By JARROD POTTER
IT’S not often a player from Pakenham is part of Australian baseball history, but for Lachlan Madden his recent contributions for the Australian under-18 team helped create something monumental.
Madden, 17, pitched for the Australian under-18 team, selected off the results of the MLB Australian Academy Program, held on the Gold Coast earlier this year.
His invite into the Australian bullpen at the Under-18 World Cup in Taiwan, held two weeks ago, has made his presence felt, in possibly Australian baseball’s biggest win, outside of the Olympics.
Australia drew a tough round robin division with heavyweights Cuba, Korea and the United States.
It was the Americans who should’ve worried though – with Australia rousing a 1-0 victory over the creators of the sport – a David versus Goliath battle which Australia amazingly won.
“I was lucky enough to play in that game,” Madden said.
“I got to relieve and throw 2.1 innings for no runs and was extremely happy with that.
“It was an unbelievable match – the best game I’ve ever been part of – so evenly match and it was a pitchers’ battle so that was good.
“I pitched as well as I could I reckon – just couldn’t believe how I went.”
Relieving for Lewis Thorpe, who pitched 5.2 innings, Madden came in to rattle off the most important 30 pitches of his baseball journey to date – striking out three USA players and helping remove the Americans from the plate in a crucial eighth-innings stop.
“The eighth innings I struck out their last batter,” Madden said.
“It was a 1-0 win for us.
“We were the first Australian team that has beaten the States in Australian baseball history and to shut them out and not get a run … I’m rapt with it.”
To wear the Australian colours and pitch in such a high stakes match with an incredible result is something Madden is grateful to be included in.
“It was unbelievable – I was so honoured to wear the green and gold and couldn’t get my head around it basically until I got home,” he said.
“The culture of being in the team and representing the country and everyone having the same goals and morals, it was really good to be part of that vibe.”
Australia finished fourth in Group B with a 2-3 record to narrowly miss out on the six-team semi-finals.
It follows on from a successful Victoria state campaign at the beginning of 2013, with Madden winning himself a spot on the Australian All-Star team with an earned-run-average (ERA) of zero – an incredibly miserly average for a pitcher.
