Double-header drama, home run fireworks and dominant pitching performances headline Round 3 of the South Australian Baseball League.
Round 3 of the 2026–27 SABL season delivered another action-packed weekend across the Aethelon State League Division 1, with seven double-headers producing thrilling finishes, big innings and standout individual performances.
Adelaide, West Torrens, Sturt and Southern Districts continued their unbeaten starts to the season, while Henley & Grange and East Torrens recorded convincing double-header sweeps.
Meanwhile, Northern Districts claimed a remarkable 1–0 victory over Woodville despite being held hitless, before the Senators bounced back in Game Two.
Here's everything that happened around the diamonds in Round 3.
AETHELON STATE LEAGUE DIVISION 1
SOUTHERN DISTRICTS HOLD OFF GLENELG TWICE
Game 1: Southern Districts 4 defeated Glenelg 3
Game 2: Southern Districts 4 defeated Glenelg 2
Southern Districts continued their strong start to the season with two hard-fought victories over Glenelg at Christies Beach.
In the opening contest, Brett Hattersley launched a lead-off home run before Riley Moore added a three-run blast to give the Hawks a 4–0 advantage after three innings.
Glenelg fought back through Connor Hickey's solo home run and a two-run fifth inning, but Southern Districts held on for a 4–3 victory to claim the Blake Horricks Memorial Cup.
Starting pitcher Jacob Morin was named MVP after an impressive seven-inning performance, allowing five hits and recording 11 strikeouts.
The second contest proved just as competitive.
Hattersley opened the scoring with another lead-off home run, but Glenelg fought back to take a 2–1 lead in the third inning.
The Hawks levelled the scores in the fifth before moving ahead in the sixth through Byron Turner's sacrifice fly. Matt Hutchings added an insurance run in the seventh to secure the 4–2 win.
Nick Hutchings earned the victory in relief, recording six strikeouts across six innings.
WEST TORRENS SURVIVE A THRILLER BEFORE EXPLODING FOR 20 RUNS
Game 1: West Torrens 6 defeated Kensington 5
Game 2: West Torrens 20 defeated Kensington 2
West Torrens experienced two very different contests against Kensington at Lockleys, narrowly winning the opener before delivering one of the biggest offensive performances of the round.
Sean Maple's two-run home run helped the Eagles establish an early lead in Game One, but Kensington fought back with a four-run sixth inning, highlighted by Tyler Butterwick's two-run homer.
West Torrens responded with two runs in the bottom of the sixth through Zach Eldred and Bailen Thomas.
Kensington threatened again in the seventh, but a crucial throw from right fielder Thomas to catcher Oscar Weber secured the final out at home plate and sealed a dramatic 6–5 victory.
Game Two was a completely different story.
The Eagles produced an extraordinary opening inning, with their first 14 batters reaching base and scoring before the first out was recorded.
Austin Gallagher, Oscar Weber, James McFarlane and Nick George all homered during the opening onslaught.
West Torrens continued to pile on the runs, with Gallagher adding another home run and Eldred also going deep in a dominant 20–2 victory.
STURT COMPLETE DOUBLE-HEADER SWEEP OVER PORT ADELAIDE
Game 1: Sturt 7 defeated Port Adelaide 5
Game 2: Sturt 8 defeated Port Adelaide 5
Sturt produced two impressive performances at Semaphore to extend their unbeaten start to the season.
The Saints appeared in control of the opening game before Port Adelaide launched a four-run fifth-inning rally, including a three-run home run from Ryker Galaska, to take a 5–4 lead.
But Sturt had the final say.
With two runners aboard in the sixth, Jordan McArdle launched his second home run of the game, a three-run blast that restored the Saints' lead and secured a 7–5 victory.
In Game Two, Harry Knuckey's three-run home run helped Sturt build an early advantage before a four-run fourth inning pushed the score to 8–1.
Port Adelaide refused to go quietly, scoring four runs in the ninth inning, but Sturt held firm for an 8–5 win.
Jack Hutton earned the victory in relief, allowing just one hit across three innings.
HENLEY & GRANGE BRING THE POWER AGAINST GOODWOOD
Game 1: Henley & Grange 11 defeated Goodwood 3
Game 2: Henley & Grange 11 defeated Goodwood 0
The reigning premiers delivered an impressive display of power hitting at West Lakes, sweeping Goodwood with identical 11-run offensive performances.
Across the two games, the Rams launched six home runs, including three from Wilson Lee, with 14 of their 22 runs coming from home runs.
Goodwood took an early 2–0 lead in the opening contest through Brodie Heeps' home run, but Henley & Grange responded immediately.
Lee's two-run homer put the Rams ahead before Liam Bull added a three-run blast in the fifth inning.
Lee also impressed on the mound, recording 11 strikeouts across six innings to secure the 11–3 victory.
The Rams continued their momentum in Game Two.
Two-run home runs from Lee and Jet Clohessy powered a four-run opening inning, before Lee added a three-run homer in the fourth.
Andrew Sykora finished the contest with a two-run home run in the eighth, securing an 11–0 victory.
AJ Verastegui earned the win with nine strikeouts across six innings.
ADELAIDE CONTINUE UNBEATEN RUN AGAINST GAWLER
Game 1: Adelaide 11 defeated Gawler Rangers 2
Game 2: Adelaide 11 defeated Gawler Rangers 4
Adelaide maintained their unbeaten start with two convincing victories over Gawler Rangers at Karbeethan Reserve.
The Angels established an early lead in the opening contest, with Boyd Worden and Taj Williams launching back-to-back home runs in the fourth inning.
A five-run fifth inning put the result beyond doubt as Adelaide secured an 11–2 win.
Riley Yeatman delivered a dominant pitching performance, allowing just one hit and striking out 11 batters across five innings.
In Game Two, Gawler briefly took a 2–1 lead through Ethan Badcock's home run, but Adelaide responded emphatically.
Tristan Curless launched a grand slam in the third inning to put the Angels back in front.
The visitors continued to build their advantage, with another four-run rally in the sixth inning helping them secure an 11–4 victory.
Hugh Bachelor earned the pitching win, while Ben Ganley and Max Tracey each collected four hits.
EAST TORRENS DELIVER TWO BIG WINS OVER GGCD
Game 1: East Torrens 13 defeated GGCD 7
Game 2: East Torrens 19 defeated GGCD 1
East Torrens produced two powerful offensive performances against Golden Grove Central Districts at Payneham, highlighted by eight-run innings in both contests.
GGCD started strongly in the opener, taking a 5–3 lead after two innings, with Dan Youngblood contributing a two-run home run.
However, the Redsox responded with an eight-run third inning to turn the contest around.
Charlie Ashcroft collected four hits, while Alexander Gray and Owen Couzner each finished with three.
Harry Deliyannis went the distance on the mound, recording eight strikeouts in the 13–7 victory.
East Torrens carried that momentum into Game Two, scoring five runs in the opening inning.
Deliyannis added a solo home run in the fourth, while Elijah Maris launched a three-run blast in the fifth.
Another eight-run rally in the sixth sealed a dominant 19–1 victory.
Connor Yeatman earned the win, allowing three hits and striking out five across five innings.
NORTHERN DISTRICTS CLAIM REMARKABLE WIN BEFORE WOODVILLE RESPOND
Game 1: Northern Districts 1 defeated Woodville 0
Game 2: Woodville 16 defeated Northern Districts 1
One of the most unusual results of Round 3 came at Ingle Farm, where Northern Districts claimed a 1–0 victory despite failing to record a hit.
Woodville pitchers Todd Van Steensel and Luis Verastegui combined for a no-hitter in Game One, but four walks in the fifth inning allowed Northern Districts to score the only run of the contest.
Fedenco Cherubin delivered an outstanding performance for the Reds, pitching six innings, allowing just two hits and securing the shutout victory.
Woodville responded emphatically in the second game.
Jose Castellano opened the scoring with a lead-off home run before the Senators produced a four-run second inning and an eight-run third.
Castellano finished with four hits, while Oliver Hayes also collected four and Ryan Stradling added three.
Jose Pimentel starred on the mound with 11 strikeouts across six innings and contributed a home run in the seventh.
The Senators secured a comprehensive 16–1 win to split the double-header.
PREMIERSHIP STANDINGS AFTER ROUND 3
Team Premiership points: Adelaide 8, West Torrens 8, Sturt 8, Southern Districts 8, Henley & Grange 6, East Torrens 6, Northern Districts 2, Woodville 2, GGCD 2, Goodwood 2, Port Adelaide 2, Gawler Rangers 0, Glenelg 0, Kensington 0
With four teams tied at the top of the standings, the battle for the Aethelon State League Division 1 premiership is already shaping up to be a fiercely contested race.
BELGRAVIA WOMEN’S LEAGUE DIVISION 1
Woodville continued their strong start to the summer with a 12-4 win over the Tigers.
Leading 5-0 after three innings, the Senators put their foot down with seven hits that produced seven runs and put the result out of reach. Last season's RBI leader Peyton Daniels brought in four and pitched four innings to pick up the win. Amara Quinn and Sarah McMahon had two hits each that together delivered four runs.
Adelaide's offence came out blazing running out a 12-0 lead after two innings at Kensington.
Georgia Davis and Olivia Charlton each brought in three runs for the Angels while Crystal Hillier sparked a mini Cardinals revival with her two hits delivering three runs. In the end Adelaide finished up 15-7 victors with Lucy Davis getting the win.
LOOKING AHEAD
With three rounds of the 2026–27 SABL season underway, the competition is building momentum across South Australia.
The Aethelon State League Division 1 has four teams level at the top, while the Belgravia Women's League Division 1 continues to showcase the talent and competitiveness of women's baseball across the state.
Stay up to date with fixtures, results and the latest SABL news through the Baseball SA website and social media channels.
From the Diamond — your weekly wrap of South Australian baseball.
State League Division 1 match reports and results supplied by Robert Laidlaw.