Cary, N.C. - Opening day of pool play at the 2024 12U/14U National Team Identification Series (NTIS) Champions Cup was filled with plenty of dazzling offensive performances and convincing wins. Teams had the opportunity to open up the tournament on a positive note with hopes of fulfilling their gold medal aspirations.

SOUTH STRIPES OUTLAST SOUTHEAST STARS IN SHOOTOUT

Kane Malcom’s six RBIs, coming on a pair of two-RBI singles and a fielder’s choice, powered the South Stripes to a thrilling 17-12 win over the Southeast Stars. Closing the game on the mound, Malcom was backed by a strong hitting performance from Jake Medina and a solid three innings on the mound from Zayden Rucker. For the Southeast Stars, the trio of Jaxson Hasty, Lucas Solano, and Hayes Hoskins all raked two-RBI singles of their own.

SOUTHEAST STRIPES STORM BACK FROM SIX DOWN TO FORCE TIE IN OPENER

Initially going down 6-0 and getting stymied by a strong pitching performance from Owen Coles, the Southeast Stripes scored 10 runs over the final three innings to storm back against the Southwest Stripes. Clutch hits in the seventh and final frame helped the Southeast Stripes avoid the loss.

SOUTHWEST STARS ROLL TO BIG OPENING WIN AGAINST NORTHWEST STARS

The Southwest Stars’ lineup enjoyed a big day at the plate in a 12-2 win over the Northwest Stars, led by two hits and a pair of RBIs off the bat of Matthew Lobis. Each of Jaxon Anderson, Dave Beck, and Casey Kellar notched RBI singles in the win, while Wyatt Peabody and Bataro tallied RBI doubles.

SOUTH STARS BLANK NORTHEAST STRIPES IN LONE SHUTOUT OF THE DAY

A stellar pitching effort, strong defensive play, and big hits carried the South Stars to an impressive opening 6-0 win over the Northeast Stripes. An RBI double from Austin Percival III in the sixth extended the lead to 3-0, and an RBI triple and run scored from Alex Pena in the seventh inning helped put the game away late.

MIDWEST STARS PILE UP THE HITS IN DOMINANT WIN OVER NORTHEAST STRIPES

The Midwest Stars’ lineup could not be stopped in a massive 27-6 win over the Northeast Stripes, showing out in a dominant offensive performance. Nathan Brown and Nolan Gall led the charge, with Brown swatting a pair of RBI singles and Gall knocking an RBI triple and two-RBI double in the effort.

NORTHEAST STARS DEFEAT MIDWEST STRIPES TO CAP OFF DAY ONE

The Northeast Stars earned the final win of the day at Thomas Brooks Park, defeating the Midwest Stripes 13-7 in an error-strewn, high-flying affair.

While 12U games at Thomas Brooks Park were wrapping up, the action at the National Training Complex was just beginning as the 14U age bracket ramped up play.

SOUTHWEST STARS GRAB FIRST WIN AT 14U NTIS CHAMPIONS CUP WITH 6-1 VICTORY OVER MIDWEST STARS

The Southwest Stars grabbed the first win of the 14U NTIS Champions Cup with a dominant 6-1 showing against the Midwest Stars. The Southwest Stars first got on the board with a bases-loaded walk and then tacked on another run due to an error. James Stout hit a booming RBI double to cap off a three-run rally for the Southwest Stars to provide his team with a 5-0 advantage. Andrew Potthoff raked in another run for the Southwest Stars with a triple, which was followed up shortly after with him crossing the plate. Andrew Lopez shut down any comeback effort for the Midwest Stars as he struck out two batters and threw a runner out at first to secure the final out.

MIDWEST STRIPES EARN 9-2 WIN OVER SOUTHEAST STRIPES BEHIND FIVE-RUN FIFTH FRAME

The Midwest Stripes moved to 1-0 after booming at the plate in the top of the fifth inning. Cody Busch and Kameron Cox started the rally after scoring on a run-scoring single. Kanon Baxley followed it up with a single to right field to score Nolan Gambino and move the score to 4-1. Benjamin Grife kept the momentum for his squad after he registered a fielder's choice single which allowed Brady Rallo to sneak home. The five-run rally was finished off by Grant Spackey finding his way home, which gave the Midwest Stripes enough cushion to secure the win.

SOUTH STARS 14, NW STARS 4

The South Stars popped the seal of scoring as it built a 2-0 lead over the Northwest Stars after the top of the first inning. After shutting down the Northwest Star offense, the South Stars tacked on two more runs thanks to a bases-loaded wild pitch. In the bottom of the third frame, the Northwest Stars cut the lead to 3-1 after Jesse Romo cranked an RBI double. The South Stars responded with a three-run affair in the top of the fifth inning, moving the score to 7-1. Finding itself down by six runs, the Northwest Stars cut the deficit to five as it notched its second run of the night courtesy of a bases-loaded walk. After that the South Stars rallied with back-to-back strong innings, scoring three and seven runs, respectively, to claim a 14-4 victory.

SOUTHEAST STARS TOP SOUTH STRIPES IN TIGHT 3-2 CONTEST

Billy Cole put the opening run on the board for the South Stripes thanks to Reed Breaux and his RBI single to center field in the top of the fourth inning. The South Stripes added another run in the same inning due to an errant throw. The Southeast Stars responded in the bottom of the fourth with two runs of its own, which was capped off by a Maddox Porter RBI triple. The Southeast Stars nabbed the winning run in the bottom of the fifth inning when Brody McCue snuck home on a two-out RBI single to claim a 3-2 win.