Learning curve for Little League stars

The young baseball stars from Moreton Bay Region will ‘learn’ from their first experience of the Little League World Series in the US.

Representing Australia, the team drawn from Redcliffe Padres, Narangba Demons and Pine Rivers Rapids, as bowed out of the international tournament.

It followed a 12-7 defeat by Italy in their second match, but team manager Keith Land is hoping to arrange matches against sides in a similar position.

The team of 11 and 12 year olds scored four in their first inning against the Italians, drawn from the Bologna region.

One more was added in the second opening up a 5-0 lead over their opponents, representing Europe/Africa.

But the Italians rallied, scoring four in the third inning and then lead 6-5 in the fourth.

Australia levelled at 6-6 but Italy clinched the game in the fifth inning scoring six and walked away comfortable winners at the end.

Rollercoaster

“I was a bit worried when we scored those runs early on, like ‘don’t use them all up now’,” Australian team manager Keith Land said, in the Williamsport Sun-Gazette.

“But any game there’s a turning point. Our turning point was a call that was foul, and it was a foul, but they thought they pulled off a triple play, suddenly from triple play to no outs.

“Sort of like being on a rollercoaster, we just couldn’t make it back up that hill. But they’ll learn from it.”

The Brisbane North squad lost its opening match of the tournament, at Williamsport, Pennsylvania, 7-0 to Canada.

However, it was a remarkable victory in the Australian Nationals by this region, which only has 40 players across three clubs, to earn the right to represent our country in the Little League World Series.