CARY, N.C. – CARY, N.C. – Team White and Team Red opened the USA Baseball 16U/17U National Team Development Program (NTDP) with wins on Monday at the National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina.

Light Blue opened the scoring for the 2022 NTDP in the top of the third inning courtesy of an RBI-single from Bryce Rainer (Simi Valley, Calif.), but Team White would rebound for a 6-3 opening-day victory. Gavin Stedman (Auburndale, Fla.) and Slade Caldwell (Jonesboro, Ark.) tallied the first two RBIs for the White team before Danny Arambula's (Redlands, Calif.) homer put the game out of reach. Trailing 6-1 heading into the final frame, Light Blue attempted to rally thanks to a Michael Mullinax (Canton, Ga.) two-run double, but it was not enough as Team White (1-0) got out of the jam.

In the second game of the day, Joshua Springer (Cornona, Calif.) propelled Team Red to a 6-3 victory after a late two-run double put the game out of reach. With the game tied at one apiece heading into the third, Team Red jumped out to a 4-1 lead; however, Team Navy plated runs in back-to-back innings on wild pitches that scored Nolan Traeger (Spring, Texas) and PJ Morlando (Ladsen S.C.) to make it a one-run game heading into the bottom of the sixth. Konnor Griffin (Florence, Miss.) then followed Springer's clutch double and shut the door on any comeback attempt to secure the 6-3 win for Team Red (1-0).

ABOUT NTDP LEAGUE SCORING

USA Baseball utilizes a modified scoring system for its development programs to achieve load management and mitigate potential injuries due to overuse for its youth athletes. Pitchers are subject to a maximum pitch count of 25 per inning during game play. In the event an inning is rolled because a pitcher has reached their maximum pitch count, runners on base may be contributed to the game score. As a result of this system, the final game score may not match the overall statistics.

Game One: White 6, Light Blue 3

Box Score | PxP | Light Blue Cumulative Stats | White Cumulative Stats

KEY MOMENTS

• Light Blue's Bryce Rainer drove in the first run of the day in the third inning with an RBI-single to left field after David Hogg walked and advanced to second on a passed ball.
• In the bottom half of the third inning, Gavin Stedman put Team White on the board with an RBI-single to right field, driving in Matthew Champion, who led off the inning with a double.
• Slade Caldwell tallied an RBI-fielder's choice in the bottom of the third, and a throwing error plated Gavin Stedman to give Team White a 3-1 lead.
• Danny Arambula hit a leadoff, solo home run to left field for Team White in the fifth inning to extend its lead to 4-1.
• Team White tacked on a pair courtesy of the NTDP scoring rules after the inning was rolled with two runners in scoring position.
• Down 6-1, Team Light Blue rallied for a pair of runs on a Michael Mullinax two-run double to cut the deficit to 6-3.

NOTABLES

• Light Blue's Bryce Rainer (2-for-4, RBI) and White's Danny Arambula (2-for-3, RBI) led all hitters in the opening game with two knocks on the afternoon, combining for three RBIs.
• Seven different batters recorded hits for Team White en route to its opening-day victory, including three for extra-base hits.
• Ross Felder was excellent in relief for Team White, delivering two shutout innings while punching out two. He retired all six batters he faced on the afternoon.
• Danny Arambula's home run in the fifth inning recorded an exit velocity of 101 mph.
• There were a combined three stolen bases in the game, as well as two runners who got caught stealing.

Game Two: Red 6, Navy 3

Box Score | PxP | Navy Cumulative Stats | Red Cumulative Stats

Key Moments

• Team Navy scored first with a run in the second inning after a Tyler Head single jumpstarted the frame. He was driven home two batters later by Nolan Traeger as Navy grabbed a 1-0 lead.
• In the bottom of the second inning Team Red responded as Easton Masse singled to right field to bring home Hayden Federico, knotting the game at one.
• Sean Gamble worked a one-out walk in the third inning and advanced into scoring position on a wild pitch. After reaching third base on an error, he scored on a sacrifice fly from Hayden Federico for Red's first lead of the game, 2-1.
• Team Red tacked on a pair courtesy of the NTDP scoring rules after the inning was rolled with two runners in scoring position in the third making it 4-1.
• Team Navy plated runs in back-to-back innings on wild pitches that scored Nolan Traeger in the fifth and PJ Morlando in the sixth to trim the lead to one.
• With a 4-3 lead, Joshua Springer slammed a two-run double in the bottom of the sixth inning to extend Team Red's final advantage to 6-3.

Notables

• Zach Strickland was the only pitcher to not allow a run in the contest, stretching over three innings and striking out five for Team Navy.
• Team Navy tallied seven hits in the contest and was led by PJ Morlando who went 2-for-3 and recorded one of the games two extra-base hits on a triple.
• Team Red's discipline was on display at the plate, as they recorded six walks including two from its leadoff hitter, Talan Bell.
• Joshua Springer tallied Team Red's only extra-base hit on a two-run double in the sixth frame to push the game out of reach at 6-3.
• Konnor Griffin and Noah Franco pitched the final four innings for Team Red, combining for four strikeouts and allowing just two runs.

ON DECK

The teams will match up on Tuesday, July 26, in a pair of games at the National Training Complex in Cary, N.C. Team White (1-0) and Team Navy (0-1) will square off at 1 p.m. ET, while Team Red (1-0) and Team Light Blue (0-1) will face each other at 4 p.m. ET.