Despite trailing by as many as five runs, Cronulla dug deep and found a way to win against Hills Red 9-5 to clinch the Junior League championship on 4 May 2025 at Knights Field.
Hills jumped to an early lead in the bottom of the third, scoring runs off Isaac Meighan’s single down the right field, Jaydan Rogan and Hayden Salmon’s walk, and Jack Drummond’s grounder into a fielder’s choice.
However, Cronulla flipped the game on its head with a rally in the seventh, scoring seven runs off four hits to take the lead, 9-5.
Benjamin Napier, Travis Holborow, Zac Jacenko, and Liam Carmody each had two hits for Cronulla; Napier, Carmody, and Bailey May batted in two runs. Meanwhile, Carmody also stole two bases.
This match saw the top team in the tournament, Cronulla Black (6-1), against the top four in Hills Red (4-2).
Along with the entire community, Baseball NSW congratulates both teams for a hard-fought game and thanks the Castle Hill Knights Baseball Club for helping make sure the games could be played and Nationals positions could be finalised.
Many thanks also goes to tournament director Andrew Clements for leading all efforts to make the tourney a resounding success.
Good luck to both Cronulla and Hills at the Nationals!