CARY, N.C. - The Northwest Stars capitalized on a big day from Cayden Munster and company on Sunday, scoring seven runs to defeat Southwest Stripes 7-4 and claim the 15U NTIS Champions Cup gold medal at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina.

Munster kicked off the scoring in the second inning and set the tone for the offense as he reached on a walk and immediately stole second base. He came around to score to give Northwest Stars the early 1-0 lead.  

"I was just trying to drive the ball over the shortstop's head every at-bat," said Munster. "That was my mentality today. Being able to play in the championship game was a blessing. It felt like game seven of the World Series."

Southwest Stripes took over the lead in the third, going up 2-1, but the Northwest Stars would answer back as they went on to score six runs over the next three innings take the 7-2 lead. The Southwest Stripes would score a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh to bring the score to 7-4, but their rally would stop there and Northwest Stars would go on to claim the 15U NTIS Champions Cup gold medal.

Munster went 2-for-3 on the day, including a triple that almost left the yard. He also walked and drove in three RBIs.

"[Munster] took the team and put it on his back," said Northwest Stars head coach Jake Valentine. "He's a crazy competitive kid. He had a huge knock late in the game to open the game up and get our guys going again, but he has been doing that the entire weekend so I cannot say enough about the kid."

Logan Cindric got the start on the mound for the Northwest Stars, allowing two runs over four innings. He was relieved out of the bullpen by Ryan Lee, who was credited with the win in the victory. Mason McGwire started for Southwest Stripes and threw five innings, allowing two runs (one earned) while striking out three. He was relieved by Kaynan Kaku Jr., who was the losing pitcher of record.

"The way our team played today is how we have played the entire weekend," said Valentine. "Never too up or down. Our one rule here this weekend was to bring good energy to the table, and these guys did just that today."

The NTIS Selection Show will be broadcasted on September 10, 2019 on the USA Baseball YouTube page. Continue to follow @USABaseballNTIS on Twitter and visit USABaseball.com for the most up-to-date news about the National Team Identification Series.

Key Moments:
• Cayden Munster reached on a walk and came around to score to give the Northwest Stars the 1-0 lead in the second.
• Isaiah Jackson roped a double to right field in the third to drive in a pair and give Southwest Stars the 2-1 lead.
• Ethan Winslow grounded out to drive in a run in the top of the fifth, tying the game at two apiece.
• Munster hit an RBI triple off the right field wall in the top of the fifth to give the Northwest Stars the 3-2 lead.
• Grayson Reveal hit an infield single to the left side to bring in another Northwest Stars run, putting them ahead 4-2.
• The following batter, Bryant Viskovich, hit a single to left to drive in a run and put Northwest Stars up 5-2.
• Munster drove in another pair of runs with a two-RBI single to right, giving Northwest Stars the 7-2 lead.
• The Southwest Stripes scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh to bring the score to 7-4, but their rally would stop there and Northwest Stars would go on to claim the 15U NTIS Champions Cup gold medal.

Up Next:

The National Team Identification Series Selection Show will be broadcasted on September 10, 2019 on the USA Baseball YouTube page.  

Social Media:

Continue to follow @USABaseballNTIS on Twitter and visit USABaseball.com for the most up-to-date news about the National Team Identification Series.