Canes National 7, FTB Phillies National 1

Reigning champion Canes National bounced back from an opening day loss to roll past FTB Phillies by a score of 7-1, led by a dominant performance from pitcher Ethin Bingaman. Bingaman was stellar over 6.0 innings, retiring 12 batters as he fell one strikeout shy of tying the 17U Champs NC record of 13, set last year by Canes’ Zach Swanson. Bingaman allowed just two hits and a walk, with the Phillies’ lone run of the game being scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the sixth inning. For Canes offensively, the team took a 2-0 lead early with an RBI single in the first inning from Dean Moss and another in the second frame from Bryden Bull. Another RBI single from Presley Courville in the fourth inning made it 3-0 until the sixth, before a wild pitch and single tacked on another two Canes runs. The victors scored their sixth and seventh runs in the seventh inning thanks to a walk with the bases loaded and a passed ball to cap off the win.

Stix 7, Wow Factor 1

Stix rolled to its second straight win as the squad took down Wow Factor on Wednesday morning, 7-1. Wow Factor drew first blood in the bottom of the first inning, with Eli Pitts capitalizing on a wild pitch to open the scoring. The response from Stix was swift, in the form of five runs in the top of the second frame. An RBI triple off the bat of Cayden Mitchell tied the game, before Mitchell scored on a single from Brady Janusek. Janusek later reached home on an error to make it 3-1 in favor of Stix, followed by an RBI single from Eli Willits and a walk with the bases loaded. Stix added a sixth run in the third inning, thanks to Janusek capitalizing on a chaotic dropped third strike to sprint home. Another wild pitch let Stix’s seventh and final run score in the fourth frame. On the mound for Stix, Brody Kahle was awarded the win after allowing just three hits and one earned run over his 5.1 innings of work, racking up four strikeouts. Devin Miller closed the final 1.2 innings, keeping the Phillies hitless while adding another two punchouts.

Team Elite 4, Texas Senators 5

Texas Senators secured its first win at 2024 17U Champs NC on Wednesday in dramatic late fashion over Team Elite, 5-4. Both teams found contact in the first inning, with Team Elite jumping out to a 2-0 lead thanks to an RBI triple from Trent Grindlinger and an RBI single from Coleman Lewis. The Senators were able to cut into the lead in the bottom of the frame, with Victor Coronado getting an RBI double to drop and make it 2-1. It didn’t take long for Texas to take the lead for the first time, plating a pair of runs in the bottom of the second inning through a pair of RBI singles off the bats of Jack Buerkle and Nicholas Partida. The Senators went up 4-2 in the fourth inning, on a third RBI single via Clayton Namken. After four scoreless innings, Team Elite rediscovered their bats in the sixth inning and mounted a comeback. Lewis notched his second RBI of the day on a double into center, before a sac fly from Jay Secretarski tied the game at 4-4. Dean Hannah proved to be the hero for Texas in the final inning, driving an RBI single into right and sending Coronado home for the Senators’ winning run. Coronado was also a big contributor on the mound, picking up a save after allowing just one hit over the final two innings with a pair of strikeouts. Cooper Rummel picked up the win for Texas, recording seven punchouts over five innings of work.

East Cobb Astros 5, Dirtbags 2

The East Cobb Astros rang up a 4-0 lead in the opening two innings and never looked back in a 5-2 win over the Dirtbags, securing their first win at 2024 17U NC Champs. Astros pitcher Nicholas Frusco was electric over 5.0 innings, fanning 10 batters as he allowed just four hits and a lone earned run to shut the Dirtbags down. Offensively, Josh Gibbs scored the opening run by reaching home on a fielder’s choice in the first inning. East Cobb got three more scores in the second frame, with Regan McClusky slashing a two-RBI triple and Gibbs sending an RBI double into left to make it 4-0. The Dirtbags got on the board in the fourth inning through a Luke Craddock sac fly, only to see Jaden Fauske restore the Astros’ lead to four with another triple that made it 5-1. Finn Whipple pulled a run back for the Dirtbags in the seventh inning with an RBI double, but it was too little, too late as East Cobb held firm.

South Charlotte Panthers 0, Alpha Prime 5

Alpha Prime took care of business against the South Charlotte Panthers by a score of 5-0, led by a near perfect game spun by pitcher Brock Sell. Sell went all seven innings, holding South Charlotte to zero walks and just two hits as he struck out six batters in a dominant outing. Alpha Prime’s offense found its footing in the third inning, loading the bases with two outs as it looked to break open the game. A walk from Bo Smith sent the first run home, followed by a two-RBI double from Sell as he showed that he was much more than just a threat on the mound. Alpha Prime added a fourth run in the fifth inning and a fifth score in the sixth frame to cap the victory, RBI singles from both Ethan Porter and Luke Cornelison.

Top Tier Select 10, Original Florida Pokers 3

Top Tier Select pulled away from Original Florida Pokers with seven runs in the final two frames of a five-inning game, taking the win by a final score of 10-3. Both teams scored twice in the opening two innings, with Top Tier getting runs from a Joseph Parker RBI groundout and Jackson Natanek RBI single. For the Pokers, Bennett Gary scored the team’s first run on a wild pitch and was hit by a pitch to bring in another with the bases loaded, tying the game at 2-2.Top Tier took back the lead in the top of the third inning, as Parker notched his second RBI of the game on a single to make it 3-2. A three-run fourth inning thanks to a sac fly from Parker, an error, and a Zackary Johnson RBI single broke the game open as Top Tier jumped out to a 6-2 lead. The Pokers pulled back a run via a wild pitch in the bottom of the fourth, but Top Tier left no doubt in the final inning by adding four more runs to its lead. Riley McDonald opened the run by swatting an RBI double into left, followed by Natanek’s second RBI on a sac fly and a two-RBI single off the bat of JD Stein.

GBG 2, Texas Twelve Red Sox 1

Led by pitcher Angel Cervantes, GBG withstood a late potential rally from Texas Twelve Red Sox for a close 2-1 victory.Cervantes earned the win for GBG, limiting Texas Twelve to a single hit and earned run while striking out eight batters in 5.0 terrific innings on the mound. GBG’s offense struck first in the opening frame, with Jase DeSantis batting an RBI groundout for the first run. Texas Twelve tied the game in the second inning, with Jayden Blalack putting himself on third base thanks to a wild pitch and scoring via a sac fly from Tye Briscoe. With the score deadlocked at 1-1, GBG loaded the bases in the fourth inning. In prime position on third, Quentin Young was able to race home on a wild pitch to make it 2-1 with what would prove to be the winning run. Zane Burns went the final 2.0 innings for GBG, holding Texas Twelve scoreless and snuffing out any potential comeback bids.

PRD 9, Aces National 0

PRD handed Aces National its first loss of the week in dominant fashion, scoring all nine runs in the first four innings of a five inning matchup. Down to the third out in the first inning, PRD loaded the bases with a single and two straight walks to allow a third walk to score the opening run. A two-RBI single from Thomas O’Connell made it 3-0 to PRD. The second inning was nearly identical, with Aces National again facing a bases-loaded scenario as it allowed three straight singles to begin the frame. This time, a sac fly and a defensive error allowed a trio of runs to score as PRD raced out to a 6-0 advantage. O’Connell made it 7-0 with a bold play, stealing home in the third inning, while a groundout and RBI double from Cameron Uzzilia scored PRD’s final two runs in the fourth inning. Parker Rhodes earned the win for PRD, going all five innings and surrendering just two hits as he retired four batters.

USA Prime National 5, Scorpions Scout Team Black 6

Scorpions Scout Team handed USA Prime its first loss of the week in a 6-5 nailbiter on Wednesday afternoon that went five innings due to the time limit. Scorpions jumped out to an early 3-0 lead after two innings, with Lamar Edwards delivering the opening score of the game on an RBI single in the first inning and Cash Williams driving in two more with a single of his own into left. USA Prime refused to be left behind, answering with four runs in the third to surge ahead 4-3. Caleb Barnett opened the comeback with an RBI groundout, followed by back-to-back RBI triples from Sean Gamble and Josiah Hartshorn. Hartshorn would score on an error to make it 4-3 to USA Prime immediately after. Not to be outdone, Scorpions grabbed the lead back with two runs in the bottom of the third inning on a sac fly from Edwards for his second RBI and a defensive error, going up 5-4. Kayson Cunningham tied the game yet again with an RBI single in the top of the fourth inning, though the deadlock wouldn’t last long. Scorpions took the decisive lead in the bottom of the frame, as a single that led to an error allowed for Max Murray to complete his trip around the bags and make it 6-5. Pitcher Brandon Reiter earned the win for Scorpions, hurling a hitless final 1.1 innings and striking out two of the four batters he faced.

Dulin Dodgers Prime 4, Power Baseball 1

Jarrett Waggonner was credited with the win in the Dodgers 4-1 win over Power Baseball, hurling six frames and collecting seven strikeouts throughout his time on the bump. While Waggonner stole the show for the Dodgers, Dulins’ bats were instrumental in pushing the squad to victory. Garrett Hutchins provided the first two runs for Dulins in the bottom of the sixth on a ground ball single to right field. The Dodgers were able to add to their lead in the seventh on a Jody Murillo sacrifice fly which would push Parker Moore across the plate before Dulins’ Hutchens was walked home to provide the Dodgers a four-run cushion. In an attempt at a comeback, Power Baseball put two runners on the bags after a batter was hit by a pitch and the next reached on a walk. Power’s Ryan Foscolo drove in Robert Hoffman to plate their squad’s first run of the game, which would not be enough to gain the lead over the Dodgers. The Dodgers collected their first win of 2024 NC Champs in the matchup.

Canes National 2, Wow Factor 6

Wow Factor put on a show at the plate, registering nine hits and five RBIs in their 6-2 win over Canes National on Wednesday. Wow Factor started the scoring affair in the bottom of the second when Justice De Jong drove in Sebastian Norman and pushed another runner to third. Just three pitches later, Dylan Dubovik crossed the plate to give Wow Factor a two-run lead. Wow Factor was able to add onto the lead in the fifth frame on an Aiden West sacrifice fly. RJ Holmes joined in on the fun and crushed a hard single to drive in another run before Canes National registered its first runs in the top of the sixth on a passed ball and a Presley Courville single which would cut the deficit to two runs. Wow Factor put the icing on the cake in the bottom of the sixth frame as Norman stepped up to the plate and delivered a pop fly single to right field to plate the final two runs of the game. Wow Factor’s Norman finished his day with two RBIs and a run scored of his own. The victory marks Wow Factor’s first win at 2024 NC Champs.

FTB Phillies National 3, Stix 6

Stix’s undefeated start in its first ever 17U Champs appearance rolled on, as the side moved to 3-0 with a 6-3 win over FTB Phillies in six innings. Stix opened the scoring in the bottom of the first inning on an RBI single from Carter Rutenbar, only for FTB Phillies to answer in the top of the second frame via a bases loaded walk. Bryce Wells restored the lead for Stix in the bottom of the second, driving an RBI single into left for a 2-1 lead and then stealing home in the same inning for run number three. The Stix lead grew into 5-1 in the third, with back-to-back bases loaded walks adding a pair of scores. Not to be outdone, the Phillies earned their second bases loaded walk and added an RBI groundout from Rene Ramirez to cut the deficit to 5-3 in the fourth inning as they threatened to mount a comeback. But Stix maintained its grip on the lead, with pitchers Hunter Ortiz and Callan Warren combining to hold FTB Phillies to just one hit and a walk over the final three innings while Brady Janusek added a sixth run on a sac fly to complete the win.

Original Florida Pokers 0, South Charlotte Panthers 2

The South Charlotte Panthers downed the Original Florida Pokers by a score of 2-0 on Wednesday afternoon, buoyed by a terrific group effort on the mound from the trio of Tyler Baird, Davis Cabbage, and Jacob Smith. Baird got the start, keeping the Pokers hitless over the first three innings while fanning five batters. Cabbage and Smith both hurled 2.0 innings in relief, each allowing a lone hit and combining for three strikeouts to finish the shutout. At the plate, South Charlotte broke through in the bottom of the sixth inning with back-to-back sacrifice flies to score the game’s only runs and secure the win. Zach Beyra and Carter Wojcik combined for five strikeouts for the Pokers in the loss as they allowed just three hits and no earned runs.

Team Elite 2, Dirtbags 0

In a tight contest, Team Elite handed the Dirtbags their second loss at NC Champs in a 2-0 finish. Team Elite’s Jay Secretarksi opened up the scoring with a double to center field to drive in the first run of the day. Over the next few innings, both squads went quiet at the plate to keep the score at 1-0. It wasn’t until the top of the seventh frame that Secretarksi made his mark on the game again with another RBI double to extend his team's lead to two. The Dirtbags threatened to gain the lead in the bottom of the seventh, tallying two singles and a walk to load up the bases. The game ended in dynamic fashion as a bases-loaded double play was turned to cap off the Team Elite win. Secretarski finished his day going 2-for-3 with two RBIs to register a win for his squad.

Texas Senators 2, East Cobb Astros 0

Behind Nicholas Partida’s complete-game performance on the mound, the Texas Senators squeaked by the East Cobb Astros in a 2-0 win. Partida made quick work of the Astros, allowing only one batter to reach first on a walk through the first two innings. Not only did Partida command the mound for seven innings, he also held his own at the plate, driving in the first run of the contest on a hard ground ball to right field. The Senators added to their lead as Victor Coronado reached on an error to push Jack Buerkle home and make it a two-run lead. The Astros fought back as they registered hits in each of the last three innings, but Partida kept his composure on the bump to flatten any chance the Astros had at a comeback. Partida finished his complete game with five strikeouts under his belt while only giving up four hits.