The Gold Coast Cougars Win Gold

The Gold Coast Cougars become first Queensland team in history to win championship title in any age division.

The Gold Cost Cougars are the first team in Queensland to win a national title in any age division. This momentous win has secured the team’s spot in the Little League World Series in the United States of America.

The Gold Coast Cougars’ journey to the Australian Little League Championship was victorious from the get-go. The team remained undefeated throughout the 2018 April Little League Division One State Titles in Cairns where they scored a massive 131 runs collectively across the 4-day tournament letting only one run in the entire competition.

This win lead the Cougars to compete in the Australian Little League Championships from June 6th-June 11th in Lismore against the top 20 teams in the country. Gold Coast played hard and fast in their pool games winning three out of the four match ups, securing them a spot in the quarter finals.

The Cougars had a tight game against Ryde North in the quarter finals but ended up coming out on top 5-1. Both teams were tied at 1 run until the 5th inning when Mitchell Anderson hit a grand-slam to give the Gold Coast the driving force they were looking for.

The Gold Coast Cougars had a tough match up against Illawarra in the semi finals coming away with an 8-6 lead to take them into the Australian Little League Championship game with the Adelaide Seahawks the following day.

The Cougars and the Seahawks were both hungry for the win from the first pitch of game but the Cougars dominated early showing their utmost dedication and professionalism on the field, both offensively and defensively.

Starting pitcher for the Cougars, Oscar Hyde had a remarkable game on the mound pitching his first no hitter with nine strike-outs over four quick innings to shut down the game.

Offensively, the Cougars showed their aggression at the plate scoring four runs in the first inning. The team’s momentum only grew from there adding another seven runs to the scoreboard in the remaining three innings of play.

The Gold Coast Cougars shut the game down 11-0 in the fourth inning, winning the Australian Little League Championships.

Baseball Queensland’s Development Manager, Gareth Jones says, “It is obvious that, as a region, the Gold Coast’s developmental programs are what’s leading these young athletes to success. They are being taught the integral foundations of the game in tee ball, very early on; the rest of the game follows from that foundation. This is a great achievement for the Gold Coast Cougars and the entire Gold Coast region- well done!”

Baseball Queensland would like to extend a huge congratulations to the Gold Coast Cougars and the rest of the teams involved in the Australian Little League Championship; the tournament was an incredible success for all involved.

The Gold Coast Cougars are off to represent Australia in the Little League World Series held in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, USA during the 16th-26th August 2018. Stay up to date with their journey on the Baseball Queensland website.