ZT Prospects National 13U 6, Let Them Play 13U 2
ZT Prospects National continued its dominant tournament run with a commanding 6-2 win over Let Them Play to punch its ticket to the semifinals. Eiden O’Farrill set the tone early on the mound, striking out two batters in the first frame and finishing with a complete game effort, fanning five and allowing no walks. Mark Thompson sparked the offense with a leadoff double in the first and went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. After capitalizing on a hit-by-pitch and a bases-loaded walk, ZT jumped to an early 2-0 lead. Thompson added another RBI in the second to extend the lead 3-0, and ZT pulled away with three more runs in fourth. Let Them Play responded with a sac fly from Brantley Baskin in the fourth and made one final push in the seventh, loading the bases and bringing a run across on a line drive to center. But, with the tying run still in the on-deck circle, O’Farrill calmly induced a groundout to slam the door. With momentum on their side, ZT National is headed to the semifinals, where it’ll look to keep the fire burning.
Scottsdale Dirtbags 3, SBA Bolts National 2
The Scottsdale Dirtbags clawed its way into the semifinals with a gritty 3-2 win over SBA Bolts National in a back-and-forth quarterfinal battle. Scottsdale came out strong, plating two runs in the first thanks to timely hitting from Carlo Rivero and early pressure on the Bolts’ defense. SBA fought back to tie it up in the third frame, with a run scored by Corbin Fuller on a wild pitch. The Dirtbags took the lead for good in the fifth inning, when a pop fly single and a costly error in left field allowed the go-ahead run to score. In the bottom of the seventh, SBA loaded the bases and threatened to walk it off, but a high-stakes popout to the pitcher ended the rally and sent Scottsdale on to the next round. Rivero led the Dirtbags at the plate, going 2-for-3, while Troy Lydic posted a 2-for-3 performance for the Bolts.
Padres Scout Team 8, South Charlotte Panthers 6
The Padres Scout Team overcame a five-run deficit in dramatic fashion in the bottom of the sixth inning to down the South Charlotte Panthers and punch its ticket into semifinal play at 13U Champs NC. It was the Padres that struck first early in the bottom of the first frame via an RBI single. The next few innings went scoreless as both squads held it down on the defensive side of the plate. While Brayden Harris kept the Padres’ offense at bay with five punchouts, his offense supported him with a six-run outburst in the top of the sixth inning thanks in large part to Cannon Tyler and his two-RBI double to left field. Down 6-1 in the bottom of the sixth, the Padres Scout Team knew it needed a rally in order to stay alive. Zion Jones started the scoring with an RBI single and Tyler Nemorin quickly followed with a two-RBI shot that went left field. With momentum quickly shifting, Devin Urena played hero with an RBI double to score Mason Diggs and give their side the lead. Urena later scored via a Gabriel Toro single to right field to tack on an insurance run. Now up two runs, the Padres’ defense knocked down three-straight Panther batters to secure the two-run victory and advance to semifinal play.
USA Prime National 6, Team Elite 1
Team Elite 13U National came out swinging and never looked back in a dominant showing against USA Prime National 13U, taking a 6–1 win behind a consistent offensive effort and timely hitting.Team Elite opened the scoring early in the bottom of the first, with Beckett DeSerio driving in Chris Reed on a line-drive double to left. They kept the momentum going in the second when Ryan Johnson plated Leyton West with a single to center, extending the lead to 2–0. The third inning proved pivotal. Grady Seay laced a triple to right to bring home Brooks Minarik, and then scored on a sacrifice fly by DeSerio, pushing the score to 4–0. USA Prime showed signs of life in the top of the fourth as CJ Dornfield singled to center, bringing Easton Mauler home and moving Ashten Aguailar to third. But Team Elite responded right away in the bottom half: Johnson came up big again with a two-run double to left, scoring Andrew Owen and Leyton West to seal the deal at 6–1. Johnson led the charge with a multi-hit, multi-RBI performance, while Team Elite’s steady offense and execution kept USA Prime chasing throughout the contest.
