An impressive no-hit performance by Oscar Hyde and an explosive offense earned Gold Coast Little League from Queensland, Australia, the first ticket to the Little League Baseball® World Series with an 11-0 win over Adelaide Seahawks LL in the 2018 Little League Baseball® Australia Region Championship.
With the win, Gold Coast LL becomes the first team from Queensland to represent Australia at the Little League Baseball World Series and the sixth ever team from Australia to make the trip to Williamsport.
The Gold Coast LL offense got out to the early lead, posting up four runs in the first and another in the second before exploding out to an 11-0 advantage in the third behind a three-run home run by William Baker.
Hyde was able to strike out nine batters in his four innings of no-hit work to secure the shutout and send Gold Coast LL to Williamsport this August.
Australia remains one of the fastest-growing Little League® countries in the world. This year marks the sixth year that the Australia Region Champion receives an automatic berth in the Little League Baseball World Series. With direct entry into the Little League Intermediate (50/70) Baseball Division World Series starting in 2018, Australia now earns direct entry into all four baseball tournaments. Cronulla Little League and Hills Little League will be the 2018 Australia Region representatives in the Senior and Junior League tournaments, respectively, while Northern Metros Little League will be the representative at the Little League Intermediate (50/70) Baseball Division World Series.
The first-round pairings for the 2018 Little League Baseball World Series will be announced on Thursday, June 14, at the Little League Baseball World Series Luncheon. Spanning the course of 10 days, 32 games will be played in the 2018 Little League Baseball World Series in Williamsport, culminating in the Championship Game, which is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Sunday, August 26. For more information on the 2018 Little League Baseball World Series, visit LittleLeague.org.