will play for Gold on Tuesday at 2:30 PM. New South Wales will await the loser of Queensland and South Australia in the Preliminary Final later today.

VICTORIA

Hits (13): O. Shimakura, J. Northfield (2), J. Burton (3), T. Hill (2), P. Halasz (3), B. Evans (2)
RBI: Shimakura, Northfield (2), J. Burton (3), T. Hill (2), P. Halasz (2), B. Evans (3)

NEW SOUTH WALES

Hits (14): B. Stockdale (2), J. Kelly (3), N. Nash (2), M. Howay (2), C. Smith (2), O. Hart, A. Bennetts, D. Price (2), A. Murdoch

SA 11 def QLD 9 | South Australia deny Queensland’s comeback attempts and secure a spot in the preliminary final

By Raff Casey

Despite seeing their nine-run lead whittled down by the end, SA held off for a crucial win that secured a bronze medal and a spot in the Preliminary Final.

It came down to the wire. Queensland had the tying run at the plate in the final inning. It was almost an improbably comeback.

SA took an early lead in the first inning after Hugo Costa and Olli Breach both grounded out to plate a run each.

After holding Queensland scoreless in the first two innings, they gave themselves a perfect opportunity to score some insurance runs. And that they did.

A huge seven run inning followed.

Hugo Costa, Ollie Alexander, Arky Vingelis-Plant and Liam Trembath all hit singles that scored a run. Hugo Costa came back to the plate in the same inning and knocked another RBI single to bring the score to 9-1.

Queensland had a quick reply, scoring four runs thanks to Buzz Mecham, Logan Lokeni, Archer Peterson, and a wild pitch.

Logan Stephens and Vingelis-Plant both brought in a run for SA in response. 11-4.

Queensland went on to score five unanswered runs. Buzz Mecham knocked in another single, while Logan Lokeni ripped an RBI double.

But SA did just enough to hold the lead.

An amazing double play turned by Riley Ferris in the sixth inning ended the game.

The South Aussies will face New South Wales in a Preliminary Final where they are guaranteed at least a bronze medal.

View the mini match recap here:  Highlights | SA vs Queensland | 2026 Under 16 Australian Championship Elimination Final

SA

HITS: R. Ferris, H. Costa (2), O. Breach, L. Burns, L. Stephens, O. Alexander (3), A. Vingelis-Plant (2), L. Trembath (3)

RBI: R. Ferris, H. Costa (3), O. Breach, L. Stephens, O. Alexander, A. Vingelis-Plant (2), L. Trembath

QLD

HITS: T. White, B. Mecham (2), L. Lokeni (2), A. Petersen, I. Carrington

RBI: B. Mecham (2), L. Lokeni (2), A. Petersen, I. Carrington, Z. Leigh

NSW 8 DEF SA 3 | New South Wales’ take lead late in epic battle vs South Australia

By Raff Casey

It was close until it wasn’t. Really close.

NSW trailed for three innings in a close game, before the sixth inning six-run explosion came.

SA took the lead early after catcher Arky Vingelis-Plant’s RBI single. He had caught a full game behind the plate thirty minutes before the start of this preliminary final.

Mitch Howay tied it up for NSW with a single of his own, before a huge Logan Stephens double regained the lead for the South Aussies. 3-2.

The pitching took over in the fifth, with both sides going scoreless.

NSW reliever Jack Phegan threw the last two innings and allowed just one hit and no earned runs.

SA’s starter Ricky Ferris threw 3.0 innings, allowing four hits and just two earned runs while striking out two. – His stats don’t do his performance justice. He managed to work his way out of multiple bases-loaded situations after his field had made errors.

A very brave performance from New South Wales starter Owen Hart. He threw five innings total, three of them after he was drilled in his throwing hand by a line drive. He allowed just one earned run.

Then came the sixth inning. After holding SA scoreless, NSW drove in six runs and completely took control. Cooper Smith, Beau Stockdale, Mitch Howay and Austin Murdoch, all had RBI singles.

While the bats were hot, NSW’s base running was incredible.

Coming into the game with more than fifty stolen bases in the tournament, SA knew what was coming.

But there was nothing they could do about it. Their nine stolen bases in this game helped turn one-run singles into two-run hits, and kept them safe from double plays. Jack Kelly led the team with two steals.

View the mini-match recap here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcH_5C-we4k

NSW

HITS: B. Stockdale, J. Kelly, N. Nash (2), M. Howay (2), A. Murdoch (2), D. Price, C. Smith

RBI: B. Stockdale (2), N. Nash, M. Howay (2), A. Murdoch, C. Smith

SA

HITS: O. Breach (2), L. Stephens, O. Alexander, A. Vingelis-Plant, L. Trembath

RBI: L. Stephens, A. Vingelis-Plant

CONSOLATION: NSW Country 7 TIE Roos 7: Country comes backs to secure a draw in spirited contest

They went back and forth but eventually ended in a draw.

Country scored first. Tyler Sims quickly tied it for the ACT Roos with an RBI single in the second.

The Roos took a 5-1 lead in the third thanks to key hits from Blake Brennan and Tyler Lessard.

Country plated three in the bottom of the third. 5-4. The Roos responded with a pair in the top of the fourth.

Country came from behind to tie it at 7 in the bottom of the fourth thanks to a single by Dustan Evans and a walk by Aaron Hseih.

Archer Wals pitched a clutch 1.1 innings to finish the game for the Roos, allowing just a walk. Cooper Stark closed it out for the Roos,  pitching 1.2 innings, allowing no runs and two hits. Both those pitchers were key in closing out the game.

Dustan Evans led NSW Country with a three hit game while driving in 2 runs.

Tyler Sims, Blake Brennan, and Lincoln Barrett all had two RBI for the ACT ROOS.

NSW COUNTRY

Hits (8): S. Allen, C. Daniels, R. Coombes (2), D. Evans (3), J. Cruz
RBI: Evans (2), Cruz, A. Hsieh

ACT Roos

Hits (7): F. Scargill (2), B. Brennan (1), T. Sims, S. Letton, L. Barrett (2)
RBI: Sims (2), Brennan (2), Barrett (2), T. Lessard

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UNDER 18 RECAPS

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QUEENSLAND 9 def ACT Roos 2 | Queensland pull away in fifth inning to secure third win of the tournament

Queensland have their third win of the tournament large in part to a five-run fifth inning. Blake McPherson doubled in a pair of runs while Max Stefanutto and Leo McKenna drove in a run each in the big inning.

Coleby Ryerson opened the scoring with a triple in the first. Cooper Reed and Warrick Scotland drove in a run in the second to push the lead to 3-0. McPherson’s first RBI made it 4-0 in the third.

Reiss McDermott turned in a nice start on the mound. He surrendered two hits in four shutout innings with five strikeouts.

McPherson and Stefanutto led the game with two hits. McPherson had three RBI.

The Roos scored a pair in the top of the fifth off some errors to cut the deficit to 4-2.

Then Queensland pulled away.

Queensland will play South Australia at 2:00PM. The winner goes to the finals, the loser is eliminated.

QUEENSLAND

Hits (8): B. McPherson (2), M. Stefanutto (2), L. McKenna, L. Pawsey, C. Ryerson, C. Reed
RBI: McPherson (3), Stefanutto, Reed, Ryerson, McKenna

ACT Roos

Hits (5): R. Watson, O. Kelly, N. Richards, P. Rawson, K. Harris

NSW 11 def NSW Country 0 | New South Wales officially lock in finals spot with shutout performance from Crynes, Phegan, Morrison and Willard

New South Wales finished their Group Stage of the tournament with a 4-2 record thanks to an impressive performance on the mound.

Trystan Crynes, Max Phegan, Christian Morrison and Fletcher Willard combined for 6 shutout innings, allowing just two hits. Crynes and Phegan tossed two innings while Morrison and Willard each threw one.

New South Wales charged ahead with a six run third inning. They added three more in the sixth.

Ryan Chou led all hitters with three hits. Draven Fatu had three RBI.

New South Wales will likely finish third in the pool and play the loser of Western Australia and Victoria tonight in the first game of finals.

NEW SOUTH WALES

Hits (10): R. Chou (3), H. Gibson (2), T. Cavill (2), R. Reekie, D. Fatu, C. Howay
RBI: Fatu (3), Chou (2), Gibson (2), Reekie, J. Griffiths

NEW SOUTH WALES COUNTRY

Hits (2): C. McCarthy, J. Garnero

SA 9 def QLD 1 | South Australia’s hot start and strong pitching propels them into a finals position as they knock Queensland out of the playoffs

It was SA’s six-run first inning that set the tone.

Ollie Hayes, Jack Wilton, Owen Couzner, all had singles that drove in a run. Will Tanner capped off the inning with a two-RBI double.

The pitching took over in the middle innings and held both sides scoreless. Young prospect Deakin Filko started on the mound for the South Aussies. He threw 3.0 innings allowing three hits. He struck out four.

Filko was backed up Kody Delbridge and Ollie Hayes who both did not allow a run to cross the plate. Hayes threw 1.2 innings of no-hit baseball.

SA went on to score three more runs thanks to another Jack Wilton RBI. Harry Taintey (pictured below) hit an RBI triple in the fifth where he also came around to score on the same play due to an error.

The South Aussies secure their top four position and will participate in playoffs. Queensland’s tournament is now over.

SA

HITS: L. Manson, H. Taintey (2), T. Bird (2), O. Hayes (2), J. Wilton (2), O. Couzner (2), W. Tanner

RBI: H. Taintey, O. Hayes, J. Wilton (2), O. Couzner (2), W. Tanner (2)

QLD

HITS: L. Mckenna (2), L. Pawsey, A. Griffin, B. Mcpherson

RBI: B. Mcpherson

WA 10 def VIC 9 | Walk-off seals the deal in WA victory over Victoria, Western Australia finish in top spot

WA rode a seven-run inning to take the win despite Victoria’s strong comeback attempt.

Victoria took the lead in the top of the first after Mitchell Langworthy’s RBI double, but WA were quick to take the advantage for themselves thanks to wild pitching.

Langworthy knocked his second double of the day to tie it up 2-2.

Then Came WA’s big third inning.

Tom Williams knocked in two runs with a single before Victoria’s pitching started to struggle. Four Walks and many wild pitches allowed WA to bring the score to 9-3.

Ryley Shanks put some spark back into his team as he launched a huge three-run homer. 6-9.

He pushed across another un in the fifth as he flew out on a sacrifice fly. 7-9

Brody Stokes tied the game with his two-run single.

In the bottom of the sixth, WA needed just one run to end the game.

Carlton Branch started the last inning with a long triple. Quinn Fatai walk it off with a sacrifice fly to bring Branch home.

WA

HITS: C. Branch (3), L. Golding, T. Williams, C. Benseman, B. Hannan (2), J. Vlasic

RBI: Q. Fatai (2), T. Williams (2), H. Wooden, C. Benseman, B. Hannan

VIC

HITS: C. Bishop (2), B. Stokes (2), M. Langworthy (2), C. Busch, R. Coote, S. Walk (2), R. Shanks

RBI: B. Stokes (2), M. Langworthy, R. Shanks (4)

The Group Stage of the 2026 Australian Youth Championships are complete in the Under 16 Division.

All seven teams have played six games against each other.

Finals start on Sunday at 2:15PM live and free on Baseball+.

Here’s a look.

A massive thank you to all our scorers for their hard work this tournament.

HUB: Follow the Tournament (U16 and U18)

TEAM STATS

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Team Averages

QLD – .378
VIC – .374
WA – .359
NSW – .348
SA – .338
NSW COUNTRY – .313
ACT ROOS – .250

Team ERA

NSW – 4.12
VIC – 5.40
SA – 6.26
QLD – 6.84
WA – 9.51
ACT ROOS – 15.00
NSW COUNTRY – 16.39

Fielding Percentage

NSW – .943
QLD – .937
WA – .936
VIC – .933
COUNTRY – .928
ROOS – .923
SA – .917

BATTING LEADERS

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HITS

1. Oscar Shimakura (VIC) – 11
1. Buzz Mecham (QLD) – 11
3. Sebastian Bravo (SA) – 8
3. Beau Stockdale (NSW) – 8
3. Noah Nash (NSW) – 8

HR

Buzz Mecham (QLD) – 1
Noah Nash (NSW) – 1
Sam Stafilis (VIC) – 1
Archer Petersen (QLD) – 1

RBI

1. Buzz Mecham (QLD) – 8
1. Noah Nash (NSW) – 8
3. Alex Bennetts (NSW) – 7
3. Daniel Price (NSW) – 7

ON BASE PERCENTAGE
(Min 12 Plate Appearances)

1. Chayce Humble (WA) – .769
1. Buzz Mecham (QLD) – .750
3. William Bain (QLD) – .750
4. Beau Stockage (NSW) – .722
5. Flynn Hennessy (WA) – .714

EXTRA BASE HITS

1. Beau Stockage (NSW) – 7
2. Noah Nash (NSW) – 5
3. Oscar Shimakura – 4

PITCHING LEADERS

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ERA
min 3.0 IP

1. Jet Creamer (NSW) – 0.00 in 4.2 IP
2. Flynn Hennessy (WA) – 0.00 in 3.1 IP
2. Tyler Wilson (QLD) – 0.00 in 3.1 IP
4. Jack Phegan (NSW) – 1.24 in 5.2 IP

STRIKE OUTS

1. Jet Creamer (NSW) – 7
2. Thomas Hill (VIC) – 6
2. Kobi Scaife (WA) – 6
2. Austin Turner (NSW COUNTRY) -6

It’s Day 5 of the biggest baseball championship in Australia.

Read about how the day unfolded below.

In the Under 16s, two finals were played. In the Under 18s, three teams locked up a spot in the finals with one position still up for grabs.

We posted a recap of each game – with photos and highlights – below.

The recaps are sorted by division and in order of completion.

Scroll for schedule, scores and recaps from both divisions.

Don’t forget to follow us on socials via baseball.com.au and through our Hub at www.baseball.com.au/ayc2026 for up-to-date news. You can find the FULL SCHEDULE there.

The biggest day in Australian baseball is in the books.

There were 13 games across three clubs and two divisions at the Australian Youth Championships. Finals spots had to be sorted on Baseball+. The ABL had four games on Baseball+.

When we started the day, four teams (SA, New South Wales Country, Queensland and Western Australia) were vying for just two remaining spots in the Under 16 finals on the last day of Pool Play. Read below who got through.

The recaps are sorted by division and in order of completion. Tomorrow’s schedule is at the bottom of this story.

Scroll for schedule, scores and recaps from both divisions.

Don’t forget to follow us on socials via baseball.com.au and through our Hub at www.baseball.com.au/ayc2026 for up-to-date news. You can find the FULL SCHEDULE there.

For select highlights, visit us on YouTube. You can watch replays on Baseball+.

SCHEDULE / RESULTS

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UNDER 16s 

– Victoria 12 def New South Wales Country 0
– ACT Roos 11 def Western Australia 5
– South Australia 9 def New South Wales 8
– Queensland 16 def NSW Country 3
– New South Wales 12 def ACT Roos 0
– Queensland 9 def South Australia 5

U16 Game Changer Link: Click here

UNDER 18s

– NSW Country 11 def ACT Roos 7
– Western Australia 19 def ACT Roos 5
– Victoria 3 def South Australia 2
– Queensland 11 def New South Wales Country 7
– Victoria 13 def New South Wales 3
– Western Australia 7 def Queensland 3
– New South Wales 14 def South Australia 8

U18 Game Changer Link: Click here 

CURRENT STANDINGS

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Under 16s | Final Pool Play Standings 

1. New South Wales 5-1, 10 points*
2. Victoria 5-1, 10 points*
3. Queensland 4-2, 6 points*
4. South Australia 2-3-1, 5 points*
—
5. New South Wales Country 2-4, 4 points
6. Western Australia 1-4-1, 3 points
7. ACT Roos 1-4, 2 points

U16 Finals Schedule

– Finals Game 1 (G1): Victoria vs Queensland, 2:15PM @ Essendon, Sunday
– Finals Game 2 (G2): New South Wales vs South Australia, 4:45PM @ Essendon, Sunday

– Qualification Final – Winner G1 vs Winner G2, 11:30AM @ Essendon, Monday
– Elimination Final – Loser G1 vs Loser G2, 2:00PM @ Essendon, Monday
– Preliminary Final – Winner Elim. vs Loser Qualif, 4:30PM @ Essendon, Monday

– Gold Medal – Winner Qualification vs Winner Prelim Final, 2:30PM, Tuesday

UNDER 16 RECAPS

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VIC 12 def NSW C 0 | Victoria shutout New South Wales Country and secure a top two position with another dominant performance

By Raff Casey

Edison Bush and Allessio Petruzziello both knocked RBI triples in a huge seven run fifth inning. It was the crucial part of Victoria’s domination.

Lucas Joel’s (pictured below) leadoff double was the start; he eventually came around to score the first run of the game.

Victoria kept the pressure on through the second, scoring another run after Oscar Shimaura’s RBI single. They added another to their lead via a Cale Morris sacrifice fly. 3-0.

Two more runs were grabbed easily in the fourth from wild pitches.

Then came the big fifth inning.

The Victorians scored seven runs on just four hits. The majority of the runs came from Edison Bush and Alessio Petruzziello’s RBI triples. Lucas Joel also had an RBI single.

But it wasn’t just eh offense that was hot. The pitching was incredible.

VIC’s starter, Thomas Hill, threw 2.2 innings. He was untouchable. Zero hits, zero runs, six strikeouts. George Steer and Chase Potts backed him up out of the bullpen. They allowed just one hit each with no runs and three strikeouts between them.

VICTORIA

HITS: O. Shimakura (3), S. Stafilis, L. Joel, E. Bush, D. Hwang, A. Petruzziello (2)

RBI: O. Shimakura, L. Joel, E. Bush, O. Allen, A. Petruzziello, C. Morris

NSW COUNTRY

HITS: D. Evans, C. Daniels

RBI: –

ACT 11 def WA 5 | Hamish Willemsen leads the Roos to their first win of the tournament and deny Western Australia of a finals position

By Raff Casey

Peter Baade and Tyler Lessard got the Roos off to a strong start after their first inning RBI singles gave ACT a four-run lead. They added to their Ealy advantage in the second inning off of Owen Monoghan’s single.

The Roos kept the pressure on through the third. Hamish Willemsen knocked a long 3-run triple to push the lead to 9-0.

He finished the day 3-for-4 with three runs batted in. – A clear standout in this one.

WA tried to mount a comeback in the fourth, scoring three runs from a sacrifice fly followed by a two-run single from Samuel Lemieux.

Conor Stweart opened the game for ACT and backed up his teams’ strong offense with a dominating performance of his own. He threw two innings allowing just one hit. Not a single run crossed the plate in his shift. He added three strikeouts to his line.

Aiden Corkill threw the remaining four innings.

Western Australia drove in another two unanswered runs through the fifth and sixth inning, but it was too little too late.

ACT ROOS

HITS: H. Willemsen (3), F. Scargill, O. Monoghan, P. Baade, J. Schneider, T. Lessard (2)

RBI: H. Willemsen (3), O. Rey-Benguigui (2), F. Scargill, O. Monoghan, P. Baade, J. Schneider, T. Lessard

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

HITS: R. Ottoway, F. Hennessey (2), S. Lemieux, A. Moffat

RBI: K. Scaife, S. Lemieux (2), A. Moffat

SA 9 def NSW 8 | South Australia walk off undefeated NSW and put themselves back into a top four position

By Raff Casey

This was a wild game. South Australia led 8-2 before New South Wales stormed back to tie it.

Oliver Breach’s RBI triple and Logan Stephens’ RBI single allowed SA to jump out to a five-run lead through the first two innings.

They added to their advantage in the third with Ollie Alexander’s RBI double and Sebastian Bravo Somoza’s single.

It was looking like a complete domination.

But NSW mounted a huge comeback.

They scored multiple runs from wild pitches and sacrifice flys, before Noah Nash ripped a single. – He later came around to score on a pass ball.

Austin Murdoch tied it up in the fifth with an RBI single of his own.

With time running out, the sixth inning was going to be the last.

South Australian reliever Hugo Costa (#5 pictured below) fought his way out of a bases loaded situation to hold the deadlock. He allowed just one hit.

Costa was also the winning run. He crossed the plate after starting the rally with a single.

SA move back into the top four, but are yet to clinch a finals spot.

They need either a Queensland win over NSW Country or a win over Queensland in their final game.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

HITS: S. Bravo Somoza, H. Costa, O. Breach (2), W. Stock, L. Stephens (2), O. Alexander (2),

RBI: S. Bravo Somoza, O. Breach, J. Dallman, R. Ferris, L. Stephens, O. Alexander, M. Dunn

NEW SOUTH WALES

HITS: B. Stockdale (3), N. Nash, R. Ellis, A. Murdoch

RBI: N. Nash (2), A. Murdoch, C. Smith

QUEENSLAND 16 def NSW COUNTRY 3 | Queensland lock up finals spot for themselves and South Australia with commanding victory 

Pre Game Scenario: Winner advances to the finals.

With a finals spot on the line, Queensland exploded out of the gate.

They scored seven runs in the first inning and never looked back. They won the game, secured a finals position, and eliminated New South Wales Country in the process.

Buzz Mecham had one of his team-leading three hits in the first inning. Mecham went 3-for-3 on the day.

Isaiah Carrington also had a triple in the first inning that scored a pair.

They put the game beyond doubt in the fourth inning. Archer Petersen hit a two-run homer in a seven run frame to push a lead to 16-3.

Chase Crew, Tyler Wilson and Xavier Honsa combined to allow just four hits and no earned runs in their victory.

Queensland did it as a team. Nine different players had an RBI.

Queensland improves to 3-2 with one game to play vs South Australia tonight. They have clinched a spot in the Top 4.

With a NSW Country loss (2-4 record), South Australia (2-2-1) are also mathematically in the Top 4 and the finals.

QUEENSLAND

Hits (12): Buzz Mecham (3), Will Bain (2), Logan Lokeni (2), Levi Duke, Kai Flynn-Ballard, Archer Petersen, Isaiah Carrington (2)

RBI: Petersen (2), Levi Duke (2), Will Bain, Sammy Plumb, Logan Lokeni, Beau Cole, Ashton Wise, Tyson Weavell, Isaiah Carrington

NSW COUNTRY

Hits (4): Riley Coombes, Liam Gardner, Jackson Leighton, Austin Turner

NSW 12 def ACT ROOS 0 | New South Wales lock up top spot after pool play with big win at Port Melbourne

New South Wales bounced back after their earlier loss with a 12-0 win to finish Pool Play with a 5-1 record and in first place. They’ll play the loser of Queensland and South Australia in the first round of the finals.

New South Wales scored six runs in the first, large impart to a Noah Nash double, Alex Bennetts single, and Nicholas Turley 2-RBI double.

They added six more off two hits in the third.

Jack Drummond was excellent in his start for New South Wales, tossing 3.1 shutout innings with just two hits conceded.

NEW SOUTH WALES

Hits (7): Beau Stockdale, Owen Hart, Noah Nash, Daniel Price, Alex Bennetts, C. Smith, Nicholas Turley

RBI: Turley (2), A. Murdoch, D. Price (2), A. Bennetts, Jack Phegan, N. Nash

ACT ROOS

Hits (2): Lincoln Barrett, Ollie Maher

QLD 9 def SA 5 | Mecham homers, Queensland score seven unanswered South Australia, finish third in minor rounds

In a game to determine who would be third or fourth entering finals, Queensland finished topped.

Both squads managed their pitching.

Queensland broke a 5-5 tie in fifth inning by scoring four runs – all off walks and hit-by-pitches.

At one point, South Australia led 5-2. Angas Rivett ripped a single down the right-field line in the third to push SA’s advantage to three.

Queensland tied the game in the bottom of the fourth thanks to a solo homer by Buzz Mecham, and a single to Chase Crew.

Crew finished the night at Port Melbourne by going 3-for-3 with two RBI.

South Australia finishes fourth in Pool Play and will play New South Wales in the placement final on Sunday. Queensland will play Victoria in the other end of the draw.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Hits (4): Arky Vingelis-Plant, Ollie Alexander, Angas Rivett
RBI: Rivett (2), Vingelis-Plant (2)

QUEENSLAND

Hits (7): Chase Crew (3), Thomas White, Isaiah Carrington, Kai Flynn-Ballard, Buzz Mecham

RBI: Mecham, Xavier Honsa, Kai Flynn-Ballard, Isaiah Carrington (2), Tyler Wilson, Chase Crew (2), White

HR: Mecham

RECAPS – U18

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VIC 3 def SA 2 | Offense hard to come by as Victoria narrowly edge out South Australia in an intense pitching dual

Victoria got the better of SA despite being outhit five to four.

Both teams were strong on the bump, but Victoria was just a little more convincing at the plate.

It took three full innings before either team could manage a run. – A complete pitching masterclass.

South Australian prodigy Deakin Filko threw 3.1 innings to get the game started. He allowed just one run from two hits, while amassing five strikeouts.

Alexander Gray, Will Tanner, Harry Taintey, Jack Wilton, and Tommy Bird each collected a hit for SA.

On the other side, Victoria’s starter Liam Puncher managed 2.1 innings of shutout baseball. He also allowed two hits and struck out four.

VIC got on the board in the top of the fourth inning after Euan Clarkin’s RBI walk, and Keinosuke Lee’s single. 2-0.

Tommy Bird’s double in the bottom of the fifth was the start of SA’s comeback. A walk and a sacrifice fly brought him in.

A wild pitch allowed the South Aussies to tie the game.

A walk, sacrifice bunt from Cooper Busch, and a wild pitch helped Victoria score the last run of the game.

Victoria improve to 2-0. South Australia drop to 1-1.

VICTORIA

HITS: C. Bishop, M. Langworthy, K. Lee, R. Shanks

RBI: E. Clarkin, K. Lee

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

HITS: H. Taintey, T. Bird, A. Gray, J. Wilton, W. Tanner

RBI: T. Coulls

WESTERN AUSTRALIA 19 def ACT ROOS 5 | Late game WA explosion blows game open

It was close until it wasn’t.

Western Australia started the fourth inning tied at 5-5 with the Roos. They exploded for seven runs in the top of the inning to race away to a win and a 2-0 start to the tournament.

Cooper Barber, Monty Smith, Chayce Benseman, Joel Vlasic, Carlton Branch all provided RBI singles in the swing inning.

They never looked back.

In total, Western Australia whacked 19 hits and earned 7 walks while scoring 19 times. You can read about who had them all below.

The Roos led 3-1 and 5-3 in the game. They took their first advantage in the first thanks to RBI from Aidan Riddle and Dom Hamilton.

Riddle made it 5-3 with a 2-RBI single in the second. He finished with a 2-for-2 stat line with 4-RBI and a couple walks.

For Western Australia, Chayce Benseman had a huge day, going 3-for-4 with 2 RBI. Joel Vlasic went 3-for-4 with 4 RBI. Quinn Fatai and Cooper Barber also had three hits.

Quinn Fatai also had two hits.

Taylor Cook had a great day on the mound in relief for the Westerners. He threw 2.1 innings of perfect innings for Western Australia when it mattered most.

WA are 2-0. ACT Roos fall to 0-4.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Hits (19): Carlton Branch (2), Quinn Fatai (3), Zai Gordon (1), Cooper Barber (3), Harry Wooden, Monty Smith (2), Chayce Benseman (3), Ben Hannam, Joel Vlasic (3)

RBI: Vlasic (4), Smith (3), Benseman (2), Wooden, Barber, Gordon, Fatai (3), Branch (2)

ROOS

Hits (7): Ueki (1), J. Lotan (2), O. Kelly, A. Riddle (2), K. Harris

RBI: Riddle (4), D. Hamilton 1

NSW Country 11 def ACT Roos 7 | Country hold off pesky Roos side for first win of the tournament

Jesse Garnero led a patient New South Wales Country squad by driving in four runs off two hits during a Saturday morning win.

Every player in the NSW Country starting nine reached, while the team combined for five hits and 12 walks.

Perhaps the biggest factor in the win was damage minimisation. The Roos had bases loaded with one out in three different innings, but Country pitching held them to just two runs combined in those situations.

The Roos struck first and took a 2-0 lead in the first thanks to an Alexander Clark 2-RBI single.

NSW Country responded with five runs in the bottom of the second. The Roos tied it at five moments later.

Country pulled away with a four run fourth.

Will Matthews led the Roos with two hits including a double and a triple.

NSW COUNTRY

Hits (5): Jesse Garnero (2), Will Klein-Schiporst, Baxter Nee, Kai Pora

RBI: Klien-Schiphorst (2), Nee, Garnero (4), Pora (2)

ACT ROOS

Hits (6): Will Matthews (2), Land, Fielden, Clark, Watson

QUEENSLAND 11 def NEW SOUTH WALES COUNTRY 7 | Defensive web gems and big third inning help Queensland to first win of the tournament

It wasn’t easy, but Queensland picked up their first win over the tournament.

Trailing 4-2 in the third, the Queenslanders lifted for seven runs to sore ahead 9-4. Lachlan Pawsey delivered a critical 2-RBI double. He finished the day going 2-for 2 with 3 RBI and a walk.

He was also one of three Queensland players to turn in a defensive web gem.

Right fielder Warrick Scotland threw out a runner from right field, Pawsey made a diving catch and Axel Strachan delivered a snagging line drive double play.

Queensland managed just six hits but drew ten walks. Blake McPherson led the team with three base on balls.

Nash McBeath led New South Wales Country at the plate, going 2-for-2 with 3 RBI. His single in the third helped give Country a temporary 4-2 lead in the second. Jordan Barnes went 1-for-2 with 2 RBI and 2 walks.

Thomas Calvert started for Queensland, Parker Willard for Country.

Queensland improve to 1-1. NSW Country split the day and drop to 1-3.

QUEENSLAND

HITS (6): Lachlan Pawsey (2), Leo McKenna, A. Griffith, Tylah Laurie, Warrick Scotland
RBI: Pawsey (3), Axel Strachan (2), Leo McKenna, Cooper Reed (2), Tylah Laurie, Warwick Scotland

NSW COUNTRY

HITS (6): Mikey Gerstenberg (2), Jordan Barnes, Cohen Ryan, Nash McBeath (2),
RBI: McBeath (3), Barnes (2), Pora, T. Boggis

VIC 13 def NSW 3 | Busch and Bertucci go deep as Victoria rock New South Wales. to improve to 3-0

Victoria sent a statement to defending champion New South Wales with a resounding 13-3 victory.

Cooper Busch and Jake Bertucci (#9, below) went deep, while the team racked up 13 hits in their six offensive innings.

It was a tight 3-3 contest until Victoria flipped the script, logging seven runs in the fifth inning and another three in the sixth

Nine different players recorded a hit, led by Cooper Bishop-Worn who went 3-for-4 with 2 RBI and a walk.

Harrison Brodie and Lachie Brodie also had two hits.

On the mound, they were nearly as dominant. Brandon Elton, Ethan Nakamura and Euan Clarkin combined to allow just six hits in six innings. Nakamura tossed 3.0 shutout innings.

Liam Worne led New South Wales with two hits.

It’s the second win of the day for Victoria, who improve to 3-0. They won a pitcher’s duel earlier in the day with South Australia.

VICTORIA

Hits (13): Cooper Bishop-Worn (3) Roman Coote, Brody Stokes, Jake Bertucci, Sam Walk, Cooper Busch, Lachie Brennan (2), Harrison Brodie (2), Jai DiBlasi

RBI: DiBlasi (2), H. Brodie, Busch (3),  Langworthy, Bertucci (2), Cooper Bishop Worn (3)

NEW SOUTH WALES

Hits (6): Liam Worne (2), Kobe Cusbert, Tahlan Cavill, Harley Gibson, Ryan Reekie
RBI: Cusbert, Worne, Gibson

WA 7 def QLD 3 | Samukawa homers, Golding makes catch of tournament, Western Australia start perfect at the Australian Youth Championships

Western Australia are off to a perfect start through two days of the Australian Youth Championships.

Queensland scored the first two runs of the game, but Western Australia responded with authority.

Eita Samukawa hit his second homer in as many days to put WA on the board to kickstart a two run inning.

Samukawa drove in another run in the second to put WA in front. Cam Bahr drove in a run to double the lead to 4-2.

Harry Wooden cashed in runs with an RBI single in both the third and fourth inning to sneak WA in front 7-2.

Meanwhile, Dylan Bandy, Declan McDonnell, Dylan Palethorpe ad Cooper Barber kept Queensland bats at bay from the second inning on, combining for 6.0 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 6 BB and 7 SO.

They were helped by a RIDICULOUS catch by Lenny Golding in the fourth inning.

Lachlan Pawsey had a day for Queensland. He went 3-for-4 with an RBI. Coleby Ryerson went 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI in a productive day at the plate.

Western Australia improve to 3-0, tallying 41 hits across their games.

Queensland drop to 1-2, with a pivotal game vs South Australia looming.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Hits (7): Harry Wooden (2), Tom Williams, Cooper Barber, Lenny Golding, Cam Bahr, Eita Samukawa

RBI: Wooden (2), Williams, Bahr, Samukawa

QUEENSLAND

Hits (8): Pawsey (3), Ryerson (2), Warrick Scotland, Cooper Reed, Tylah Laurie
RBI: Ryerson (2), Pawsey

NSW 14 def SA 8 | New South Wales roar back from 6-0 down to pick up third win of the tournament

Despite falling behind 6-0 after three innings, NSW rallied to beat South Australia 14-8 at Preston on Saturday night.

South Australia opened a 4-0 lead thanks to a pair of doubles – one by Ollie Hayes, the other by Tommy Bird.

Sam Galpin launched a two-run homer, his second of the tournament, for South Australia to push the lead to 6-0.

Luke Kennedy was solid in his start for South Australia, tossing 2.2 innings on no-hit baseball, allowing one run and one walk.

Then New South Wales fired back.

After plucking back four runs in the bottom of the third, New South Wales scored seven runs off five hits in the fourth. The biggest hit was by Tahlan Cavill, an RBI single that drove in two.

Suddenly it was 11-4.

Ben Sawyer homered in the fifth inning and Ashton Kennedy drove in a run to push the lead to 14-8.

New South Wales registered ten hits in the game. Ryan Chou, Franke Clarke and Tahlan Cavill each had two. Liam Worne and Cavill each drove in three.

New South Wales clash with undefeated Western Australia on Sunday. South Australia drop to 1-2 and face a crucial test vs fellow 1-2 team Queensland in a game that could determine who goes to the finals.

NEW SOUTH WALES

Hits (10): Kobe Cusbert, Frank Clarke (2), Ashton Kennedy, Tahlan Cavill (2), Liam Worne, Ryan Chou (2), Ben Sawyer

RBI: Cusbert, Clarke (2), Kennedy, Cavill (3), Worne (3), Chou (2), Sawyer (2)

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Hits (8): Tommy Bird, Ollie Hayes, Alexander Gray (2), Owen Couzner, Sam Galpin, Harvey Cox, Will Tanner

RBI: Taintey, Bird, Hayes, Couzner, Galpin (2), Cox (2)

A very long Day 3 of the Australian Youth Championships comes to a close. Wind gusts of over 60 kmh, play postponed due to temperatures of 45 degrees, an early start and a late finish.

Here are recaps of all nine games across three venues. The Under 18s started today and the Under 16s inched closer to finals with two states locking up positions in the top four.

Don’t forget to follow us on socials via baseball.com.au and through our Hub at www.baseball.com.au/ayc2026 for up-to-date news. You can find the FULL SCHEDULE there.

For select highlights, visit us on YouTube. You can watch replays on Baseball+.

STANDINGS AND SCORES

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Under 16 Division Scores

– Victoria 11 def ACT Roos 9
– New South Wales Country 9 def South Australia 5
– Queensland 10 def Western Australia 4
– New South Wales 15 def Western Australia 5

U16 Game Changer Link: Click here 

CURRENT STANDINGS

*clinched spot in top 4

1. Victoria 4-1, 8 points*
2. New South Wales 4-0, 8 points*
3. New South Wales Country 2-2, 4 points
4. Queensland 2-2, 4 points
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5. South Australia 1-2-1, 3 points
6. Western Australia 1-3-1, 3 points
7. ACT Roos 0-4, 0 points

Under 18 Division Scores 

– New South Wales 9 def ACT Roos 1
– Victoria 18 def ACT Roos 0
– South Australia 14 def NSW Country 2
– New South Wales 14 def Queensland 5
– Western Australia 20 def NSW Country 6

U18 Game Changer Link: Click here 

CURRENT U18 STANDINGS

1. New South Wales 2-0
2. Victoria 1-0
3. South Australia 1-0
4. Western Australia 1-0
5. Queensland 0-1
6. NSW Country 0-2
6. Roos 0-2

U18 Game Changer Link: Click here 

U16 RECAPS

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VIC 11 def ROOS 9 | Victoria secure position in playoffs, coming from behind to take down ACT despite being outhit eight to six

Victoria took an early lead after an aggressive start on the basepaths, stealing multiple bags, before wild pitches and throwing errors allowed two runs to cross the plate.

The Roos had a quick reply.

Conor Stewart’s two-RBI double tied it up and quickly brought ACT back into the game.

They kept the pressure on, extending their lead to 5-2 in the top of the third after Aidan Corkill doubled, and Victoria commited some costly errors, each scoring a run for the Roos.

However, Victoria flipped the game on it’s head in the bottom of the third, scoring seven runs on three hits to take a 9-5 lead. Lucas Joel paved the way with a 3-RBI double that eventually had the half inning ended due to the mercy-run rule.

It still wasn’t enough to keep the Roos quiet.

Owen Monoghan’s single created the opportunity for Lincoln Barrett and Jackson Schneider to score on Victorian throwing errors. It brought the score to 7-9 before Aidan Corkill’s RBI single brought ACT within one run.

Victoria added some insurance runs from a walk and a wild pitch. Cruize Chase brought the score to 11-8 with a sacrifice fly.

Oscar Rey-Benguigui smacked an RBI double to add one more to the Roos’ tally, but it wasn’t enough to get their first win.

Victoria improve to 4-1 and have secured a top four spot. They will play finals from Sunday.

They have one game remaining vs NSW country before finals.

ACT drop to 0-4. They are still in search of their first win.

ACT ROOS

HITS (10): S. Kobayashi, O. Monoghan (2), A. Corkill, E. Everett (2), O. Rey-Benguigui, C. Stewart.

RBI (4): O. Monoghan, A. Corkill, E. Everett, T. Sims, O. Maher.

VICTORIA

HITS (6): J. Northfield (2), S. Stafilis, P. Halasz, L. Joel, G. Steer.

RBI: S. Stafilis (2), C. Chase, C. Potts, C. Morris (2), J Burton, L. Joel, E. Bush

NSW C 9 def SA 5 | New South Wales Country shake up the tournament and prove that a playoff spot of their own is well within reach as they take down South Australia.

Hugh Kelly was one shy of a cycle as he led NSW Country’s way to take down SA. He doubled in the second inning, singled in the third inning, and tripled in the fourth.

It was the bottom of NSWC’s lineup that was the most threatening. Jackson Leighton, Austin Turner, and Hugh Kelly combines for seven of the team’s thirteen hits. They each had two RBI’s.

NSW scored all nine of their runs in innings two, three, and four.

The most notable contributions were from Austin Turner and Jackson Leighton. Turner’s RBI triple (below) was the hit that gave NSW the lead, and they never looked back. Leighton’s two-RBI double solidified their lead, 5-2.

A few wild pitches and errors allowed two more runs to cross for the country kids. 7-2.

Hugh Kelly added another with a mighty RBI triple. He was backed up by Austin Turner who drove him in. 9-2.

SA scored three unanswered runs to bring the score to 9-5, but couldn’t complete the comeback.

NSW Country

HITS: T. Bragg, R. Coombes, K Gilbert (2), L. Gardner (2), H. Kelly (3), A. Turner (2), J. Leighton (2),

RBI: C. Stark, J. Cruz, H. Kelly (2), A. Turner (2), J. Leighton (2).

QLD 10 def WA 4 | Logan Lokeni leads Queensland to overcome playoff position holding Western Australia in hot heat

NSW 15 def  WA 5 | New South Wales clinch their finals position after a domination against WA

NSW came out the gates firing, after a Mitch Howay RBI double put up the first run of the game.

WA replied quickly and took the lead. Jayden Woods knocked an RBI double down the left field line to tie it up, before taking a 2-1 lead from a wild pitch.

But New South Wales didn’t take long to regain their advantage. Stockdale ripped a two RBI double to grab the lead. 3-2.

They added to their tally in the top of the third inning following an RBI single from Daniel Price, and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Owen Hart.

NSW solidified their lead in the sixth, scoring three runs from RBI walks, before a two-RBI single via Jesse Hanrahan.

They stayed aggressive on the base paths all night, amassing ten stolen bases. Their defense backed it up by not committing a single error.

Creamer and Murdoch combined out of the NSW bullpen to throw 4.0 innings of shutout baseball. They struck out three each.

NEW SOUTH WALES

HITS: B. Stockdale, M. Howay (2), J. Hanrahan, A. Bennetts, D. Price.

RBI: B. Stockdale (2), J. Kelly, N. Nash (2), M. Howay, J. Hanrahan (2), O. Hart, A. Bennetts (2), D. Price

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

HITS: E. Takuta, C. Truong, E. Raymond, J. Woods, J. Trainer, O. Barber, S. Lemieux, N. Mills, H. Jenkins

WA 20 def NSW C 5 | Western Australia roll past NSW Country with homeruns flying out of the park on Friday night

WA’s elite hitting proved to be the defining part of this one.

Eita Sakumara, Cooper Barber, and Cameron Bahr all hit long balls to ensure the win. The three combined for nine of WA’s twenty runs scored.

Sakumara’s (pictured below) homer came early in the first inning. He was backed up by an RBI single from Thomas Williams and gave themselves an early 2-0 lead.

WA added another eight runs on just four hits in the bottom of the third inning. Cooper Barber’s homerun scoring two of these.

Cameron Bahr’s three-run homer in the bottom of the fourth inning helped Western Australia put up another seven runs.

NSW Country attempted a comeback. It was Cohen Ryan leading the charge with a two-run homerun of his own.

WA accumulated sixteen hits in the game. Golding, Branch, and Bahr all collected three hits. Golding and Bahr were the toughest to handle. They were back-to-back on the lineup, and both drove in four runs.

They were strong defensively too, not recording a single error on the game.

WA’s starter Zai Gordon threw two innings of shutout baseball. He allowed just one hit while putting down four NSW C batters on strikes.

WA

HITS: E. Sakumara, C. Bahr (3), L. Golding (3), T. Williams (2), C. Barber, C. Bensemen, C. Branch (3), B. Hannam (2)

RBI: E. Sakumara (2), C. Bahr (4), L. Golding (4), T. Williams (3), C. Barber (3), C. Branch, J. Vlasic

NSW 14 def QUEENSLAND 4 | Fatu drives in five as New South Wales improve to 2-0

New South Wales raced out to an early 9-0 lead and never looked back in a 14-5 victory over Queensland.

The win capped off a long day. New South Wales played their first game at 8:30AM and last at 7:00PM.

They finish with a 2-0 record and sit pretty in first place before tomorrow’s double-header.

Draven Fatu (below) played a central role. The catcher drove in a run in each of his four plate appearances, going 2-for-4 with 4 RBI.

New South Wales scored six in the first off Tirrell Waiwai and three in the second.

Queensland scored four of the next five runs to cut the lead to 10-4 heading into the fifth, but New South Wales brought the hammer down by adding another four in the last.

Kobe Cusbert, Bailey Richards and Fletcher Willard looked strong on the mound for the winners.

New South Wales tallied 11 hits in the game. Ryan Chou, Franke. Clarke, Fatu and Ryan Reekie each had two. Ashton Kennedy had three. Walks.

Coleby Ryerson and Tylah Laurie each had two hits for Queensland. Alonzo Griffin drove in a run.

NEW SOUTH WALES

HITS (11): Frank Clarke (2), Draven Fatu (2), Ryan Chou (2), Ryan Reekie (2), Tahlan Cavill, Liam Worne, Kobe Cusbert

RBI: Cusbert, Cavill (2), Worne (2), Fatu (5), Chou, Reekie (3)

QUEENSLAND

Hits (7): Colebey Ryerson (2), Alonzo Zaire Griffin, Kobi Wise, Lachie Pawsey, Tyler Laurie

RBI (1): Griffin