2015 CRWS - Australia

By Kyle Stackpole

For a few international teams, the first time its players step on the field to play with one another is at the Cal Ripken World Series. Players from around the country come together for this event, hoping to immediately mesh together and bring back a World Series title.

This was always how Australia fielded its team. But for this year’s event, Baseball Australia strayed away from nationally selecting its team and decided it would send a charter-based team, one selected from only three or four clubs, to the states.

So five charter squads traveled to Lismore New South Wales to compete in the national championships, and the Swan Hills Aces charter team — comprised of players from three local clubs in Western Australia — became the first of such teams to represent its county in Aberdeen, Maryland for the Cal Ripken World Series.

“They were kind of trying to look at what’s better for them if they send an Australian team that doesn’t get to practice a lot together, or if they send a team that’s been practicing together for a few months,” head coach Arnie Noel said. “This is potentially a little bit of an experiment for us.”

The charter team is made up of 12 players from three clubs — East Hills, Swan Districts and Victoria Park Belmont. Noel is the Junior Development Officer for the Swan Districts Junior baseball club.

Furthermore, several players — Tyson Noel, Dusty Brown, Maddux Stivey, Trent Daniele, Jarryd Bain and BJ Cooke — have played together in the past as a part of Swan Districts, making this experience more of a family affair.

Baseball Australia’s decision to switch its selection process, however, didn’t pay off on the field. After the nationally drawn squad finished the 2014 Cal Ripken World Series with a record of 3-1, this year’s team had one win in five games.

Despite Team Australia’s performance over the past week and a half, Noel has enjoyed coaching such a tight-knit group at this worldwide event.

“It’s a fantastic experience,” Noel said. “We always talk about the kids, but we forget about the coaches. I had a great time here, and I know my assistants did as well.”

Follow Team Australia on Twitter at @CRWS_Australia and on the Cal Ripken World Series website at https://www.ripkenbaseball.com/world_series/teams/57.

By Kyle Stackpole

With Team Australia holding a 3-2 lead in the fourth inning, Harford County made a risky decision.

After starting pitcher Dustin Brown delivered to home plate, the runner on third began creeping off the bag. Then, the moment catcher Benji Hewett released the ball, the runner darted home to tie the game.

These were the type of defensive miscues that cost Team Australia on Thursday afternoon, as the team’s Cal Ripken World Series ended with a 6-4 loss at Citizen’s Bank Park in the Iron Bracket quarterfinals.

Despite the result, coach Arnie Noel said he noticed improvement from his players compared to their performance Tuesday, when Australia suffered a 14-0 loss to Mexico in four innings.

“A little bit better today,” Noel said. “Again, a little bit baffling that we aren’t swinging the sticks as well as he have in the past. Probably a little tiredness … but I thought we were a lot better today than we have been in the past.

Australia’s offense, which did not record a hit against Mexico, managed seven hits but couldn’t bring all of those runners in to score.

Plus, it immediately was forced to play from behind. Brown allowed a triple to start the game, and the runner scored on a sacrifice fly three batters later.

Unlike it has in past games, Australia responded with three unanswered runs. With the bases loaded in the second frame, Benji Hewett roped a two-run single past the third baseman and down the left-field line. Trent Daniele brought home Adam Satie an inning later with a single of his own.

But it was the team’s fourth-inning struggles in the field that allowed Harford County to take control of the contest. After the leadoff runner reached on Satie’s error at second, another misplay by Satie allowed Harford County’s second run to come home. And by inning’s end, Australia have allowed five runs and sat in 5-3 hole.

“We didn’t play very good defense,” Noel said. “We probably gave up some runs that we wouldn’t have if we played defense the way we expect to play.”

After multiple rain delays, BJ Cooke replaced Brown on the mound in the fifth inning. He allowed just one run over the final two frames, keeping Australia within striking distance.

“I felt pretty comfortable,” Cooke said about his performance on the hill. “I had a pretty good defense behind me. We made a couple of good defensive plays.”

Cooke’s squad couldn’t mount a comeback, however, as Jordan Norvall ended the game — and Australia’s run in the Cal Ripken World Series — with a ground out to second base.

After starting off the tournament with a walk-off victory over Canada in its tournament opener, Australia dropped the next four contests. Nevertheless, the coaches and players valued the experience of representing their country over the past week.

“It’s been an amazing experience,” Cooke said. “I wish I could do it again because it has totally been out of this world.”

Follow Team Australia on Twitter at @CRWS_Australia and on the Cal Ripken World Series website at https://www.ripkenbaseball.com/world_series/teams/57.

By Kyle Stackpole

Twenty minutes before Team Australia was set to play Mexico at Nationals Field on Tuesday afternoon, coach Arnie Noel yelled to the players sitting in the dugout. He was going to hit fly balls to the outfielders, so he needed someone to catch their throws.

Upon hearing his coach’s request, Benji Hewett, one of four players on the bench, jumped to his feet, grabbed his glove and jogged to shallow left field. Though he wasn’t in the starting lineup, Hewett wanted to be apart of the action.

That mentality is one of several reasons Hewett has earned the respect of his coaches and teammates. While Australia, which plays Hartford County in the Iron Bracket on Thursday, finished pool play without a win, Hewett has played each game with honor and hustle.

“He adds a lot of experience because he’s played at big tournaments,” Noel said. “The other thing is a little bit of calmness about us to know that he’s been in this situation.”

Unlike some of his teammates, who have played together for several years, this is Hewett’s first time playing with Swan Districts Junior Baseball club. He had previously played for the Carine Cats but had to drive 45 minutes nearly every day for practice, so he joined the new club just seven minutes from his school.

“The kids at our club are very welcoming people — they’re good kids — so anybody that comes over, it doesn’t matter what ability, they’re welcomed into the club,” Noel said. “

Hewett tried out and made the Swan Hills Aces charter team, which finished tied for first in the Western Australia State tournament and were runners up at the national tournament. The squad’s performance earned the Aces the opportunity to represent Australia in the Cal Ripken World Series.

In addition to playing in Aberdeen, Maryland, for this worldwide event, Hewett has other international experience, as he played in a few international friendlies in Singapore with the Carine Cats in February 2014.

“Benji was extremely excited at the opportunity of playing at the CRWS … and has worked hard alongside his teammates to bring their A game to Aberdeen,” Kate Hewett, Benji’s mother, said. “He has blossomed under head oach Arnie Noel and assistant coaches Rob Danielle and Mike Carter.”

Hewett has typically batted fifth and has played catcher, pitcher and center field. Against Korea, Hewett earned the Player of the Game award for Australia after getting the team’s first hit in the fourth inning.

And in terms of the whole Ripken experience, Hewett is having a blast.

“Just playing against the teams,” Hewett said when asked about his favorite part of this event. “These guys are really good players, and we’re playing teams from all over the world. It’s great experience, and it just blows [my mind] that this is happening right now.”

By Kyle Stackpole

For the third straight day, Team Australia couldn’t match its opponent at the plate. Coach Arnie Noel’s squad was unable to record a hit in its 14-0 loss to Mexico in its final pool play game of the Cal Ripken World Series.

“We got outmatched today," head coach Arnie Noel said. "The big thing that we need to take out of it is that we talked about is some of our core values as a baseball team. We didn't do those."

Noel said his team lacked energy, intensity and togetherness in today’s matchup with Mexico. Despite being down as much as Australia was — Mexico scored eight runs in the first inning — Noel said his squad needed to do a better job picking each other up.

“It’s easy to pick each other up when you’re eight, nine, 10 runs, but when you’re behind eight, nine, 10 runs, that’s when it becomes a team thing,” Noel said. “Doing that late in the game, especially when we were behind by quite a few, was a little bit disappointing.”

Similar to its 9-3 loss to Korea on Sunday morning, Australia struggled against the velocity of the Mexico pitching staff. Though the team struck out eight times, Noel said the quality of its opponent on the hill will benefit his players in the future.

“It gives them goals to look forward to,” Noel said. “Some of these kids, even at a young age, have probably aspirations to go on an play at a higher level …  so it gives them an idea of what to expect.”

Player of the Game “Dusty” Brown, who is also celebrating his birthday today, agreed.

“It’s going to get me used to the faster pitchers,” Brown said. “It really helps to get your bat speed up and through the zone.”

Australia has a day off tomorrow, so the players and coaches are setting out to local cities such as New York and Washington D.C. On Thursday, the team will play in the Iron Bracket quarterfinals against one of the squads from the United States.

By Kyle Stackpole

From its state and national tournaments back home to its first two games at the Cal Ripken World Series in Aberdeen, Maryland, Team Australia hadn’t faced the type of pitching Team Korea featured Monday morning.

And while Australia put together a three-run fourth inning, the team had 11 strikeouts and left Nationals Field with a 9-3 loss in its third game of the World Series.

“With the game speeding up, it changed a little bit for us,” head coach Arnie Noel said. “I was pretty happy with the way they swung it, but that velocity kind of hurt us.”

Similar to its game against New Zealand on Sunday afternoon, Australia was in danger of digging itself into an early hole. After two batters, Korea had runners on the corners and no one out.

Starting pitcher Daniel Carter settled down after that, however, inducing a pop out to third and getting a strikeout for the first two outs. He walked the next batter to load the bases, but escaped the jam with a fielder’s choice.

Carter cruised through the second inning, but defensive miscues allowed Korea to break the game open in the third. The frame started with a solo home run to left field, and two batters later, Jarryd Bain’s error at first put two runners on with no one out.

After an RBI single made it 2-0, Korea kept the no-out rally going after third baseman Maddux Stivey bobbled the ball and threw late to first. The defense steadied and made a few routine outs to end the inning, but not before Korea added three more runs and held a 5-0 advantage.

The lead blossomed to seven after Stivey, who replaced Carter on the mound, allowed a two-run double in the fourth frame. Korea threatened to score another run with a single between shortstop and third, but left fielder Joshua Paull gunned out the runner at home plate to prevent further damage.

After going without a hit and striking out seven times through the first three innings, Australia began putting the ball in play in the fourth. In doing so, the team ignited a rally.  

Benji Hewett followed Carter’s walk with the squad’s first hit, a double to right field. And with runners on second and third, Stivey put Australia on the board with an RBI groundout.

“They were throwing pretty hard, but it was good,” Hewett said. “It felt good off the bat and just all came together.”

Australia cut into Korea’s lead even further before the frame ended — Paull had an RBI triple and Tyson Noel drove in a run with a ground out — and was in striking distance with two innings to go.

“We probably got some pitches we could handle and some pitches up in the zone,” Noel said. These guys are throwing hard, and they’re pounding the zone. They missed a couple of spots, and we were able to square a couple up.”

Even so, Australia couldn’t continue its offensive production. In the last two innings, Noel’s squad did not record a hit and struck out four times.

With Monday’s loss and Mexico’s win over New Zealand, Australia no longer has a chance to qualify for the Championship Bracket. Still, the team will finish pool play against Mexico at 3 p.m. Tuesday and compete in the Iron Bracket, which begins Thursday.

Follow Team Australia on Twitter at @CRWS_Australia and on the Cal Ripken World Series website at https://www.ripkenbaseball.com/world_series/teams/57.

By Kyle Stackpole

After exploding for nine runs in its come-from-behind win against Team Canada on Saturday night, Team Australia’s offense fell silent on Sunday afternoon against New Zealand. Australia scored just three runs and suffered a 7-3 loss at Cal Sr.’s Yard in its second game of the Cal Ripken World Series.

Even so, head coach Arnie Noel was optimistic about his team’s performance.

“I didn't think we did a lot wrong," Noel said. "We made a couple of bad pitches  —we missed up — and they hit them in the seats."

To start the game, Australia went down in order, while New Zealand immediately threatened to score the game’s first run.

In its half of the first inning, New Zealand had runners on first and second with two outs. Starting pitcher Dusty Brown struck out the next hitter, however, escaping the jam and keeping the contest scoreless.

The bottom of the order produced Australia’s first run an inning later. A pitch hit Daniel Carter, and two other players walked, loading the bases with two outs for Adam Satie. And after a tremendous at bat — Satie fouled off several pitches with two strikes — the No. 9 hitter came through by poking a single through the middle to give his team a 1-0 advantage.

“It felt pretty good,” Satie said of his RBI single. “All I wanted to do when I went up to bat was to get a base hit and score a run.”

But Australia’s lead didn’t last. Against the first hitter he faced in the second frame, Brown allowed a solo home run, which easily cleared the left-field wall.

New Zealand once again displayed its power in the third inning, as its No. 3 hitter launched a two-run homer to dead-center field. Three batters later, Brown allowed a two-run double off the wall, putting Australia in a 5-1 hole.

“They were right on everything that we missed with, and that cost us a few runs,” Noel said. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t fight back today.”

Tyson Noel came in from center field to replace Brown with Australia down 6-1, and the lefty-hurler got out of the jam allowing just one more run.

Australia got two runs back in the fifth inning thanks to the top of its order. Leadoff hitter Joshua Paull had an RBI ground out, and Noel, the No. 2 hitter, followed with a sacrifice fly to cut New Zealand’s deficit to four.

Australia put together a formidable threat in the final frame, as it loaded the bases with no one out. But New Zealand brought in a new pitcher, who struck out the next three batters to secure Australia’s first tournament loss.

Australia will look to even its record in pool play Monday at 10 a.m. against Team Korea.

“Tough day at the yard,” Noel said. “The great thing about baseball is that you get to play tomorrow. We’ll show up and come ready to go and get after it and see where we end up.”

Follow Team Australia on Twitter at @CRWS_Australia and on the Cal Ripken World Series website at https://www.ripkenbaseball.com/world_series/teams/57.

By Kyle Stackpole

After Team Australia scored the tying run in the bottom of the sixth inning against Team Canada on Saturday night, Jarryd Bain strolled over near the third base line to talk with head coach Arnie Noel.

With the bases loaded and one out, Bain had a chance to drive in the winning run. He welcomed the challenge with open arms.

“We talked a little bit about how somebody is going to be a hero, and somebody is going to get the opportunity,” Noel said. “He comes up smiling to me before the at bat, and I said, ‘This is your turn,’ and he said, ‘Yeah, it’s my turn.’”

Moments later, Jarryd walked back to home plate, settled into the batter’s box, and delivered a game-winning RBI single to center field. The hit capped a three-run sixth inning and gave Australia a 9-8 win in its opening game at the Cal Ripken World Series.

“I just wanted to get a hit for the team,” Bain said.

Bain’s single was one of nine hits for Australia, which received most of its offensive production from the middle of its order. BJ Cooke, Daniel Carter and Benji Hewett — the third, fourth and fifth hitters in the lineup — combined for six hits, five RBI and seven runs scored.

While Australia displayed an explosive offense late in the contest, it was Canada that scored first. Starting pitcher Joshua Paull allowed Canada to score on a double and a ground out, putting Australia in a 2-0 hole after the opening frame.

Australia went down in order in its half of the first, but it cut into Canada’s lead an inning later with Carter’s home run. Carter, who competed in the Home Run Derby on Friday, crushed a solo homer over the right field wall.

After the next two runners reached base and advanced to second and third on a wild pitch. Australia appeared to tie the game on sacrifice fly from second baseman Jordan Norvall.

Canada appealed to third, however, and the umpire called the runner out for leaving early, which erased the run. After two innings, Australia still faced a one-run deficit.

“We put ourselves in some holes and misplayed some balls and did some things that are pretty uncharacteristic,” Noel said. “We got to go back to the drawing board and just say, ‘Hey, listen. Go out and play baseball.’”

Despite the running mishap, Australia took its first lead in the third inning. With runners on second and third with one out, Cooke roped a two-run single to center field, giving his squad a one-run advantage. That lead became 4-2 after the second baseman couldn’t handle a pop up.

In the fifth inning, Canada was able to string together runs off Maddux Stivey. After shutting out Canada in the third and fourth inning, Stivey allowed five runs on five hits in the fifth. Again, Australia was forced to play from behind.

Australia scored a run in the bottom half of the fifth, but Canada responded with a run of its own an inning later. Entering the final frame, Australia faced a two-run deficit.

Tyson Noel lined out to second to start the sixth, but Cooke reached base on a single. After Carter walk, Hewett and Stivy produced back-to-back RBI singles, which tied the game at eight.

And with just one out, Canada intentionall walked Trent Daniele to set up a force play at home. The decision set the stage for Bain, who was barraged by his teammates at second base after the game-winning run crossed the plate.

“It felt really good,” Bain said. “It felt amazing.”

While this game didn’t count towards the standings, Australia hopes the team will carry the momentum from Saturday’s thrilling win into Sunday’s game against New Zealand at 3 p.m.

“We just have to concentrate and get some good night sleep,” Bain said.

Follow Team Australia on Twitter at @CRWS_Australia and on the Cal Ripken World Series Website at https://www.ripkenbaseball.com/world_series/teams/57

By Kyle Stackpole

After competing in the Australian National Championships, Team Australia had more than a month before they played its first Cal Ripken World Series game against Canada on July 25.

Knowing his squad needed some time away from the diamond, head coach Arnie Noel gave his players 10 days off, allowing their bodies to recover from the abundance of baseball they had played this summer.

Since then, Team Australia, who comes to Aberdeen, Maryland, from Western Australia, practiced three times a week and played three scrimmages against local teams. Even so, Noel’s team is ready to see where they stack up among the world’s best baseball teams.

“We’re looking forward to the opportunity to come to the States and looking forward to the challenge of playing some pretty good baseball teams,” Noel said last week. “That’s the main thing. The kids are ready to go I think now.”

On Tuesday, the wait ended. Around 9:30 p.m., Team Australia touched down at Baltimore–Washington International Airport, and the reality set in that this squad would compete for a World Championship.

“Really pumped,” Noel said with a chuckle. “They’re hard to keep under control right now, but once we get out to the field, everything will kind of hit them, and we’ll be all right.”

After watching a video about the Cal Ripken World Series on Wednesday, Team Australia arrived at the Under Armour Headquarters Thursday morning in Baltimore. It received apparel[AC1]  — including jerseys, hats, cleats, pants and batting gloves — took photos for the event’s website and learned what to expect from the Cal Ripken World Series experience.

By Kyle Stackpole

Coaches Arnold Noel and Robert Daniele and players Tyson Noel and Benjamin Hewett talk about the tournament and more in the opening day press conference at the AT&T Media Center.

By Kyle Stackpole

Under coach Arnie Noel, the Swan Hill Aces don’t make excuses.

Needing to pay for the trip to America, the parents set up fundraisers. The players, meanwhile, thrived on the field despite playing the state and national tournament in different time zones.

And that mindset has put the Aces in a position to win a World Cchampionship, as Noel’s squad will represent Team Australia in this year’s Cal Ripken World Series.

“We’re not a big rah-rah team,” Noel said. “We just play the game on that even keel. They’re pretty competitive people, so it all works pretty well.”

The Aces overcame challenges throughout the summer, starting with the Western Australia State tournament, which Noel believes is one of the toughest states to advance from. Still, his team made the championship — the game was never played due to a rainout — and was one of five squads to represent Western Australia in the countrywide tournament.

At the national championships, the Aces advanced to the title game once again. They suffered a 7-3 loss, but because of their performance, were elected to represent their country in the Cal Ripken World Series.

"It's pretty special,” Noel said. “Baseball here is a growing sport, especially in Western Australia, and to be able to show kids that there's opportunities for them to see the world and compete at a high level is pretty important."

After the tournament final June 9, about a month and a half separated the Swan Hill Aces from the tournament in the United States.

In order to fund their trip, the team has used various methods to earn enough funding. Noel’s squad held a, “Quiz Night” on July 11, where those with a ticket could participate in silent auctions to win sports memorabilia.

"We've packed quite a bit in in a pretty short period of time,” Noel said. “The parents have been doing fantastic work to help us out to get the money to go."

With the players’ performances on the field combined with the parents’ hard work off of it, the Aces are ready to represent their county July 24 – Aug. 1 with the hope of bringing home a Cal Ripken World Series title.

By Kyle Stackpole

In last year’s Cal Ripken World Series, Team Australia finished atop of its division at 3-1. Entering this year’s competition, Team Australia will look to improve on its performance in 2014 and advance into the championship bracket.

After beginning last year’s event with a win over Team Mexico, Team Australia improved to 2-0 with a victory over Team Canada, 11-4. Team Australia couldn’t extend its winning streak to three, however, falling  7-1 to Team Korea. Still, Team Australia closed out pool play with an 11-10 win over New Zealand.

This year, the Swan Hills Aces, comprised of 11 players, will represent Team Australia in the tournament. To qualify for the CRWS, it played in the Australian Little League Championships held June 4 – 9 at Albert Park Baseball and Softball Complex in Lismore NSWales.

Swan Hills Aces competed in Pool C, where it went 4-0 and advanced to the quarterfinals. After two more victories, Swan Hills Aces met Cronulla with a title on the line.

In the championship game, however, Swan Hills Aces fell short. With the contest tied entering the fifth inning, Cronulla scored four runs to take a 7-3 lead in the eventual victory.

Despite the defeat, Swan Hills Aces’ runner-up performance qualified the team for the Cal Ripken World Series. The squad will compete in the International 1 D division and will face the same teams it did last year. After opening pool play with Team Canada on July 25, Team Australia will face off with Team New Zealand the following afternoon. Then, Team Australia will play the Republic of Korea on July 27 before batting Team Mexico on July 28.

By Kyle Stackpole

Two years ago, a member of the church recommended Marion and Edward Byars become a Host Family for the Cal Ripken World Series. The Byars housed members of Team Canada soon after and have been welcoming international players into their home ever since. This summer, they’ll take in players from Team Australia.

“We had so many tears when our boys went home,” Marion said. “You build this family, this friend bond. The experience is amazing.”

Marion enjoys being a Host Family because it gives her son, 8, someone to look up to. She added that the players are well mannered and easy to get along with.

“My son, you can’t wipe a smile off his face,” Marion said, “Literally, we are at the field constantly. We love it; we feed off of that. It’s just wondering.”

When asked how long the Byars would be willing to volunteer as a Host Family, Marion offered a promising response.

“As long as I’m living in Maryland, I’ll be a Host Family,” Marion said.

John and Beth Olcott

After her friend’s son played in the Cal Ripken World Series, Beth Olcott heard about the opportunity to become a Host Family and knew there needed to be more of them.

The Olcott family volunteered. And now, the family will be hosting for the sixth straight year. John and Beth have hosted 14 boys the past five years and continue to stay in touch with the boys’ families.

“We’re still friends with their parents,” Beth said. “I still hear from them, thanks to Facebook and Skype, and it’s just really nice to make the friendships that we make out of it.”

Hey Guys! My name is Kyle Stackpole, and I’m the reporter for Team Australia in its quest for a Cal Ripken World Series title.

First I’d like to tell you a little about myself! I’m a rising junior at the University of Maryland majoring in multiplatform journalism and minoring in statistics and business. Since my freshman year, I’ve been a staff writer for the sports desk of The Diamondback, the university’s school newspaper. I’ve covered Maryland softball, women’s soccer, wrestling, baseball and will be reporting on men’s soccer in the fall.

As a team reporter, I’ll be providing you with everything you need to know about Team Australia during the CRWS. I’ll be live-tweeting games from @CRWS_Australia, talking to coaches and players, and writing recaps, previews and features about the team and its performance. Leading up to the CRWS, I’ll publish one story a week. I’ll be posting more frequently starting July 23 when I make the trek from my hometown of River Vale, New Jersey, down to Aberdeen, Maryland, for the tournament.

                 A clip from Travis Bazzana's excellent presentation!

Who inspires you? Who is your role model?

Every child is asked this question at multiple points throughout their lives. For Travis Bazzana of Team Australia, it was no different. And his answer, some would say, foreshadowed his trip to the Cal Ripken World Series.

Can you guess who it is?

Who has the MLB record for the most consecutive games ever played?The answer: Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr.

Back in Australia, Bazzana was assigned a project in his 6th grade class, called the Study of the Notables. This project asked students to study the life of an individual who they looked up to. Their final task would be to give a presentation in character. The catch, it was up to the audience to guess who they were portraying.

When Bazzana selected Cal, tryouts for Australia’s delegation in the Cal Ripken World Series was in process. At only 11 years old and the youngest member of Team Australia, he had know idea at the time that he would be picked.

Other children in the class selected well-known individuals across the world like Bill Gates, Albert Einstein and famous Australian cricketer Don Bradman. However, Cal was not someone many individuals in Australia had ever heard of. That meant, according to both Travis and his parents, his presentation needed to be extra convincing. So Bazzana fully immersed himself in Ripken’s life, reading both books and speeches.

So why did Bazzana choose Cal?

          Both teams congratulate each other after a hard fought game,                     

                      with a combined 21 runs scored between them.

On Wednesday August 13, 2014, Team Australia earned its third win against Team New Zealand. The offense of Australia dominated when it counted, allowing them to outscore New Zealand 11-10.

The comeback win was hard fought for Australia, who was down five runs going into the 4th inning. The fans of both teams were on the edge of their seats the entire game, as there were six lead changes throughout. However, in the end, it was Australia that managed to get the runs when it mattered, scoring an impressive five runs in both the fourth and sixth innings.  Even when New Zealand came back in the bottom of the sixth with a three-run homer, Australia was able to hold on to its lead by successfully fielding the ball.

Multiple players stood out on Team Australia for their performances, including Travis Bazzana who went three-for-three when he was up to bat. Ky Jackson also shined and was awarded MVP of the game. Not only did Jackson homer to left field bringing in three runners in the top of the 4th, but he also had an RBI single to centerfield in the top of the 6th. This single was particularly important for Australia because they had been down one and it allowed Australia to once again tie up the game for the final time.

“It was a great feeling because we were down 2-6. In my mind it was all about getting the hit and when I hit the ball, both the timing and contact was good,” said Jackson about his home run in the fourth. “It was all about getting the team in front, three runs was good enough” Jackson plans to frame his MVP award when he returns home.

The win was an amazing feeling for the players and coaches of Australia because they were able to come up big against their rivals. “It happens in all sports, cricket, rugby, big sports in Australia, there is a lot of rivalry against New Zealand. “ said Bazzana. “It was a big game for us and it felt really good to win.”

               Team Australia stands together before the start of the game

Australia lost its first game in the Cal Ripken World Series on Monday, August 11, 2014 to the Republic of Korea, 7-1. Now 2-1, Australia will go into tomorrow’s game against New Zealand with a fight, in order to solidify a top seed in the semi-finals on Thursday.

Despite the loss, Australia played tough throughout the full six innings. They left the field not in defeat, but instead with their heads held high, proud of their performance. “I thought we played a really great game tonight, just a couple of unlucky hits and balls fallen in between fielders,” said head coach Dean Marnell.

During the game, it was Australia’s fielding where players shined for their stellar plays, leading the packed Australian section into roars of applause. Ethan Stacy was one of those players.

In the first play in the top of third, Stacy, who was in as shortstop, fielded a hard hit ground ball to first baseman Michael Tovey. This standout play, along with his performance throughout the game earned Stacey MVP.  When asked what he was thinking as he fielded the ball, Stacy said, “Get to the ball and just make the play; try to get the out.” And that is exactly what Stacy did.

                     Ethan Stacy, MVP of the game, smiles with his award

Right fielder Matthew Martin was another Aussie who caught the attention of the fans with his two beautiful catches in right field. Unfortunately it was not enough, as Australia was unable to capitalize when they were up to bat.

Now, Australia is focused on tomorrow’s game at 3:00pm on National’s Field. Coach Marnell believes that as long as his team plays with the same philosophy, both enjoying the game and playing positively, they will come away with the win.