SURPRISE, Ariz. -- The FS21 Stars 2026 earned the bronze medal at the 15U National Team Championships Arizona on Saturday morning, using an offensive explosion to blow past the SoCal Legends in four innings by a score of 10-0 and take home the organization's first-ever medal at the event.
After only putting up one run on the board in their semifinal matchup on Friday, the Stars offense came out with a vengeance in this one. Getting the party started was 15U National Team alumni Ryan Harwood, who ambushed the very first pitch of the bottom of the second inning and deposited it into the bullpen in right field for his first home run of the tournament.
The Stars would add on to their lead just a few batters later, with both Dylan Lopez and Michel Muniz Jr. driving home runs with hits of their own to bring the team's early lead up to three.
The floodgates would open up in the third when the Stars led off the inning by putting seven consecutive hitters on base, a stretch that was capped off by a bases-clearing triple to deep center off the bat of Cody Cappelletti. By the time the frame ended, their lead had ballooned all the way to 9-0, putting them right on the doorstep of their eighth win of the tournament.
The game's conclusion came quickly after, as the Stars brought home their 10th and final run with one out in the fourth to finish off their run-rule victory. This performance secured the organization's highest-ever finish at Champs AZ, capping off what was an impressive run throughout the week.
Notable Stats
- Cappelletti drove home the most runs of the game with three, and him and Dylan Lopez led all players with two hits apiece.
- Six other Stars recorded at least one hit in the game, with those being Harwood, Muniz Jr., Brock Jackson, Cameron Davidson, Connor Russell, and Jaxen Maxey.
- Harwood and Lopez combined to pitch a shutout, with Harwood working a scoreless first and Lopez following with three innings of one-hit, one-walk ball with five strikeouts.
On Deck
- The 15U National Team Championships conclude with the gold-medal game at 11 A.M. MT, when top-seeded TB SoCal and No. 6 MVP Hustle square off in a battle of undefeated teams.
