In the third day of the 2018 National High School Invitational (NHSI) presented by the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance and the Town of Cary, four teams played for the chance to appear in the championship game.
The two semifinal match-ups featured Green Hope High School (Cary, N.C.) defeating John Curtis Christian School to advance and Orange Lutheran claiming its second championship game berth  in a row at the NHSI with a victory over Calvary Christian Academy (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.)
The 2018 NHSI championship game between Green Hope and Orange Lutheran will be played Saturday, March 31, at 12:15 p.m. ET on Coleman Field at the USA Baseball National Training Complex. The game will be streamed live on MLB.com, USABaseball.com and Facebook Live (USABaseball).
Additional Recaps:
- Orange Lutheran Survives Calvary Christian, Will Look to Defend NHSI Title
- Liam Norris' Walk-off Leads Green Hope to 2018 NHSI Final
George Jenkins Improves to 2-1 in the 2018 NHSI with Win
CARY, N.C. - On day three of the 2018 National High School Invitational (NHSI) presented by the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance and the Town of Cary, George Jenkins High School (Lakeland, Fla.) took down Sandra Day O'Connor High School (Phoenix, Ariz.) 4-3 to improve to 2-1 in the tournament.
Sandra Day O'Connor opened the scoring with two runs in the top of the first inning before George Jenkins answered in the bottom of the second and third innings with runs of its own to tie the game 2-2 heading into the fourth.
O'Connor quickly took back its lead in the top of the fourth and held on until the fifth when George Jenkins came storming back. Brandon Howlett tied things up for George Jenkins with a RBI single and Brandt Sundean later followed with a two-out RBI double to make it 4-3 and give George Jenkins its first lead of the game, which it wouldn't relinquish.
Sundean led the offense for George Jenkins, going 2-for-3 with two RBI, while Cooper Haskell got the start on the mound and gave up just one earned run and four hits in 3.2 innings while racking up six strikeouts. Nick Hain then closed the door, tossing 3.1 scoreless innings to secure the win.
Nolan Gorman went 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored for O'Connor.
Following its win, George Jenkins will match up against Santiago at 9 a.m. ET on the final day of competition on Coleman Field at the USA Baseball National Training Complex. Sandra Day O'Connor will finish up its 2018 NHSI schedule against American Heritage at 11:30 a.m. ET on Field 2.
Mountain Ridge Bullpen Comes Up Big in 2018 NHSI Day Three Victory
CARY, N.C. - The afternoon game between American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.) and Mountain Ridge (Glendale, Ariz.) at the 2018 National High School Invitational (NHSI) presented by the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance and the Town of Cary was tied through five, but it was the Mountain Lions from Arizona who came out on top in a tight 3-2 ballgame on Friday.
Mountain Ridge kicked off the game's scoring in the bottom of the first when Jason Harayda, who was 2-for-2 with a double on the day, drove in Jared Kampf, who reached courtesy of a leadoff single. The team tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the third, advancing the lead to 3-0 after the first trio of innings.
On the mound for the Mountain Lions, starter Michael Dyer was dominant. He tossed five innings of two-run ball, allowing just four hits and striking out three. American Heritage tacked its second run of the game in the sixth to cut the lead to 3-2 on a Matt Ruiz RBI double, but it was the Mountain Ridge bullpen that closed out the game and wrapped up the win.
Brock Peery entered on the mound in the bottom of the sixth to snuff out a rally and completed the four-out save in the seventh with a clean outing. He didn't allow a baserunner, giving the Mountain Lions their second win in as many days.
On Saturday, March 31, American Heritage will play Sandra Day O'Connor High School (Phoenix, Ariz.) at 11:30 a.m. ET on Field 2, while Mountain Ridge will match up against Walton High School (Marietta, Ga.) at 12 p.m. ET on Field 4.
Hanover Secures Close Victory Over Florence in 2018 NHSI Day Three Action
CARY, N.C. - Florence High School (Florence, Ala.) and Hanover High School (Mechanicsville, Va.) got impressive performances on the mound on day three of the 2018 National High School Invitational (NHSI) presented by the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance and the Town of Cary but Hanover got the edge to claim a 1-0 victory.
David Rowland got the start for Florence while Will Lopez took the mound for Hanover and the two pitchers dominated the action for the first three innings before Hanover's bats got going. The Hawks strung together three singles and a sacrifice bunt to bring home what would prove to be the game-winning run in the bottom of the fourth.
Rowland had a masterful complete game showing for the Falcons, giving up just one run on five hits and striking out four. Lopez went 5 innings for the Hawks to earn the win, giving up just two hits and no runs.
In its final game of the NHSI, Hanover will face Hattiesburgh High School (Hattiesburg, Miss.) at 11:45 a.m. ET on Field 3 at the USA Baseball National Training Complex on Saturday, March 31. Florence will play against Mater Dei High School (Santa Ana, Calif.) to wrap up its tournament at 8:30 a.m. on Field 3.
Santiago's Bats Come Alive Against Mount Carmel
CARY, N.C. - Santiago High School (Corona, Calif.) defeated Mount Carmel High School (Chicago, Ill.) 8-4 Friday, March 30, in a consolation game of the 2018 National High School Invitational (NHSI) presented by the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance and the Town of Cary.
Santiago wasted no time getting on the board as Daryl Ruiz singled on a line drive to left field to send Brice Turang across the plate. In the top of the second, Clay Cummings was sent home on a Noah Brockway ground out.
Down by two in the bottom of the second, Mount Carmel Edward Howard singled on a hard ground ball to left field for the Caravan's first run of the game. Anthony Livermore followed with a ground out to tie things up 2-2.
But Santiago's bats came alive in the fifth inning. Ruiz hit a ground ball to right field to score Turang for the second time. Cummings followed with an RBI fly ball to right field, and with the bases loaded, Brockway was hit by a pitch giving the Sharks a 5-2 advantage.
The Sharks added three more runs in the fifth and sixth to secure the win. In the fifth inning, Sawyer Stidham crossed home on a passed ball and Turang sent a line drive to center field. The Sharks' final run came courtesy of a Stidham triple to right field.
Mount Carmel was able to put two more runs on the board in the seventh, but it wasn't enough at Santiago claimed the victory and improved to 2-1 in the tournament.
In the final day of the 2018 NHSI, Santiago will face George Jenkins High School (Lakeland, Fla.) in a consolation game at 9:00 a.m. ET Saturday, March 30, on Coleman Field. Mount Carmel will square off against Trinity Preparatory School (Winter Park, Fla.) at 8:45 a.m. ET on Field 4.
Walton Gets 5-2 Win on NHSI Day Three to Improve to 2-1
CARY, N.C. - Walton High School (Marietta, Ga.) captured its second win of the 2018 National High School Invitational (NHSI) presented by the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance and the Town of Cary on Friday with a 5-3 win over Hattiesburg High School (Hattiesburg, Miss.).
Walton was led on the mound by starter Cam Bloodworth, who was dominant throughout his start. He went six full innings, striking out 13 batters and walking just one. On the afternoon, he allowed six hits and just one earned run.
He was helped with support from the Walton lineup, which collected six hits in key moments throughout the game. The overall edge came in the top of the fifth, a three-run frame that secured the lead and ultimately the win. A John Giesler single brought two home, followed by a Bloodworth sacrifice to put Walton up, 4-2.
Henry Litman closed out the game with a scoreless top of the seventh to move Walton to 2-1 on the tournament.
For Hattiesburg, it was AJ Stinson and Jerry Burkett II leading the way on offense. Both had a pair of hits, Stinson driving in a pair of runs in the bottom of the first with a two-RBI single. Starter Landon Rascoe was dominant in his four innings of work, allowing just two hits and an unearned run.
Walton will face Mountain Ridge High School (Glendale, Ariz.) on the final day of the 2018 NHSI at 12 p.m. ET on Field 4. Hattiesburg will play Hanover High School (Mechanicsville, Va.) at 11:45 a.m. ET on Field 3.
Trinity Prep Downs Mater Dei, 7-5
CARY, N.C. - Trinity Preparatory School (Winter Park, Fla.) came up strong with a 7-5 win over Mater Dei High School (Santa Ana, Calif.) in a consolation game of the 2018 National High School Invitational (NHSI) presented by the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance and the Town of Cary on Friday, March 30.
Trinity Prep struck first with an Andrew Roberts RBI single in the third inning. But Mater Dei's bats came alive in the bottom of the fourth to erase the deficit.
CJ Rodriguez started things off with a hard ground ball RBI single to center. Joey Nicolai hit a sac fly to send Payton Walsh home to put the Monarchs up 2-1. With one out, CJ Castro hit a 2 RBI ground ball and reached on an error to give the Monarchs a three-run advantage.
Trinity answered right back in the fourth with an Andrew Roberts 2 RBI single to right field to cut the deficit to one. The Monarchs crossed the plate once more in the sixth on an Emilio Rosas ground ball to left field to make it 5-3.
With one out, Roberts reached on an error to send Tommy Tight home. With the bases loaded, Ethan Groff was walked to tie the game. Another walk on the next at-bat gave Trinity a one run advantage. With two outs, the Saints added one more on a hit by pitch to make it 7-5.
Mater Dei failed to cross the plate in the top of the seventh to give the Saints the victory.
Trinity Prep will play Mount Carmel High School (Chicago, Ill.) at 8:45 a.m. ET on Field 4 at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in their final outing at the 2018 NHSI. Mater Dei's final matchup will be against Florence High School (Florence, Ala.) at 8:30 a.m. ET on Field 3.