Mitch Williams has been at the helm of the Wolves for the past two seasons of Pro-League baseball and will be leading the team again in 2020.
The Wolves finished second in 2018 and Williams believes his side can contend for the title once more this season. Third Time’s The Charm “Going into the third year of Pro-League and my third year of coaching the Wolves, the goal this year is to build continuity between our returning players and new players to produce consistent performances throughout the season,” Williams said. “If we are consistent and improving as a team, there is no doubt the Wolves can take that extra step and win the final game on the calendar, after falling just short in the Grand Final in 2018.” Williams, a former WA State Team representative and beloved figure at Morley Eagles Baseball Club, is looking to build upon the team’s strong foundation and encourage comradery between players with varying levels of experience. “The Wolves squad this year has a lot of potential, absolutely,” Williams said. “We have assembled a squad where a number of players have the honour of being a part of the WA Future’s Program, and I’m looking forward to these players leading the way as they continue to build their leadership skills and all-round baseball abilities.” It’s not just the passion from the junior players that will see the Wolves become a formidable force in the Pro-League, with Williams listing his assistant coach Brandon Migro as an important member of the team. “Migro is entering his second year as part of the Wolves staff. Not only is he a good guy and asset to the team due to his background in teaching, but he is also an avid learner who fits what this program is about,” Williams said. “He is a young coach with a great outlook, having coached State Charter teams and Club Little League. Every day he brings the energy and continues to build respect amongst his peers.” Williams believes the key to success this season is buying in and accepting the challenges of winter baseball, taking them on with their eyes on the prize. If they approach every skill and game as a team, anything is possible this season. “The program has an immense amount of opportunity to offer the players, including structured off-field workout programs, specialised practice sessions and ample playing time, with five games scheduled every two weeks,” Williams said. “I have no doubt the Wolves are good enough to perform both on and off the field as a cohesive group and collectively create a positive atmosphere that every squad member wants to be a part of.” Over the course of the Pro-League competition, Williams hopes his players take away greater love for the game. “The game is hard. If it was easy everyone would be playing it. Pro-League is all about creating a supportive environment to help the players succeed through developing their tools and skillsets,” Williams said. “By creating a competitive competition and having a support network around these players, we are able to help mould them into becoming open-minded, competitive ballplayers who will experience failure, because the game is full of it, but will continue to work and ultimately taste that success players yearn for.” Embracing Challenges and Quality Competition Williams concedes there will be several challenges throughout the program and believes the after-effects of COVID-19 contribute to the importance of getting baseball back up and running in Western Australia. “Getting back into a competitive environment allows the players to strive to be better,” Williams said. “That’s not saying that they can’t do this at home, but some healthy competition never hurt anybody. Winter baseball can be cold, it can be wet, and it can be miserable, which may affect the mindset and attitudes players bring with them to their individual and collective performance. This is why buying in, accepting the challenge and taking it on, us against everyone else, we are all in it together mindset will be the key to the Wolves this year.” Williams encourages that mindset in his coaching and he invites players to believe in themselves, trusting their strength and skills to make them a great baseballer now, and for the future. “My approach to coaching is centred around mindset and trusting your abilities. Everyone is different and it is important to not compare your skillset to others,” Williams said. “Whilst you may not be seen to be ‘as good’ as another player, you are just as valuable when you are on my squad. It is important to endeavour to showcase your strengths, continue to build these strengths and work on other aspects.” Williams says he is a big believer in being a sponge and absorbing information, as the more his players know, the better. Seeing athletes achieve what they set out to do is one of Williams’ favourite aspects of coaching, as it all comes back to the player’s mindset. Whether individually or as a team, coming together to celebrate those little victories earned by the players is even more rewarding to Williams and his staff. “It’s knowing that players are up there competing their backsides off each at-bat and each batter they throw to. It’s seeing the reward of getting that knock to get on base or driving a run in for the team; getting that strike out with the catcher or ground ball double play for the team,” Williams said. “That is my favourite thing, seeing the players hard work and competitive natures shine through, and seeing them go through adversity to, in the end, deliver for the team.” Strong Pro-League Support Williams is thankful to his coaching staff that includes Assistant Coach Migro, Pitching Coach Arnie Noel and Strength and Conditioning Coach Josh Kennelly for sticking with him each season. Each staff member with the Wolves shares the team’s achievements and feels proud of the efforts by the players. “The staff involved in this program stick out to me over the past two seasons,” Williams said. “We’ve had to juggle training and playing venues, create sessions on the fly and faced other challenges along the way, but it’s knowing that we have had each other’s back the first two seasons that sticks in my mind. Without the likes of these guys having fun and doing their bit every week, every session, there wouldn’t be as much energy as there is about the program.” The value Williams places on the coaching staff is a reflection on how much he looked up to his own coaches and mentors. Williams divulges that there is simply not enough time to truly list each person who’s played a part in his life, unto this point. “I don’t think you get into coaching what you are passionate about because of one person,” Williams said. “My inspiration to coach has come from all those who have helped me along my journey of playing and continue to help me through my coaching endeavours. It’s the people that have guided me in building my blueprint of the game.” Pro-League Spring Training is set to start on 21 July, with games beginning a few weeks later on 4 August, and the Wolves slated to open their campaign against the Ravens. Looking ahead to the next few weeks, Williams reflects on a quote from the late, great US basketballer Kobe Bryant. The words ring true to him and his philosophy, which he has on his wall poster and desktop screensaver and shares with others: “It’s the one thing you can control. You are responsible for how people remember you – or don’t. So don’t take it lightly.” Photo: Mike Bahr
The 2020 Think Again Little League State Championships finished in exciting fashion on Friday as the Eastern Phantoms, Western Suns and Northern Metros won their respective grand finals in the Little, Intermediate and Junior League. Baseball WA thanks Healthway, the West Australian Health Promotion Foundation, for sponsoring the tournament. “We’ve had a fantastic week at the 2020 Think Again Little League State Championships, and it’s been wonderful to have baseball back in WA,” Baseball WA CEO Lachlan Dale said. “We greatly appreciate Healthway’s partnership and support, ensuring the event was still possible even after the challenges of COVID-19. We are also grateful to Morley Eagles Baseball Club and its volunteers for stepping up to host the tournament, and making the most of the winter weather. "It's great to see the baseball community pull together to give kids the opportunity to play their beloved game and see the smiles on their faces as they make memories with friends and teammates," Dale added. Check out all the action from day five and follow Baseball WA on Facebook and Instagram for photos, videos and more. LITTLE LEAGUE Grand Final: Central Firebirds 0 v Eastern Phantoms 9 The Phantoms have won their second straight Little League title, complimenting their back-to-back championships from 2008 and 2009. Dropping just one game in the regular rounds, the Phantoms had everything clicking offensively and defensively this week. In each of their finals, they claimed a shutout win, beating Southern Titans 11-0 in the semi-final yesterday. The Phantoms utilised the same pitcher-catcher combination of Eita Samukawa and George Calverley. In six innings, Samukawa threw 71 pitches to get the job done. Central Firebirds tried to help their defense, using three pitchers throughout the game. Kazuki Mochida threw 66 pitches with back-up from Aiden Brannan and Jasper Smith, the latter overcoming an injury sustained in yesterday’s semi-final. Congratulations to the Phantoms and well done to the Firebirds! Northern Metros 10 v Southern Titans 12 The Metros fell just short of a win to finish their 2020 campaign with this hard-fought battle. The Titans took care of the five-time Little League champions by two runs, in an effort led by pitcher Dylan Chapman, in the middle for 78 pitches as Xavier Olsen helped get into the zone with 29 pitches. For the Metros, Quinn Fatai saw time on the mound that lasted 51 pitches, with 29 pitches from Riley Hay. Cameron Bahr threw 30 pitches too in the team's final game of the tournament. The Titans finished third with the Metros in fourth place. Southern Hills Warriors 1 v Coastal Bay Sharks 7 The Sharks enjoyed exciting wins on Thursday and Friday over the Warriors, with today's game ending with the same six run margin. The Sharks relied on three pitchers, Noah Robinson hurling the ball 39 times while Tyler Fraser and Koby Trousselot each threw 27 and 25 pitches respectively. Catcher Jett Marchesano did well behind the dish for the Warriors as Aden Lynn threw 71 pitches and Shante Anderson handled 20, with both teams showing plenty of strong teamwork and potential for the future. INTERMEDIATE LEAGUE Grand Final: Western Stars 2 v Western Suns 12 Western Suns won their maiden Intermediate League title after a commanding 10-run victory over Western Stars in the grand final. The Suns enjoyed an unbeaten Intermediate League campaign while Western Stars made up for a first-up loss to secure a spot in the grand final. Lucas Santich pitched just shy of 100 pitches for the Stars while Kristian Hauseler threw 20, but it was no match for the brute force of the Suns bats. Rowan Edwards spent the most time on the mound for the Suns, throwing 68 pitches, receiving help from Riley Oliphant for 16 pitches. Congratulations to the Suns on winning the championship and the Stars on a strong second-place finish! Western Meteors 1 v Western Comets 12 On the back of some heavy losses, last year’s Intermediate League champions Western Comets got a big win of their own in this game against Western Meteors. It was a completely different scoreline to the last time these two teams battled, the first game of Intermediate League competition ending 22-6 the way of the Meteors - their only win of the competition. The Meteors handed the ball to Caleb Johnson for most of the game as he threw 50 pitches with Kurt Van Der Graaf pitching 34 balls and strikes. Ethan Horn and Hudson Moraweic chipped in from the mound too. It was smooth sailing for the Comets pitchers – Arden Bridson throwing 32 pitches as Lochlan Farrell took the ball for 22 pitches. Jayden Hinchcliffe took his turn on the mound as well as the Comets cruised to a quality finish. JUNIOR LEAGUE Grand Final: Northern Metros 10 v Western Comets 2 The Metros have taken out back-to-back Junior League titles, and their third overall as they enjoyed an eight-run victory over the Comets, a team that came into the grand final undefeated. The Metros dropped their only game to the Comets earlier this week so a good contest was always on the cards. Jack Angeloff was the standout pitcher for the Metros, throwing 96 pitches from the middle while Rhys Kelly contributed with 13 pitches. Cruze Brendon threw 81 pitches for the Comets while Campbell Froude worked the pitch count to 59 as they tried to keep the Metros under control. Congratulations to the Metros and well done to the Comets on a great performance and second-place finish. Western Meteors 7 v Western Suns 8 The Suns edged the Meteors by one run, giving them a nice reason to celebrate as they finished the tournament on a high. Four Suns shared the duties on the mound, each seeing considerable time in the middle. Jacob Davila lead the way with 46 pitches, Felix Kingston threw 40 pitches while Kade Grow had ball in hand for 39 pitches. Taj Egan saw time in the middle with 38 pitches but also behind the dish for three innings of play. The Meteors' Leah Cornish was geared up behind the plate for seven innings in support of five pitchers. Keelan Murray threw 47 pitches, Cody Van Der Graaf pitched the ball 43 times while Denver Needle contributed 39 pitches. Jai Hewitt and Lachlan Mitcheson-Brown also found themselves on the mound. Photo: Mike Bahr
The Western Meteors claimed the 2020 Think Again Senior League State Championship on Thursday at the Baseball Park - congratulations to the team on an undefeated run this week! Semi-finals in the Little, Intermediate and Junior League competitions at Crimea Park have set the stage for three exciting grand finals on Friday. Check out all the action from day four and follow Baseball WA on Facebook and Instagram for photos, videos and more. LITTLE LEAGUE Semi-Final 1: 1st Pool A – Central Firebirds 11 v 2nd Pool B – Northern Metros 8 Central Firebirds are moving on to the grand final after edging five-time Little League championships Northern Metros by three runs in their semi-final. Jasper Smith started the game for the Firebirds but exited after a line-drive came straight back into his arm. Simon Monson stepped up, handling the brunt of the work for the Firebirds with 81 pitches thrown while Aiden Brannan threw 21 pitches. Sienna Angeloff and Chase Shortland took on most of the pitching responsibilities for the Metros, throwing 75 and 62 pitches, respectively. The Firebirds' early lead was shaken up by a hard-fighting Metros side that came back with six runs in the sixth to tie the game at eight apiece. The matchup went into extra innings, when the Firebirds protected the three runs they scored in the top of the frame to contend for the championship. Central Firebirds will take on Eastern Phantoms in the grand final. The day will finish with a game that will decide third and fourth spots between Northern Metros and Southern Titans. Semi-Final 2: 1st Pool B – Eastern Phantoms 11 v 2nd Pool A - Southern Titans 0 Eastern Phantoms have the chance to go back-to-back, booking a spot in the Little League Grand Final after a comprehensive victory against Southern Titans in the second semi-final. The Phantoms got to the semi-final after a 3-1 record through the regular round on the back of strong offence, which continued with the 11-run shutout win. Dylan Palethorpe was the lone pitcher for the Phantoms, throwing 47 pitches to get the job done. Matthew Rowsell threw 77 pitches for the Titans as he tried to keep the margin as tight as possible. Eastern Phantoms will play off against Central Firebirds in the deciding game while Southern Titans will play for third spot against Northern Metros. PG1: 3rd Pool A – Coastal Bay Sharks 13 v 3rd Pool B - Southern Hills Warriors 7 The Sharks were thrilled to get a big win on the board as they were busy with the bats. Monty Smith, Koby Trousselot, Byron Meier, Scott Gilchrist and Luke Garton pitched for Coastal Bay, while Carlton Branch, William Baker and Shante Anderson took to the mound for Southern Hills. These two are scheduled for another game on Friday afternoon as the baseball fun continues. INTERMEDIATE LEAGUE Semi-Final 1: Western Stars 17 v Western Meteors 6 A big semi-final victory to Western Stars against Western Meteors sees them enter the Intermediate League Grand Final. The Stars had five different pitchers on the mound with Boston Friedlieb throwing 50 pitches. Kristian Haeusler, Owen Capes, Jack Brooks and Rhys Hards pitched in too. The Meteors tried their best with Fletcher Thomas on the mound for 71 pitches as Xander Huisman and Bennett Aslander were given the ball as well. The Stars’ attention will turn to the championship game against Western Suns while a third-place playoff looms for the Meteors, taking on Western Comets. Semi-Final 2: Western Suns 9 v Western Comets 8 It was the closest of margins that split these two teams, as the Western Suns came away with a single-run victory to beat last year’s Intermediate League title-winners. The Suns were thrilled to book their spot into the Intermediate League Grand Final. The eight-inning game went down to the wire, the pitchers feeling it in extra innings as the Comets’ Thomas Cooke and Deakon Pribicevich threw 96 and 63 pitches, respectively. For the Suns, Benjamin Nesbit threw 86 pitches from the mound, with back-up provided by Rowan Edmunds and Riley Oliphant. The Comets came out with strong batting to take an early lead, and Cooke's solid start was backed up by a few key strikeouts from Pribicevich to stop the Suns from scoring the winning run on third. While the Suns narrowly snuck past to seal the deal, it was a great game on both sides. The Suns will come up against Western Stars in the battle for the title tomorrow morning while it’s not over for the Comets as they’ll play for third against Western Meteors. JUNIOR LEAGUE Semi-Final 1: Northern Metros 5 v Western Meteors 3 Last year’s Junior League champions will return to the grand final on their way to back-to-back titles with a closely-fought matchup with Western Meteors. Dawson George threw almost 90 pitches to get his team into a commanding position, with help from Xavier Fatai and Jack Angeloff. Pitchers Cameron Ballantine and Riley Hall put in good work for the Meteors. Northern Metros will try to reclaim the Junior League title when they meet Western Comets tomorrow morning whereas for the Meteors, they’ll come face-to-face with Western Suns in a battle for positions. Semi-Final 2: Western Comets 5 v Western Suns 3 Western Comets will try and claim a maiden Junior League title tomorrow after swiftly taking care of Western Suns in a close matchup. The Comets used four pitchers, Daniel Papiccio throwing 62 pitches with Campbell Froude, Cruze Brendon and Nicholas Davis in relief. Jackson Stivey and Luke Warner shared pitching duties for the Suns. The Comets have a tough task in the grand final, hoping to make amends for a regular-game loss against Northern Metros while the Suns will look for a third-place finish in their matchup with Western Meteors. SENIOR LEAGUE Grand Final: Western Meteors 13 v Western Suns 6 The Meteors kept their undefeated run going with a big grand final win, denying the Suns their third championship in a row. The Meteors last won the tournament in 2017. Congratulations to the Meteors and well done to the Suns on their fantastic efforts and second place finish. The 2020 Think Again Little League State Championships continued on Wednesday with 11 games at Crimea Park and Baseball Park.
With inclement weather on its way for Thursday and Friday, fixtures have been updated to hopefully get as many games in, with semi-finals up next for the Little, Intermediate and Junior League competitions. The Senior League Grand Final is set for a first pitch of 10:00 AM on Thursday. Check out all the action from day three and follow Baseball WA on Facebook and Instagram for photos, videos and more. LITTLE LEAGUE Eastern Phantoms 10 v Northern Metros 13 The Phantoms won 11-1 over the Metros on Monday, but they were handed their first loss on Wednesday morning. The Metros were able to deny the Phantoms a 3-0 start to the tournament thanks to the pitching efforts of Callum Jack, Hyte Brooks, Rafael DiBlasi and Quinn Fatai. Luke Del Borrello threw 70 pitches while Toby Franklin hurled 72 in the high-scoring matchup. Thursday’s fixture sees both teams advancing to the semi-finals. Southern Titans 2 v Central Firebirds 0 The Titans enjoyed their first win with a stellar shutout performance over the Firebirds who were 3-0 heading into this game. Leonard Golding threw the whole game, using 79 pitches to shut down the Firebirds. The fast-paced pitcher’s duel saw Oliver Humphreys and Benjamin Searle put in great efforts for the Firebirds, but two runs would be all the difference. The Titans and Firebirds are both moving on to the semi-finals. Coastal Bay Sharks 1 v Eastern Phantoms 9 After a three-run loss to the Metros to start the day, the Phantoms bounced back with a big win over the Sharks. Tex Prisov and Arata Samukawa pitched the Phantoms to victory. Cooper Bennet, Tyler Fraser, Luke Garton and Deakon Thomas contributed on the mound for the Sharks. The Phantoms play Southern Titans in the semi-finals. Southern Hills Warriors 3 v Southern Titans 4 The Warriors came close to their second win but ultimately the Titans walked away with the victory. The two-for-two day for the Titans was made possible by great pitching from Aiden McCabe, Lachlan Wilson and Xavier Olsen. Taj Gullotti and Zach Thompson covered things on the mound for the Warriors, who will play Coastal Bay on Thursday. The Titans will play the Phantoms for a grand final spot. INTERMEDIATE LEAGUE Western Meteors 1 v Western Suns 19 Kyan Bertolini and Boston Foot gave the Suns all the room they needed to run wild on the base paths. Offense hasn’t been a problem for the Suns this week, having scored 48 runs in the first three games. The Meteors will battle it out against the Stars in the semi-final, with first pitch at 8:30 AM. Western Stars 20 v Western Comets 4 The Stars have won two in a row after putting up double-digit runs with an explosive offense. Boston Friedlieb and Kylan Granland pitched the Stars to victory, keeping the Comets firmly under control. The Stars finished Wednesday in second place with a 2-1 record behind the undefeated Suns, who the Comets will come up against in Thursday’s semi-final. JUNIOR LEAGUE Western Suns 4 v Western Meteors 7 The Meteors got their first win of the tournament, pulling ahead of the Suns to finish Wednesday in third place. Maclin Berry, Riley Hall, Kian Harris, Luke Hodge, Lachlan Mitcheson-Brown and Cody Van Der Graaf all took turns pitching for the Meteors. Michael De Gasperis pitched the majority of the game for the Suns, with Zachary Kingston and Taj Egan also taking the mound. The Suns will look to get a big win in the semi-finals against the Comets, while the Meteors and Metros will face off. Northern Metros 1 v Western Comets 3 This matchup went down to the seventh inning, when a two-run RBI single from Tyson Forrest sealed the deal for the Comets. Geoffrey Kerr, Jesse Neretlis and Luke Taylor threw for the Comets in the win as the team finished 3-0 in pool play. Hudson Brice threw 97 pitches for the Metros, backed up by James Brunskill and Xavier Fatai. The Metros head into the semi-finals in second place with a 2-1 record. SENIOR LEAGUE Western Comets 0 v Western Meteors 13 The Meteors kept their undefeated run going with a huge win over the Comets, with a fabulous start from Jake Parkes. He threw 91 pitches to seal the deal for the Meteors as they were aggressive on the bases, taking advantage of scoring opportunities. The Meteors have booked a spot in the grand final. Western Comets 1 v Western Suns 11 The Suns overpowered the Comets for the second time this week, with Kai Cahill and William Truscott getting the job done on the mound. The Suns will play in the grand final for a shot at three championships in a row. Western Suns 4 v Western Meteors 15 The Suns fell short in this matchup with the undefeated Meteors, who head into the grand final with a 4-0 record. The Suns are 2-2 and will look to overpower the Meteors on Thursday with the first pitch scheduled for 10:00 AM. The 2020 Think Again Little League State Championships continued on Tuesday with 11 games across Crimea Park and the Baseball Park. The Senior League competition was able to get underway after heavy rain put a damper on Monday's games. Central Firebirds and Eastern Phantoms remain undefeated in Little League, while Western Comets and Northern Metro are 2-0 in Junior League. Western Suns lead Intermediate League while Western Meteors are ahead in Senior League. 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 two and follow Baseball WA on Facebook and Instagram for photos, videos and more. LITTLE LEAGUE Eastern Phantoms 16 v Coastal Bay Sharks 0 The reigning champs are a force to be reckoned with an even bigger win than yesterday’s 10-run margin, recording a 16-run shutout win against Coastal Bay Sharks in the first game of day two. Brady Manning and Arata Samukawa shared the dutiday wo.es on the mound and kept the defense tight to not allow any scores against them. The Sharks looked to three pitchers to help steady things with Scott Gilchrist and Byron Meier spending the most time in the middle. Jasper Roberts contributed as well. Eastern Phantoms begin day three looking to improve their 2-0 record against Northern Metros before rounding out the regular games against Coastal Bay. Southern Titans 4 v Southern Hills Warriors 16 After a shutout loss yesterday, the Warriors stepped it up to record a comfortable 12-run win. Southern Hills' Carlton Branch and Aden Lynn pitched 23 and 25 pitches respectively for the game, with Zach Thompson getting a bit of work in as well. The Warriors offence ramped things up on the back of their pitching efforts as Noah Forrest threw 69 pitches as he tried to get the scoreline under control for the Titans’ sake. He was backed up by Coby Bridson, Callum Sarland and Matthew Rowsell. Southern Titans are 0-2 but have a double-header on Wednesday as they take on Central Firebirds and Southern Hills. Northern Metros 11 v Coastal Bay Sharks 0 The Metros managed another victory during their campaign, the Sharks unable to get a true offence going as they were restricted to a scoreless game once more. Oliver Newham and Sienna Angeloff pitched for Northern Metros throughout the game and held the Sharks accountable at the plate while Noah Robinson and Koby Trousselot tried to steady the opposition offence. Coastal Bay Sharks will hope to get the bats swinging in their final game of the regular round when they meet Eastern Phantoms, whereas at the other end of the standings, Northern Metros will hope it’s an unbeaten run when they play the Phantoms also. Central Firebirds 13 v Southern Hill Warriors 0 After an impressive 16-4 game two victory, the Warriors were brought down to earth again against the Firebirds in a scoreline similar to their matchup on day one. Cody Joss threw 54 pitches, gaining help from Shante Anderson and Jesse Rando in the Warriors' efforts to minimise their opponents score while for the Firebirds, Jasper Smith took on most of the responsibility on the mound. Josh Coyne and Joel Vlasic made their tournament pitching debuts. The 3-0 Firebirds will hope to make it a perfect regular campaign when they face Southern Titans while for Southern Hills, they’ll look for their first win to end on a high against the Titans. INTERMEDIATE LEAGUE Western Suns 15 v Western Comets 5 10-run margins have been the recipe for success for Western Suns were victorious, taking them to a 2-0 record at the end of day two. Brayden Davis and Dennis Brock made sure the Comets didn’t get too close with the bats, as Kyan Bertolini contributed also. Bailey Green threw 95 pitches as the Comets tried to answer the Suns’ offence. Lochlan Farrell and Thomas Cooke made their tournament pitching debuts for the Comet. The Suns will hope to make it a perfect run when they face the Meteors while the Comets will hope to get on the winner’s list after going head-to-head with Western Stars. Western Meteors 2 v Western Stars 16 After a huge 22-6 win on day one, the Meteors were kept quiet by a hard-hitting Stars side. Oliver McDonald took on most of the responsibility in the middle, throwing 57 pitches with assistance from Hudson Morawiec, Jesse Hawke and Ethan Horn. For the Stars, Kristian Haeusler and Rhys Hards pitched their way to the win with backup from Lucas Santich and Boston Friedlieb. Both sides head into the final round-robin game with 1-1 records. For the Meteors, they’ll take on Western Suns while the Stars will compete against Western Comets on Wednesday. JUNIOR LEAGUE Northern Metros 10 v Western Suns 7 Defending Junior League champions Northern Metros took care of Western Suns but it proved a close game with a three-run margin the deciding factor between the two teams. Northern Metros used four pitchers with Brayden Connor on the mound for over 60 pitches, well backed up by Dawson George, Rhys Kelly and Lachlan Cooper. For the Suns, they trialled six pitchers on the mound, Riley Ozanne seeing the most time in the middle, throwing 49 pitches. The Metros will continue to offer up a strong offence when they try for their third win of the campaign against Western Comets, while the Suns will look for win number one against fellow winless side Western Meteors. Western Comets 8 v Western Meteors 2 Western Comets are now 2-0 after this 8-2 win over Western Meteors. Jacob Hills, Keelan Murray and Denver Needle each pitched over 30 pitches for the Meteors but it was a combined effort for Comets pitchers Cruze Brendon, Campbell Froude and Geoffrey Kerr that saw the Comets finish in a strong position. Day three gets underway with the 1-1 Comets facing Northern Metros while the Meteors will search for their first win, hoping it comes against Western Suns, a side also without a win. SENIOR LEAGUE Western Suns 13 v Western Comets 4 After Monday’s games were rained out, the Suns and Comets got things started in the Senior League competition on Tuesday afternoon. The Suns opened their campaign for a third straight championship on a strong note with a double-digit run tally. Jordan Brokas, Lewdon Te Mara and William Truscott pitched the Suns to victory, while the Comets put Jarrod Cooke, Evan Forrest and Mitchell Forrest on the mound. Wednesday’s revised schedule has the Suns and Comets playing once again at 4:00 PM, with the Suns facing off against the Meteors at 7:00 PM too. Western Meteors 8 v Western Comets 3 The Meteors held off the Comets for a solid win off the back of strong pitching performances from Callum Broughton, Caleb Goodwin and Patrick Temby. Aiden Branch, Zander Goodwin and Flynn McGahan took turns on the mound for the Comets, giving up just a few too many runs to a hungry Meteors side who are chasing their first championship since 2017. The Comets will look for their first win on Wednesday with another game against the Meteors and their second matchup with the Suns. Western Meteors 17 v Western Suns 7 The Suns had a dominant first game against the Comets but they ran out of steam on Tuesday night, falling by 10 runs to a determined Meteors side. The 2-0 Meteors open Wednesday against the Comets before another nighttime matchup with the 1-1 Suns. Morawiec |
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