(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photo by Guam Major League)
     Australia wins Under-18 Oceania-title and qualifies for World Cup
Nederlands
 HAGÅTÑA (Guam) -
Australia captured the title of the Oceania Under-18 Baseball Championship on Sunday-evening (January 27), despite the fact that the Final against American Samoa had to be halted due to heavy rain with Australia leading 5-0.
According to the rules, the Play-Off game between the two teams was then decisive for the outcome.
Australia, which was the defending champion, had won that game, 16-0, and so, it again won the title.
As champion, Australia qualified for participation in the WBSC Under-18 Baseball World Cup, which will be held August 30 through September 8 in the South Koreas city of Gijang.
With the addition of Australia, eleven of the twelve participating countries were known for the World Cup.
Australia joins South Africa (Africa), Canada, Nicaragua, Panamá, the USA (all Americas), Chinese Taipei, Japan, South Korea (all Asia), the Netherlands and Spain (both Europe).
China became the twelfth participating country after it was awarded a Wild Card by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC).
The event was held at Paseo Stadium in Hagåtña, the capital of the Pacific lsland Guam, which is a territory of the USA.
The stadium, which opened in January 1982 and seats almost 3,000 spectators, also was the site for the baseball-tournament of the Micronesian Games (1994) and of the South Pacific Games (1999) as well as Little League Regional Play-Offs.
During the Opening Ceremony on Tuesday-evening, Fantasia Rioja sang the National Anthems of the USA and Guam.
Guam Legislature Speaker Tina Muña Barnes threw the ceremonial first pitch and thereafter, host Guam played the opening-game against Palau.
In the game, Palau led 2-0 in the top of the fourth inning when the game was halted due to rain.
After it resumed, Palau went on to win 5-2.
However, Guam appealed the loss, stating that Palau had three players who were born in 2000.
According to the rules, players has to be born in 2001.
The appeal was awarded, meaning Guam won the game.
On Wednesday, Guam closed the day with a 13-3 loss against New Zealand.
Earlier in the day, American Samoa won twice on Day 2 of the event, which was visited by several Major League-scouts.
It first won convincingly with a 13-2 score vs. Palau, then recorded a suprising 5-4 victory against reigning champion Australia.
In the sixth inning, Australia came alongside (4-4), but American Samoa answered with a run in the top of the seventh.
Chase Higginson then led off with a walk, moved to third base on a single by Sete Tuasivi and scored on a passed ball.
...Paseo Stadium in Guam capital Hagåtña...
(© Photo: Guam Major League) |
On Thursday, New Zealand opened with a win against Palau, but then lost 8-4 to American Samoa.
In the evening, Guam was shutout 11-0 by Australia, which scored six runs in the first inning.
Pitchers Will Sherriff, Cayden Nicoletto and Brandon Bidois threw a combined No-Hitter.
On Friday, American Samoa closed the round robin in the evening by winning 7-6 against Guam to remain unbeaten.
Earlier, Australia shutout New Zealand 10-0, then also won against Palau, which was eliminated for the Final Round.
On Satuday, the two Semi-Finals were played according to the page-system.
In the first Play-Off game, Australia, which had finished in second place, shutout American Samoa with a big 16-0 score to advance to the Final.
Guam, which had finished in fourth place with an 1-3 record, surprised in the evening by winning big with an 11-4 score against New Zealand (which was 2-2), which therefore was eliminated.
Jeremiah Sablan led the offense with three basehits and one run batted in, while Ethan Lobaton contributed with two basehits and batted in two runs.
With the win, Guam qualified for the Bronze Medal-game (backdoor) against American Samoa.
On Sunday-afternoon, American Samoa became the second finalist by winning 15-6 against Guam, which therefore ended up in third place.
The Samoan team already led 10-0 after three innings, highlighted by a 3-run homerun by Safea Villaruz-Mauai, while Blake Eldredge went 4-for-6, scored three runs and batted in two.
In the evening, it was not possible to complete the Final due to heavy rain.
Australia led 5-0 against American Samoa in the bottom of the fourth inning when the game was interrupted by rain.
As it was impossible to resume the game, it was called.
According to the rules of the WBSC, the head-to-head result between the two teams in the Play-Offs then would be decisive.
Australia had won that game with a 16-0 score and so was crowned as Champion of Oceania, resulting in qualification for the World Cup later this year.
(January 28)
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