CARY, N.C. – The 2023 NTDP got underway Wednesday afternoon, as Light Blue and Navy each picked up wins on day one. Game one was a tightly contested one with Light Blue pulling through a 4-3 win while Dean Moss homered in game two to lead Navy past Red, 9-4.
GAME ONE: LIGHT BLUE KICKS OFF 2023 NTDP WITH WIN IN BACK-AND-FORTH CONTEST
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Scoring alternated in the first two frames beginning with Team White’s Seth Hernandez striking a two-out pitch well out to right-center to plate the first run.
- Team Light Blue took advantage of Quentin Young’s leadoff double in the second and evened things out with a run-producing groundout.
- Team White regained the lead in its half of the second, as RBI doubles collected by both Gavin Fien and Lucas Franco made it 3-1.
- The game turned into a one-run contest in the fourth after a trio of base knocks was capped off by Omar Serna driving in Ethan Holliday from second for an RBI. Light Blue loaded the bases later in the frame but was not able to capitalize due to pitch-count rollover rules, ending the inning with only one out on the board.
- Light Blue threatened and loaded the bases in the sixth, but were once again denied runs despite only one out being recorded due to the rollover rule.
- Light Blue finally broke through in the seventh as back-to-back triples by Bricen Smith and Thomas Brown came around to give the team its first lead of the game and score the winning run.
NOTABLE STATS
- Brody Walls shut down the Light Blue offense when it mattered most as he tossed a pair of two-hit, scoreless innings to earn the win for Team White.
- Young was perfect at the plate for Team White, posting a 2-for-2 performance with a run scored.
- Designated hitter Brown picked up a critical RBI triple for his one hit on the day and scored the winning run for Team Light Blue.
- Griffin Enis led Team White in hits as he went 2-for-3 with an extra-base hit while Fien produced a run in his 1-for-2 outing.
- Hernandez and Franco each drove in a run and were 1-for-3 for Team White.
GAME TWO: DEAN MOSS GOES 2-FOR-2 WITH A THREE-RUN BLAST TO POWER TEAM NAVY PAST TEAM RED, 9-4, IN THE SECOND GAME OF COMPETITION AT THE 2023 NTDP
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Moss made some noise early for Team Navy as he was all over a two-out offering in the second and hammered a ball over the right field wall for a three-run shot.
- Navy tacked on another run in the third after Sean Gamble registered a leadoff triple and came around to score on an RBI groundout off the bat of Mason Pike.
- Runs kept piling on for Navy in the top of the fifth as a Coy James RBI triple off the right field wall was followed up by Mason Pike punching a ball up the middle to plate James. Evan Hankins concluded the three-run inning with a two-out, RBI double to deep center field, widening the lead to 7-0.
- A sixth-inning wild pitch immediately followed by a passed ball allowed Moss and Anthony Brown Jr. to score the eighth and ninth runs for Team Navy and put the contest well out of reach.
- Team Red would not go down without a fight, however; back-to-back RBI base knocks by Rookie Shepard and Tanner Johns made it 9-2. A pair of wild pitches ensued to trim the deficit and make it 9-4 before the inning ended due to the rollover rule.
NOTABLE STATS
- Moss was a force to be dealt with for Team Navy. He went a perfect 2-for-2 while racking up three RBI with his three-run homer.
- Hankins picked up a pair of hits in addition to scoring and plating a run for Navy while Gamble collected two RBIs and registered a triple in his 1-for-3 outing at the plate.
- Aiden Barrientes and David Ramirez dominated the mound for Navy, combining for 4.0 shutout innings of two-hit ball.
- Kayson Cunningham led Team Red at the plate as he went 2-for-3 with a run scored while Shepard and Johns each went 1-for-3 and gathered an RBI apiece.
ON DECK
Team White next plays Team Navy while Team Light Blue will compete against Team Red in its second matchup, both games will be held at Coleman Field on Thursday at 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. respectively. All games at the NTDP can be streamed live on USABaseball.TV.
