South Charlotte Panthers Marucci 5, Cali National Baseball Academy 0
South Charlotte Panthers Marucci picked up the club’s first win of the week in a 5-0 effort against Cali National Baseball Academy on Monday, led by the combined efforts of Nolyn Nickels and Brayden Royal on the mound. Nickels started, going 4.2 innings as he struck out six batters and limited Cali National to just one hit. Royal closed the final 1.1 innings, seeing the shutout through to the end. Offensively, South Charlotte jumped out to a 2-0 lead thanks to an error and wild pitch in the first inning. Cohen Bernhardt added a third run on an RBI single in the third inning, and Anthony Black drove in the final two runs of the game for the Panthers with another single in the sixth inning.
Stacked National 5, National Select Blanco 1
Led by an outstanding 6.1-inning shift from pitcher Andrew Lopez, Stacked National earned a 5-1 win over Team Blanco Select and moved to 2-0. Entering the game with just one out, his side down 1-0, and the bases loaded in the bottom of the first inning, Lopez took full command of the game. Forcing the first batter he faced into a double play, Lopez was spotless during his time on the mound as he retired six batters and didn’t allow a single baserunner. Offensively, Stacked National took the lead in the third inning thanks to RBI singles from Blake Barberena and Daniel Braem before adding another run on an error. Jason Marll capped off the win by tacking two more runs onto the lead in the seventh inning with a double into left.
SBA Bolts National 6, Banditos 10
Jumping ahead 5-0 in the opening two innings and never looking back, Banditos earned a 10-6 win over SBA Bolts National to move to 2-0. Taking the lead on a sac fly in the first inning, Banditos plated four more runs in the second thanks to RBI singles from Austen Acuna and Ty Chambless and a two-RBI double off the bat of Carter Holder. After the Bolts pulled to within 5-3, the Banditos’ hitters found their swing again for another four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. AJ Silva Jr. got it started with an RBI single, followed by Acuna’s second RBI on a groundout and another two-RBI double, this time from Grey Taylor. Adding another run in the sixth, the Banditos were able to limit SBA Bolts to three runs in an attempted comeback attempt in the final inning.
Top Tier Select 3, Canes West 4
Three straight singles in the bottom of the seventh inning, capped off by a walkoff RBI from Max Johnson, gave Canes West a comeback 4-3 win over Top Tier Select on Monday morning. Top Tier Select jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the opening two innings thanks to a sac fly from GG Wuis, a single from Tristan Johnson, and a run-scoring groundout. The fightback for Canes began in the fifth inning, first with a fielder's choice before Dylan Vandivert cut the lead to 3-2 with an RBI single. Bryce Thurber swatted a triple into left in the sixth inning to tie the game at 3-3, setting up a dramatic final six outs. Canes’ defense turned a double play to give the bats a chance in the bottom of the seventh, and the offense did its job. A walk and a pair of singles loaded the bases with one out, setting up Johnson to deliver the game-winning run with a hit into right. Both starters, Dylan Mahoney (6.0 IP) for Canes and Nolan Hecht (4.2 IP) for Top Tier, recorded six strikeouts and allowed three hits during their respective shifts on the mound.
Banditos 5, Top Tier Select 5
Banditos and Top Tier Select played to a thrilling 5-5 tie, with a pair of last-gasp runs keeping the two sides knotted up after seven innings. Banditos struck first thanks to an RBI triple from Quinn Neal in the first inning, only for a wild pitch in the second inning to allow an equalizer for Top Tier Select. Top Tier took a 3-1 lead in the third, going up 3-1 on a groundout and error combination. This time, the Banditos put three runs on the board in the 7th inning as Neal slashed an RBI double and a pair of groundouts put the squad back ahead, 4-3. Top Tier tied the game again in the fourth inning via a fielder’s choice, and took what looked to be the decisive lead in the sixth inning with an RBI single courtesy of GG Wuis. But there was more drama, as Banditos managed to tie the game for the last time with a sac fly from Carter Holder in the top of the seventh.
SBA Bolts National 7, Canes West 2
SBA Bolts National plated six runs in the final two innings to roar back against Canes West, moving to 2-1 with a 7-2 win. While the Bolts scored the opening run in the first inning, Canes West held them scoreless over the next four while taking the lead off a two-RBI double. SBA’s bats snapped back into form in the sixth inning, first with an RBI double from Greyson Bell and then with RBI singles by both Chase Woodley and Cole Christian. A sac fly from Macgraw VanWormer capped off the inning, with the Bolts leading 5-2. They added two more runs in the seventh, as Nathan Malone drove in the sixth with a triple and a groundout capped off the victory. On the mound for SBA Bolts National, Peyton Conley (4.0 IP) and Owen Duncan (3.0 IP) combined for 10 strikeouts and surrendered just five hits in the win.
Sports Academy Cali National 1, Stacked National 3
Stacked National became the first team at this year’s 13U Champs to reach 3-0 as the squad cruised to a 3-1 win over Sports Academy Cali National on Monday afternoon. Stacked National got six terrific innings of work on the mound from the trio of Jason Marll (3.1 IP), Griffin West (2.2 IP), and Darren Luber (1.0 IP) as they held Cali National to three total hits and fanned six batters. Offensively, Stacked National struck first in the opening inning with an RBI double from Marll and an RBI single from Daniel Braem. An RBI single from Troy Kim pulled Cali National to within a run in the second inning, but that was as close as his side would get. Stacked National added its third and final run off of an error in the fourth inning.
South Charlotte Panthers Marucci 4, National Select Blanco 5
National Select Blanco picked up its first win this week in dramatic fashion with a 5-4 victory over South Charlotte Panthers Marucci, storming back from 4-0 down in the final two innings. South Charlotte jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning, loading the bases and adding scores on an RBI single, walk, and wild pitch. A fourth run was tacked onto the lead in the third inning on an RBI single from Caleb Trader. The fightback began in the fifth inning for National Select Blanco, with the squad rallying to load the bases with two outs. A chaotic sequence allowed Eduardo Matheus to steal home and put National Select on the board, followed by a pair of RBIs on a double from Luis Prieto to cut the lead to 4-3. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Massimo Mena won the game for National Select Blanco with a clutch two-RBI single to put his side ahead for the first time. Mena would also prove to be the hero on the mound, hurling a scoreless 4.0 final innings as he allowed just one Panther to reach base.
ZT National Prospects 11, RJBA 13U WADE 1
ZT National Prospects became the second team to reach three wins as they rolled to an 11-1 win in four innings over RJBA 13U WADE on Monday afternoon. ZT National racked up four runs in the first inning, thanks to RBI doubles from all three of Garrett Harper, Easton O’Quinn, and Brody Taylor and a bases-loaded walk. A sac fly and two-RBI single from Taylor extended the lead to 7-1 in the second, and ZT National’s final four runs would come in the third inning through another double, a walk, and an error. On the mound for ZT National, the trio of Harper (1.0 IP), Earon Ramirez (1.0 IP), and Mason Moeller (2.0 IP) surrendered just three hits in the win.
Team Elite National 4, East Coast Sox 5
A double from Bryant Wisdom earned the East Coast Sox a 5-4 walkoff win over Team Elite National, the third run of a stunning comeback over the last two innings. Team Elite scored the opening four runs in the second inning, beginning with a bases-loaded walk before Knox Keesee drove in two more runs and Chase Link added another. East Coast Sox answered with two runs of their own, as Wyatt Wallace slashed an RBI triple and a run scored on a wild pitch to cut the lead to 4-2. Neither team scored again until the sixth inning, when a single from Wisdom brought the Sox to within one. Still trailing 4-3, East Coast needed something big in the seventh inning to complete the comeback. The team got it in the form of three doubles, first from Sam Ridley and then from Maximillien Bell, who drove Ridley in for the tying run. Bell proved to be the one to score the winning run, reaching on Wisdom’s double to complete the comeback and end the game.
Legacy Black 1, Braves 13U Gold 2
Braves 13U Gold picked up its first win of the week in Cary as they edged Legacy Black 2-1 on Monday afternoon, in a game that saw just 11 total hits. The Braves struck first in the second inning on an RBI single from Vinny Messick before wild pitch increased the lead to 2-0as Braves pitchers held Legacy Black in check until the seventh inning. A sac fly put Legacy Black on the board as they threatened in the final stretch, but the lone run was all the team would get. On the bump for the Braves, Jordan Leon (5.1 IP) and Cooper Holland (1.2 IP) combined for seven strikeouts and allowed five hits.
Stacked National 11, South Charlotte Panthers Marucci 1
Stacked National rang up 11 runs in three innings as they rolled to an 11-1 win over South Charlotte Panthers Marucci in a four-inning game. In the second inning, Stacked National got an RBI single from Dylan Tucci, a bases-loaded walk, a fielder’s choice, and a run on a double play to go up 5-0. Adding a sixth run on an RBI triple from Aiden Amat in the third inning, Stacked National proceeded to score five runs again in the fourth inning off a single, triple, and groundout. On the mound for the victors, Blake Barberena, Nate Beucler, and Michah Delosreyes combined for four strikeouts and just three hits allowed.
