Geelong Baseball Association’s women’s team claims inaugural state winter championships

Women’s baseball in the region has received the ultimate endorsement after taking out the inaugural state winter championships undefeated.

Geelong winning the inaugural Senior Women’s State Winter Championship without dropping a game has been seen as a major endorsement for the sport in the region.

The Geelong Baseball Association dominated off the back of a particularly strong offensive display from MVP winner Kira Kuwamoto who blasted three home runs for the tournament and recorded hits in all four fixtures.

Its 10-3 grand final defeat of Dandenong completed a golden 4-0 run, also whipping Bendigo (16-4), Dandenong (12-4) and Melbourne (10-7) along the way on Saturday at the Geelong Baseball Centre.

Geelong Baseball Association's women team won the state winter championship. Picture: Baseball Victoria.

In its opening match against Bendigo, Geelong belted eight runs in its second innings – including a Kuwamoto homer – while Jessica Curnow recorded three strikeouts.

The team also stole eight bases with two via Kuwamoto alone.

The Guild slugger also struck two home runs against Dandenong and a further two hits over Melbourne plus four RBIs.

Kira Kuwamoto was a state championship MVP. Picture: Geelong Baseball Association.

Then in the decider, Nyah O’Brien had six strike outs over three innings.

Association chairperson Megan Fahy said she was “incredibly proud” of the ringing endorsement of the region’s fledgling women’s competition which began two years ago.

“With competition coming from Melbourne, we knew we would be playing challenging games,” Fahy said.

“(It) was an incredible achievement for not only our team but also our association.

“(It) reflects the growth of our sport in the area ... this is a snippet of what our association has to offer in terms of skill and talent.”

Geelong Baseball Association senior women's coach Bronwyn Gell oversaw their 4-0 win at the state championships. Picture: GBA

She said head coach Bronwyn Gell’s management of players across four games in one day was first class.

“She had created multiple alarms on her phone to signal changes throughout the day to ensure she was rotating players, in an effort to keep them involved, warm and healthy,” she said.

She said Kuwamoto was an “absolute standout” with the bat, Sophia Law was particularly versatile – playing as pitcher, catcher and third base – while O’Brien was impressive on the mound.

Originally published as Geelong Baseball Association’s women’s team claims inaugural state winter championships