MARLINS TO REPRESENT SOUTH AUSTRALIA AT LITTLE LEAGUE NATIONALS IN JUNE
West Beach SA ~ 10 April 2025
The Adelaide Marlins will represent South Australia at the 2025 Australian Little League National Championships in Sydney, after a tense 11-9 win over the Adelaide Seahawks Tuesday (8 April) night in the Baseball SA Charter Little League Championships played at West Beach.
The Marlins led 8-2 going into the bottom of the fourth inning, but then the Seahawks rallied with six runs to tie the game, setting up a classic finish with both the game and the tournament at stake for the Marlins.
In the top of the fifth inning, Oscar Patman hit a double down the right field line, driving in the go ahead run, and then Noah Sutherland smashed a triple to left, driving in two more Marlin runners for an 11-8 lead.
In the bottom of the sixth, Marlins pitcher Casey Sanders, on in relief since the fourth for starter Zac Gratton, found himself in a jam after walking in the ninth Seahawks run, and was now faced with the bases loaded and only one out. A Seahawks victory of ten runs or more would eliminate the Marlins, and hand the tournament to the Adelaide Rays, who were watching from the stands.
With the game and the tournament on the line, Marlins Head Coach Stef Gratton motioned to the bullpen for Flynn Dienelt to come in and extinguish the flames. Dienelt showed lots of poise and grit and struck out the two batters he faced to seal the win, and the tournament championship.
“I'm really proud of the boys. That game got hard but they stuck with it, they trusted the work they had put in, and we came out on top, “ said a happy but relieved Coach Gratton after the game. “They showed fantastic resilience and that's going to serve us well in Sydney.”
The Marlins had 11 hits, and nine walks in the win. Patman led the offense with a single and a double, with three runs batted in, with Sutherland, and Cameron Majewski, each slamming triples, Sanders, a double, Chase Mazurek, two singles, while Archer Spratt, Aaron Davis, and Chevy Roach, each contributed singles in the win.
Gratton started for the Marlins and was dominant the first three innings, fanning eight Seahawks batters, allowed five hits, and two bases on balls. The tall right hander ran into some opposition in the fourth inning, when the Seahawks scored six runs to tie the game 8-8. Lefty Casey Sanders replaced Gratton with no one out in the fourth and lasted 2.1 innings, striking out three, and surrendering two runs, on three hits, and two bases on balls.
Oliver Kirsten, led the Seahawks offensively with a fourth inning double, while Cooper Scarabotti, Thomas Collins, and Kobe Smith each had two singles, with Brock Harding, Harrison Malec, Oliver Kirsten, Tyler Ambridge, and Kayden Bolto, all collecting base hits.
Harding started on the mound for the Seahawks, lasting 2.2 innings, giving up three hits, six walks, and eight runs, while striking out two. Cooper Wild came on in relief for Harding, pitching the final 3.1 IP, striking out three, allowing eight hits, and three walks for three runs.
MARLINS TOURNAMENT RESULTS :
GAME 1 – Saturday 5 April - Marlins 13 Seahawks 2
The big highlights of the opening game for the Marlins were two towering home runs from Archer Spratt, and a stellar pitching performance from Hunter Ung.
Spratt brought the fans to their feet with a solo blast over the left field fence for a home run in the first inning to put the Marlins up 1-0.
The Seahawks were quick to respond in the second dig with two runs, but the Marlins regained the lead in their bottom half of the second scoring three, then adding another five in the third inning for a 9-2 lead
Spratt then belted his second round tripper, a two run shot in the fifth inning to round off the Marlins 13 run opening act.
Spratt added a single to his two homers to lead the Marlins hitting, while Flynn Dienelt added two base hits, with Aaron Davis, Zac Gratton, Liam Harris, and Noah Sutherland all hitting singles.
Ung was very impressive over five innings on the mound, throwing 65 pitches, 50 for strikes, fanning nine, giving up six hits, allowing only two runs, and no walked batters.
James Wadham was the Seahawks' top batter, hitting a double, while Brock Harding added two singles.
GAME 2 – Adelaide Marlins 8 Adelaide Rays 7 – Saturday 5 April
The Marlins managed to hold off a late charge from a tough Rays lineup to come away with an 8-7 win in their second match on Saturday. Play remained scoreless until the fourth inning when Chase Mazurek singled to left to drive in Jimmy Newbold. Then two batters later Archer Spratt doubled to centre field to bring Mazurek home and put the Marlins up 2-0.
The Marlins went to town in the fifth inning banging out six hits to score five. Ryder McGuire Thomas started the rally with a single to right, then Zac Gratton walked, and McGuire -Thomas scored on a wild pitch. Liam Harris walked, and then Cameron Majewski’s single scored Gratton, followed by Casey Sanders’ single to left, to plate Harris.
Next, Oscar Patman singled, moving Sanders to third, Patnam then stole second putting runners at second and third, when Noah Sutherland belted a line drive into the gap between left and centre for a single, scoring two more runs and stretching the lead to 7-0. The Marlins then added their eighth run in the top of the sixth.
The Rays bounced back with three runs in the fifth, and three more in the sixth to put a scare into the Marlins, but a pop up to the infield ended their rally, securing the Marlins one run triumph.
Jimmy Newbold led the Marlins offense with two singles, Spratt added a double, and a rbi, with singles going to Majewski, Sanders, Hunter Ung, Ryder McGuire-Thomas, Oscar Patman, and Sutherland.
Spratt pitched a strong opening 4.1 innings, striking out eight, walking five, while surrendering only one hit. The star right hander then appeared to run out of gas in the fifth, hitting two consecutive batters, then two walks, and a single, giving up four runs to the Rays, the lead dwindling down to just three runs. Coach Gratton then made the decision to lift Spratt for Zac Gratton.
Gratton went 1.1 innings, surrendering two runs on one hit and a base on balls. Casey Sanders came in to finish the game throwing just seven pitches and getting the final batter to pop up to the shortstop for the final out.
GAME 3 - Adelaide Rays 5 Adelaide Marlins 2 – Monday 7 April
The Marlins were hoping to celebrate the Tournament Championship on Monday evening, but the Adelaide Rays spoiled the party with a 5-2 setback.
The Marlins carried a 2-0 lead into the fifth inning when the Rays scored four runs to turn the game around.
The Marlins were unable to respond to the Ray's late surge, and after the Rays added an insurance run in the top of the sixth, the flame blew out on a Marlins comeback.
Aaron Davis, Ryder McGuire-Thomas, Chase Mazurek, Hunter Ung, and Casey Sanders each had singles for the Marlins.
Cameron Majewski pitched a steady game for the Marlins, striking out four, and had good backup in the field to keep the opposition scoreless, but in the fifth inning the Rays had their big rally and the tide shifted.
Ryder McGuire-Thomas came in to replace Majewski in the fifth with no one out. In two innings of relief, McGuire - Thomas struck out two, gave up four hits, and allowed the one run in the sixth.
OFF TO THE NATIONALS – Blacktown NSW – 8-13 June 2025
The Marlins finished with a 3-1 record for first place in the tournament, while the Rays finished at 2-2, and the Seahawks 1-3.
The Marlins will now prepare for the six day Little League Nationals tournament to be held in Blacktown NSW at the Blacktown International Sportspark – Sunday 8 June – Friday 13 June.
“I'm expecting it to tick up a notch again in terms of the quality of baseball and we're going to now reset and prepare for what we expect to face there. For now though the boys and coaches can have a well earned rest!” said the Marlins Head Coach Stef Gratton following the tournament at West Beach.
PHOTOS Courtesy of g_k snapshots and Baseball SA
The Adelaide Marlins will represent South Australia at the 2025 Australian Little League National Championships in Sydney, after a tense 11-9 win over the Adelaide Seahawks Tuesday (8 April) night in the Baseball SA Charter Little League Championships played at West Beach.
The Marlins led 8-2 going into the bottom of the fourth inning, but then the Seahawks rallied with six runs to tie the game, setting up a classic finish with both the game and the tournament at stake for the Marlins.
In the top of the fifth inning, Oscar Patman hit a double down the right field line, driving in the go ahead run, and then Noah Sutherland smashed a triple to left, driving in two more Marlin runners for an 11-8 lead.
In the bottom of the sixth, Marlins pitcher Casey Sanders, on in relief since the fourth for starter Zac Gratton, found himself in a jam after walking in the ninth Seahawks run, and was now faced with the bases loaded and only one out. A Seahawks victory of ten runs or more would eliminate the Marlins, and hand the tournament to the Adelaide Rays, who were watching from the stands.
With the game and the tournament on the line, Marlins Head Coach Stef Gratton motioned to the bullpen for Flynn Dienelt to come in and extinguish the flames. Dienelt showed lots of poise and grit and struck out the two batters he faced to seal the win, and the tournament championship.
“I'm really proud of the boys. That game got hard but they stuck with it, they trusted the work they had put in, and we came out on top, “ said a happy but relieved Coach Gratton after the game. “They showed fantastic resilience and that's going to serve us well in Sydney.”
The Marlins had 11 hits, and nine walks in the win. Patman led the offense with a single and a double, with three runs batted in, with Sutherland, and Cameron Majewski, each slamming triples, Sanders, a double, Chase Mazurek, two singles, while Archer Spratt, Aaron Davis, and Chevy Roach, each contributed singles in the win.
Gratton started for the Marlins and was dominant the first three innings, fanning eight Seahawks batters, allowed five hits, and two bases on balls. The tall right hander ran into some opposition in the fourth inning, when the Seahawks scored six runs to tie the game 8-8. Lefty Casey Sanders replaced Gratton with no one out in the fourth and lasted 2.1 innings, striking out three, and surrendering two runs, on three hits, and two bases on balls.
Oliver Kirsten, led the Seahawks offensively with a fourth inning double, while Cooper Scarabotti, Thomas Collins, and Kobe Smith each had two singles, with Brock Harding, Harrison Malec, Oliver Kirsten, Tyler Ambridge, and Kayden Bolto, all collecting base hits.
Harding started on the mound for the Seahawks, lasting 2.2 innings, giving up three hits, six walks, and eight runs, while striking out two. Cooper Wild came on in relief for Harding, pitching the final 3.1 IP, striking out three, allowing eight hits, and three walks for three runs.
MARLINS TOURNAMENT RESULTS :
GAME 1 – Saturday 5 April - Marlins 13 Seahawks 2
The big highlights of the opening game for the Marlins were two towering home runs from Archer Spratt, and a stellar pitching performance from Hunter Ung.
Spratt brought the fans to their feet with a solo blast over the left field fence for a home run in the first inning to put the Marlins up 1-0.
The Seahawks were quick to respond in the second dig with two runs, but the Marlins regained the lead in their bottom half of the second scoring three, then adding another five in the third inning for a 9-2 lead
Spratt then belted his second round tripper, a two run shot in the fifth inning to round off the Marlins 13 run opening act.
Spratt added a single to his two homers to lead the Marlins hitting, while Flynn Dienelt added two base hits, with Aaron Davis, Zac Gratton, Liam Harris, and Noah Sutherland all hitting singles.
Ung was very impressive over five innings on the mound, throwing 65 pitches, 50 for strikes, fanning nine, giving up six hits, allowing only two runs, and no walked batters.
James Wadham was the Seahawks' top batter, hitting a double, while Brock Harding added two singles.
GAME 2 – Adelaide Marlins 8 Adelaide Rays 7 – Saturday 5 April
The Marlins managed to hold off a late charge from a tough Rays lineup to come away with an 8-7 win in their second match on Saturday. Play remained scoreless until the fourth inning when Chase Mazurek singled to left to drive in Jimmy Newbold. Then two batters later Archer Spratt doubled to centre field to bring Mazurek home and put the Marlins up 2-0.
The Marlins went to town in the fifth inning banging out six hits to score five. Ryder McGuire Thomas started the rally with a single to right, then Zac Gratton walked, and McGuire -Thomas scored on a wild pitch. Liam Harris walked, and then Cameron Majewski’s single scored Gratton, followed by Casey Sanders’ single to left, to plate Harris.
Next, Oscar Patman singled, moving Sanders to third, Patnam then stole second putting runners at second and third, when Noah Sutherland belted a line drive into the gap between left and centre for a single, scoring two more runs and stretching the lead to 7-0. The Marlins then added their eighth run in the top of the sixth.
The Rays bounced back with three runs in the fifth, and three more in the sixth to put a scare into the Marlins, but a pop up to the infield ended their rally, securing the Marlins one run triumph.
Jimmy Newbold led the Marlins offense with two singles, Spratt added a double, and a rbi, with singles going to Majewski, Sanders, Hunter Ung, Ryder McGuire-Thomas, Oscar Patman, and Sutherland.
Spratt pitched a strong opening 4.1 innings, striking out eight, walking five, while surrendering only one hit. The star right hander then appeared to run out of gas in the fifth, hitting two consecutive batters, then two walks, and a single, giving up four runs to the Rays, the lead dwindling down to just three runs. Coach Gratton then made the decision to lift Spratt for Zac Gratton.
Gratton went 1.1 innings, surrendering two runs on one hit and a base on balls. Casey Sanders came in to finish the game throwing just seven pitches and getting the final batter to pop up to the shortstop for the final out.
GAME 3 - Adelaide Rays 5 Adelaide Marlins 2 – Monday 7 April
The Marlins were hoping to celebrate the Tournament Championship on Monday evening, but the Adelaide Rays spoiled the party with a 5-2 setback.
The Marlins carried a 2-0 lead into the fifth inning when the Rays scored four runs to turn the game around.
The Marlins were unable to respond to the Ray's late surge, and after the Rays added an insurance run in the top of the sixth, the flame blew out on a Marlins comeback.
Aaron Davis, Ryder McGuire-Thomas, Chase Mazurek, Hunter Ung, and Casey Sanders each had singles for the Marlins.
Cameron Majewski pitched a steady game for the Marlins, striking out four, and had good backup in the field to keep the opposition scoreless, but in the fifth inning the Rays had their big rally and the tide shifted.
Ryder McGuire-Thomas came in to replace Majewski in the fifth with no one out. In two innings of relief, McGuire - Thomas struck out two, gave up four hits, and allowed the one run in the sixth.
OFF TO THE NATIONALS – Blacktown NSW – 8-13 June 2025
The Marlins finished with a 3-1 record for first place in the tournament, while the Rays finished at 2-2, and the Seahawks 1-3.
The Marlins will now prepare for the six day Little League Nationals tournament to be held in Blacktown NSW at the Blacktown International Sportspark – Sunday 8 June – Friday 13 June.
“I'm expecting it to tick up a notch again in terms of the quality of baseball and we're going to now reset and prepare for what we expect to face there. For now though the boys and coaches can have a well earned rest!” said the Marlins Head Coach Stef Gratton following the tournament at West Beach.
PHOTOS Courtesy of g_k snapshots and Baseball SA