CARY, N.C. — Team Red used a four-run fourth inning and strong bullpen work to pick up a 6-4 victory over Team Blue in the first game of 12U National Team Trials at Thomas Brooks Park in Cary, North Carolina.
After falling into a two-run hole after the first three innings, Team Red used three hits and heads-up base running to take the lead back in the fourth. The frame started with a double by Trent O’Malley (Great Falls, Va.) and a single by Dylan Mercado (Houston, Texas) before Tristin Gaines (Waller, Texas) laid down a bunt to drive in the inning’s first run. Jonah Saken (Brentwood, Tenn.) followed later in the inning with a single and Maximus Villalva’s (El Cajon, Calif.) hard ground ball to short led to two more runs as Team Red grabbed the lead and never gave it back. Alexander Bello (Orlando, Fla.) added an insurance run in the ninth with a two-out RBI double, giving Team Red a two-run lead that it would hold on to for the win.
Bello and Hibiki Suzuki (Cypress, Calif.) each notched two hits to lead the offensive production for Team Red. Gaines’ game-high two RBIs also paced the Team Red offense, which tallied nine total hits in the win. Team Blue had seven players pick up a hit in the defeat, with Landon King (San Mateo, Calif.), Conner Kingston (Tarzana, Calif.), and Eli Martinez (Beaumont, Calif.) driving in the team’s runs.
Mason Harris (Rocklin, Calif.) turned in 3.1 innings out of Team Red’s bullpen and allowed just one run to earn the win. Ellis White (Concord, N.C.), who worked two innings for Team Blue, suffered the loss. Cristian Matos (Belleville, N.J.) pitched three hitless innings to close it out and pick up the save for Team Red.
KEY MOMENTS
- Team Blue threatened in the bottom of the first, loading the bases before Team Red starter Anthony Frausto (New Braunfels, Texas) escaped the jam to keep the game scoreless.
- Team Red opened the scoring in the top of the second. O’Malley walked to lead off the inning and eventually scored on an RBI single by Gaines to give Team Red an early 1-0 lead.
- Team Blue immediately responded in the bottom of the second, plating a pair of runs to take the lead. After drawing a four-pitch walk to get on base, Braiden Miller (Waterford, Va.) would later come around to score on a wild pitch to tie the game before a bases-loaded walk to Martinez put Team Blue in front by a run.
- Jordan Leon (Northridge, Calif.) tripled and King doubled on the following pitch to help Team Blue extend its lead to 3-1 in the third.
- Team Red used a big fourth inning to take the lead back. The scoring started when Gaines bunted a run home to trim the deficit to one, and then Saken singled to drive in the tying run.
- Villalva hit a hard grounder to short and two runs scored on a throwing error as Team Red jumped out to a 5-3 advantage.
- Team Blue crept closer in the bottom of the sixth when Mateo Mier (Sylmar, Calif.) walked, Levi Kerr (Marvin, N.C.) doubled, and Kingston singled up the middle to trim the deficit to 5-4 in favor of Team Red.
- Major Ciers (Conroe, Texas) walked to load the bases for Team Blue in the sixth, but Alan Montes (Katy, Texas) coaxed a fielder’s choice and a double play to escape the jam with Team Red in front by a run.
- Team Red nearly extended its lead after loading the bases in the top of the seventh, but Miller induced a pop out into foul ground as the game remained a one-run contest.
- Bello added an insurance run in the top of the ninth with an RBI double down the left-field line to plate James Stout III (Artesia, Calif.) and extend Team Red’s lead to 6-4.
- Matos struck out a pair in the ninth to close out the series-opening victory for Team Red.
NOTABLE INFORMATION
- With the win, Team Red opens the four-game Red vs. Blue series with a 1-0 record. Team Blue drops to 0-1 with the result.
- Both pitching staffs had 11 strikeouts in the game. Matos had five to lead both sides, while Kerr and Mier each had four punchouts for Team Blue.
- Gaines stole a game-high two bases in the win for Team Red, which combined for five swiped bags.
- O’Malley scored a game-high two runs in the win for Team Red.
- Each team committed just one error per side in the nine-inning game.
ON DECK
- Wednesday, June 29: Team Blue @ Team Red (7:00 p.m. ET; Thomas Brooks Park)
- Thursday, June 30: Team Red @ Team Blue (9:00 a.m. ET; Thomas Brooks Park)
- Friday, July 1: Team Blue @ Team Red (8:00 a.m. ET; Thomas Brooks Park)
SOCIAL
- Stay tuned to @USABaseball12U on Twitter for the most up-to-date news about the 2021 12U National Team Trials.
