CARY, N.C. – USA Baseball’s 2026 18U National Team Training Camp kicked off on Monday with a doubleheader at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina. Team Grey defeated Team Light Blue 8-1 in game one and Team Red claimed a 10-7 victory over Team Navy to close out the day.

GREY 8, LIGHT BLUE 1

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Team Grey pitcher Lukas Waite dealt two scoreless innings to open the contest, striking out four batters and allowing just two hits. Grant Sperandio started on the mound for Team Light Blue, allowing three hits and one walk while striking out four across two scoreless frames.
• Luke Gladchuk led off the top of the third with a single to left field before stealing second and advancing to third on a defensive miscue. Dylan Seward then knocked a hard grounder to third, bringing Gladchuk home and putting Grey on the board first.
• In the following frame, Caden Dawson showed excellent plate discipline and got aboard via walk, eventually making his way to third on a misplay. Lubin Rincon hit a hard ground ball down the middle to score Dawson and give Grey a 2-0 lead.
• Light Blue had an answer in the bottom of the fourth as Frank Thomas III roped a double to center to score Jordan Ayala and cut the deficit to 2-1
• After three scoreless innings, Rincon stepped up to the plate with two on base and after a combination of defensive miscues and a sacrifice fly, both runners scored, extending Team Grey’s lead to 4-1 in the top of the eighth.
• Team Grey doubled their run total in the ninth inning as runners scored on singles by Jack Swanson and Seward, and two more came home on a Dawson double. Closing pitcher Isaac Vidal tossed a scoreless final frame to seal the 8-1 victory.

NOTABLE STATS

• Sebastian Castillo and Dawson led all hitters with three hits each on the day, while Dawson also led hitters in runs scored with two.
• Juan Diaz, Seward and Thomas III each recorded a two-hit game.
• Ryan Donahoe tossed two scoreless innings and struck out six batters, the most of any pitcher.
• Jake Ivey, Sperandio and Waite recorded four strikeouts each on the day.

RED 10, NAVY 7

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Team Navy opened scoring early as Drake Hawpe doubled to left in the top of the first, plating Leo Nockley to get on the board. Team Red quickly responded in the bottom of the frame, driving in three runs of their own on a series of defensive miscues.
• Team Red kept it rolling in the second as Kinon Bastian knocked a double to plate Max Phillips and Taylor Dodd, who reached base on walks, giving Red a 5-1 lead.
• The back-and-forth contest continued as Navy tied up the contest in the top of the third. Harry Jones Jr. drew a leadoff walk before Cooper Goff singled him in on a line drive to left field. Hawpe capped the four-run inning with a two-run triple and scored on a throwing error to tie the game 5-5.
• After a scoreless fourth, Bastian crossed home on a wild pitch to put Team Red back in front, 6-5.
• Leading off the sixth for Team Navy, Caden Boercherding drilled a solo shot to left field for the first home run of Training Camp to tie the game again at 6.
• Cullen Scott returned the favor in the next frame, blasting a three-run homer for the Red Team, shifting the momentum again. Bastian tacked on another run in the sixth with the help of a Brady Cunningham single to extend the lead to 10-6.
• After back-to-back scoreless frames, Sullivan Reed roped a double into left field and scored a run for Team Navy in the top of the ninth but it wasn’t enough to overcome Team Red’s offensive firepower as they secured a 10-7 victory.

NOTABLE STATS:

• Hawpe led all batters in hits with three while Bastian led scoring with three runs scored.
• Hawpe and Scott accounted for three RBIs each, leading all hitters.
• George Ferguson struck out seven batters in three innings of work, the most of any pitcher.
• Team Navy’s pitching staff combined for 20 strikeouts, with the final three pitchers – Cooper Jones, Camden Boehm, and Chase Fuller – each posting a scoreless inning and striking out six total batters.

ON DECK

USA Baseball’s 18U National Team Training Camp will continue action on Friday, July 17 as Light Blue faces Navy at 10 a.m. ET and Red faces Grey at 1 p.m. ET at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina.