2020 Think Again Little League State Championships – Day 1 Recap

Baseball is officially back in WA with the 2020 Think Again Little League State Championships getting started today at Crimea Park and the Baseball Park. The tournament kicked off with a bang as 17 teams turned out in search of early success, although unfortunately heavy rains at the Baseball Park called off the Senior League games.

The State Champions for Little, Intermediate, Junior and Senior League will be crowned at the end of this week. Check out all the action from Day 1 and follow Baseball WA on Facebook and Instagram for photos, videos and more.

LITTLE LEAGUE
Coastal Bay Sharks 0 v Northern Metros 13
The Metros won 13-0 thanks to a strong offense that the Sharks couldn’t quite match, despite some good catches in the field. Tyler Fraser, Taj Jeffers handled the bulk of the pitching for Coastal Bay, while Monty Smith and Scott Gilchrist also contributed. The Metros jumped on their scoring chances, with Cameron Bahr, Oliver Newham and Hyte Brooks handling the pitching work and saving the shutout.

Tuesday sees Coastal Bay play a double header with games against reigning champs Eastern Phantoms before another meeting with the Metros. A loss to the Phantoms and a win for the Metros could put them on top of Pool B by Tuesday afternoon.

Southern Hills Warriors 0 v Central Firebirds 11
The Central Firebirds opened their account with a huge win on the back of quick innings by Simon Monson and Kazuki Mochida.

The Warriors had William Baker, Taj Gullotti, Kyle Martins and Kyron Schwarz putting in good efforts on the mound but they couldn’t tame the Firebirds’ explosive offense.

These two sides meet again at 2:30 PM on Tuesday afternoon.

Northern Metros 1 v Eastern Phantoms 11
After a comprehensive 13-0 win to start the day, the Metros ran out of momentum in this matchup against a tough Eastern side. Eita Samukawa and Toby Franklin kept things under control for the 2019 Little League State Champions while Quinn Fatai, Rafael DiBlasi, Judd MacNeil and Chase Shortland pitched for the Metros.

Both teams play the Coastal Bay Sharks on Tuesday in search of more wins to boost their positions on the ladder.

Central Firebirds 13 v Southern Titans 2
The Firebirds went two for two on opening day, scoring another 13 runs in their second game with a massive outing against the Titans.

Aiden Brannan and Brendan Sparkes gave the Firebirds plenty of confidence on the mound, while Liam Zagari, Dylan Chapman, Aiden McCabe and Matthew Rowsell split the pitching duties for the Titans.

Both teams play the Warriors on Tuesday, with the Firebirds sitting atop the Pool A ladder.

INTERMEDIATE LEAGUE
Western Suns 14 v Western Stars 4
The Suns wasted no time getting their first win on the board, cruising past the Stars with the help of strong pitching by Xavia Aporo, Rowan Edmunds and Riley Oliphant.

The Stars had Jack Brooks, Owen Capes, Kylan Granland, Rhys Hards and Kristian Haeusler switching off on the mound, but their efforts couldn’t hold back the hard-hitting Suns.

The Suns will look to go 2-0 on Tuesday morning against the reigning champs Western Comets, while the Stars play the Meteors.

Western Comets 6 v Western Meteors 22
The Meteors came up against last year’s champs but they made it work with the highest runs tally of the day. Fletcher Thomas and Xander Huisman gave up a few runs to the Comets but still kept things under control so the Meteors could run wild on the base paths.

The Comets will look to bounce back tomorrow against the Suns while the Meteors hope to keep things rolling against the Stars.

JUNIOR LEAGUE
Western Meteors 6 v Northern Metros 10
The Northern Metros followed up on last year’s winning form with a strong performance over the Western Meteors. Jack Angeloff, Hudson Brice, Brayden Connor and Xavier Fatai did enough on the mound to hold off the Meteors.

The combined pitching efforts of Cameron Ballantine, Maclin Berry, Riley Hall, Jai Hewitt, Jacob Hills and Cody Van Der Graaf kept the Meteors in the race, but they ultimately fell short.

The Metros play the Suns next while the Meteors look for a win against the Comets.

Western Comets 5 v Western Suns 2
In the closest matchup of the day, the Comets sneaked past the Suns. The combined pitching contributions from Niyaz Abdul, Cruze Brendon, Campbell Froude and Daniel Papiccio got the job done for the Comets as they kept the Suns’ offense quiet enough.

The Suns had Luke Warner, Jackson Stivey and Darcy Clements working on the mound as they fell by three runs.

Tuesday’s fixture has the Metros v Suns and Comets v Meteors.

SENIOR LEAGUE
Western Suns v Western Comets – Rained Out
Western Meteors v Western Suns – Rained Out
Heavy rain called the Baseball Park games off, with these matchups added to Tuesday and Wednesday’s schedules. Tuesday’s fixture now has Suns v Comets at 1:00 PM, followed by Meteors v Comets at 4:00 PM and Meteors v Suns at 7:00 PM.