CARY, N.C. – The 15U National Team Championships North Carolina set the stage for the semifinals as Alpha Prime, MVP Hustle, Scorpions Scout Team, and Texas Twelve won their quarterfinal matchups on Friday morning at the USA Baseball National Training Complex.

Scorpions Scout Team 5, TBT Ballers National 4

Despite falling behind 2-0 early on, Scorpions Scout Team fired up the bats in the third inning and held onto win the quarterfinal matchup with TBT Ballers National 5-4.

TBT Ballers National attempted to tie the game tagging up on a fly out to right field, but Brandon Reiter hosed the runner at home to end the game.

Brandon Reiter earned the win in relief for Scorpions tossing four innings and scattering four hits across two runs. Gavin Stedman received the save closing it out with one inning and a strikeout. Sam Michel took the loss for TBT Ballers National.

Stephen Chucka paced the Scorpions offensively with a 3-for-3 game driving in one run and delivering a double. Luke Beeler led Scorpions with two runs-batted-in. Emery Coleman had the only multi-hit performance and extra-base hit for TBT Ballers National.

How it happened:

• Jadyn Nunez led the game off with a walk and came around to score as Cameron Uzzillia drove him in on an RBI single for the TBT 1-0 advantage.
• Back-to-back singles by RJ Machado and Emery Coleman put runners on first and third for an RBI fielder’s choice by Connor Berman in the second.
• Scorpions brought the score to 2-1 thanks to an RBI single by Max Murray in the second inning.
• Gavin Stedman ripped an RBI double to tie it up at 2-2 in the third.
• Luke Beeler took the 4-2 lead for Scorpions sending a ground-rule double deep for two runs in the third.
• Stephen Chucka added one more in the third via an RBI single to make it 5-2.
• Connor Berman collected his second RBI in the fifth with an RBI single moving the score to 5-3.
• Dayson Griffis brought TBT Ballers within one run sending a single to score Berman to cut the deficit to 5-4.
• Brandon Reiter gunned down a TBT Ballers base runner trying to score completing a double play finishing the win for Scorpions Scout Team.

Texas Twelve 4, USA Prime National 1

Dane Perry unleashed on a 3-1 pitch sending it deep over the left field fence for a three RBI tank to help send Texas Twelve to the semifinal in the 4-1 win over USA Prime National.

Cooper Fulbright showed up to the National Training Complex prepared to deal. Fulbright delivered five scoreless innings while allowing two hits and striking out six. Lucas Franco closed the game out for the save picking up the final two outs. Cooper Moss was handed the loss with four runs allowed in four innings while striking out six.

Lucas Tinajero was the only hitter on either side to notch a multi-hit game going 2-for-3 and two runs scored for Texas Twelve.

How it happened:

• Justin Michaelis delivered an RBI single in the first inning for Texas Twelve for the 1-0 lead.
• Dane Perry sent a three-run blast to left field pushing the lead to 4-0 in the third.
• Reid Jacobson attempted to rally USA Prime back with an RBI single in the seventh with two outs bring the game closer, down 4-1.

MVP Hustle 5, Canes National 2

MVP Hustle did damage in the first inning putting up five runs for the lead and held onto to top Canes National 5-2 in the quarterfinal.

Landon Gordon started his second game of the 15U National Team Championships North Carolina and picked up his second win of the tournament. With a semifinal spot on the line, Gordon threw 5.2 innings and scattered six hits across two runs while striking out six. Miles Scott was efficient in relief to earn the save tossing 1.1 innings with two strikeouts. Blake Illitch suffered the loss.

Four different hitters for MVP Hustle registered an RBI, while Noah Franco went 2-for-2 for Canes National.

How it happened:

• Dylan Wetzel laced an RBI single in the first inning and Paul Dominguez ripped an RBI double with Lucas Owens scoring on the error on the play making it 3-0.
• Hamilton Friedberg and Miles Scott drew RBI walks, respectively, in the first to make it 5-0 MVP Hustle.
• Noah Franco added a run for Canes with an RBI single to make it 5-1 in the first.
• Coy James brought the deficit to three for Canes producing an RBI single in the sixth.

Alpha Prime 7, Artillery Baseball 0

Alpha Prime blanked Artillery Baseball 7-0 on the back of Chase Bentley to head to the semifinals.

Bentley started for Alpha Prime shoving six shut-out innings with eight strikeouts and only two hits. Ryan Walsh allowed three runs in three innings for the loss.

Alonzo Alvarez and Tyler Wick both went 2-for-4 to lead Alpha Prime in the hit column. Wick and Maverek Russell contributed two RBIs to help their team offensively.

How it happened:

• Alpha Prime scored their first run on a sacrifice fly by Troy Ueltzen in the second inning.
• Tyler Wick slapped an RBI double in the third and Alec Blair brought Wick home on the RBI triple to finish the inning up 3-0.
• Tyler Wick collected his second RBI in the seventh to make it 4-0 on the RBI single.
• Maverek Russell added on two more runs in the seventh for the 6-0 with the two RBI double.
• Alonzo Alvarez capped the inning off with the RBI single to increase the lead to 7-0.

On Deck

• Both semifinal matchups will start at 8:00 a.m. ET on Saturday, as Scorpions Scout Team squares up with Alpha Prime while MVP Hustle takes on Texas Twelve. Both games are available to stream on YouTube and live stats are available on GameChanger.