Win: Wheeler Loss: Christianson Save: None

PHOENIX — Alpha Power 2024 claimed its first ever gold medal on the heels of a 9-6 victory over Easton Prime Red Monday afternoon at the 16U 2022 National Team Championships Arizona inside Surprise Stadium.

14 hits and a four-run fifth inning powered Alpha Power 2024’s to victory, after jumping out a 4-2 advantage through the first three innings. Adrian Garcia rallied for four hits en route to the victory and recorded three runs for the winning team.

Alpha Power 2024 got a big hit early from Sam Young in the first frame as he drove in Garcia on an RBI single for a 1-0 lead. They added two more in the second on a walk and a balk to add to their advantage with the score now 3-0.

Easton Prime Red got one back in the bottom half of the second after plating their first run on a wild pitch. They allowed the bases to be loaded in the top half of the third in the field but rolled a double play ball to limit the damage to only a single run.

With the score being 4-1, a sacrifice fly brought in another run to cut the deficit to two after three full innings of play. Alpha Power ended the scoreless streak with a big fifth inning that proved to be the difference maker after registering runs on an error, walk, and an RBI single from Nolan Randol.

Easton Prime Red rallied with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, including a two-run home run from Nathan Christman to inch closer. However, a strikeout from Mason Ferris ended the comeback attempt and gave Alpha Power their first ever taste of gold.

Alpha Power 2024 ended the 2022 16U National Team Championships with a 7-1-1 record and an otherworldly 69-23 run differential. Their pitching staff struck out 63 batters over nine games spanning a total of 55 innings.

Easton Prime Red suffered its second loss of the tournament to finish with a 7-2 standing. The silver medal was Easton Prime’s second top 3 finish as a program at the National Team Championships Arizona. They also took home the bronze medal last year in 2021 at the 17U level.

CCB Prime White (6-3) bested New Level Baseball 16U (6-3), 7-0, to grab its first ever top 3 finish in the tournament.

Game Highlights:

• An RBI single from Sam Young plated Liam Barrett who walked earlier in the inning to give Alpha Power 2024 a 1-0 lead.
• An RBI walk for Liam Barrett and a balk scored two runs for Alpha Power 2024 who took a commanding 3-0 lead in the second.
• Easton Prime Red got one back on a wild pitch in the bottom half of the second frame. A sacrifice fly from Cole Hansen cut the deficit to two after Alpha Power added one in the third.
• Alpha Power 2024 put the game away in the fifth, scoring five runs on an error, walk, and an RBI single from Nolan Randol to go up 8-2.
• Bradley Gilbert rallied Easton Prime Red in the bottom of the seventh inning as he knocked in two runs on a single up the middle to make it 9-4.
• In the bottom of the seventh inning with two outs, Nolan Christman went deep for Easton Prime Red on a two-run home run to cut the lead to 9-6.

On Deck

·      Alpha Power 2024 concluded the 16U National Team Championships with a 7-1-1 record and a .358 batting average as a team. They also allowed just 23 earned runs over their nine games of tournament play.

·      Easton Prime Red concluded the tournament with a 7-2 standing as well and earned the program's first-ever medal at the National Team Championships Arizona. The pitching staff only allowed 20 earned runs throughout the tournament and struck out 59 in nine games.

Social

·      Stay tuned to @USABChamps_AZ on Twitter for the most up-to-date news about the National Team Championships Arizona.