The quarterfinal round of the 14U National Team Championships North Carolina brought high-stakes action and standout performances to the USA Baseball’s National Training Complex in Cary. As teams battled for a spot in the semifinals, the energy on the field matched the intensity of championship aspirations. From clutch hitting to dominant pitching, each matchup delivered its share of drama and highlight-worthy moments. Here’s a full recap of the quarterfinal games as the road to the title narrows and the competition heats up.
PRD 2029’s 4, East Coast Sox 1
PRD 2029 rode a three-run second inning and a complete game from Macade Carey to a 4-1 win over the East Coast Sox. The Sox struck first in the top of the second, with Colson Griffin leading off with a single and scoring on a line drive from Jace Dean. PRD answered immediately in the bottom half, as Jonah Hargave tied it up with an RBI single. Landyn Dugas followed with a sacrifice fly to give PRD the lead, and Sean Simon later came home on a wild pitch to make it 3-1. Macgraw VanWormer capped it off in the bottom of the sixth, scoring on a dropped third strike to stretch the lead to three. That would be more than enough for Carey, who shut down the Sox the rest of the way, striking out six over seven strong innings. Bryant Wisdom finished 2-for-3 to lead the East Coast offense.
Team Elite 5, Canes National 3
Team Elite battled back from an early deficit to take down Canes National, 5-3, clinching a spot in the semifinals behind a standout two-way performance from Brooks Blanchard. Canes National came out swinging, striking first in the top of the second. Cruz Guzman opened the scoring with an RBI double, then came around to score on a sharp line drive from Colton Smith to make it 2-0. They added one more in the third to stretch the lead to three, but Team Elite didn’t flinch. Two walks and a single loaded the bases in the bottom of the third, setting the stage for Louis Prieto to break through with an RBI single. Blanchard followed with a clutch two-run knock to tie the game at three, and Prieto came home moments later on a wild pitch to give Team Elite a 4-3 lead. They tacked on one more in the fourth, courtesy of an RBI from Yuma Uemura, but the story from there was Blanchard’s work on the mound. After sparking the comeback at the plate, he took over on the bump and slammed the door shut – tossing five scoreless innings with three strikeouts and no earned runs allowed. Blanchard finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs and the win, as Team Elite looks to continue his all-around effort straight into the semifinals.
Elite RBI 4, Wildcatters Elite 1
Elite RBI capitalized on key scoring chances and leaned on a dominant pitching staff to take down Wildcatters Elite, 4-1. The scoring opened in the top of the third when Ty Chambless lifted a sacrifice fly to bring home Alan Montes and give Elite RBI a 1-0 lead. The Wildcatters answered in the fourth with a sac fly of their own, plating Maddox Bryant to even things up. Dylan Mercado clapped back for RBI, reaching on a ground ball and an error, allowing Earon Ramirez to score. Moments later, Mercado came home on a wild pitch, swinging the momentum back in RBI’s favor with a 3-1 lead. Cameron Hockett added some insurance in the seventh with an RBI single to make it 4-1. In the bottom half, Alan Montes shut the door with a strikeout to seal the win. RBI’s pitching staff was lights-out, racking up nine total strikeouts, led by Noah Vrzal’s strong showing on the mound.
ZT National 8, Top Dawg 3
ZT National used a massive first-inning rally and never looked back, powering past Top Dawg, 8-3, to secure a spot in the semifinals. Top Dawg came out swinging in the top of the first. Jason Marll Jr. led things off with a single, and Andrew Brown followed with a two-RBI double to give his squad an early 2-0 lead. But ZT wasted no time responding. In the bottom half, ZT evened the score with a groundout and a bases-loaded walk. Then, Tre’ Lawrence broke the game wide open with a base-clearing double, giving ZT a 5-2 lead after just one inning. The momentum kept rolling in the second as Noah Jarolimek delivered a two-run single to stretch the lead to 7-2. ZT tacked on one more in the third, building a commanding six-run cushion. Top Dawg tried to mount a late rally in the sixth, with Marll scoring on a fielder’s choice to trim the deficit, but the early damage was too much to overcome. ZT locked in and held them scoreless the rest of the way to punch its ticket to the semifinals.
