by Australian Baseball Federation, Trish Quayle
New South Wales have defeated Victoria 15-5 in the inaugural National Under 15 Girls Championships in Canberra
New South Wales were dominant from the start, scoring five in the first. Victoria made a dash for recovery in the second getting four home, and there was no shortage of hits but they were plagued by errors in the competitive finals showdown.
After four days of double headers in a competition that this age group has not competed at before, it was obvious that both teams were feeling the physical demands of the game.
Undefeated going into the final, New South Wales stayed true to their good sportsmanship nature and when they looked sure to win in the fourth, Coach Vicki Galea called no stealing of bases to support the camaraderie with their opposition.
Coach Galea spoke of their Gold Medal Win as the “ultimate”. “The girls have all trained very hard and I am immensely proud of their achievement. It has truly been a whole team effort that got us to the final and won the shield today” said Vicki.
Victorian Coach Colin Penny said that the tournament has been a fantastic opportunity and experience for his team. “If you’d have told us nine weeks ago that we were going to win silver, I wouldn’t have believed you. This weekend has taught the girls so much as a team and the experience they take from this is more valuable than the medal” said Colin.
Championship Most Valuable Player, New South Wales pitcher Kaitlyn Beccaris, described the tournament as “so much fun”. “I have had a great time and it feels great to have won gold after training so hard. This week has been amazing to get to know other girls that are so good at the sport and are all interested in strengthening female baseball” said Kaitlyn.
Australian Baseball Hall of Fame recipient Simone Wearne presented the first ever winners New South Wales the ‘Simone Wearne National Junior Girls Shield’ to the elation of a packed crowd.
Queensland finished the championship strong in third place and Country New South Wales in fourth.
