CARY, N.C. – The Premier Banditos jumped out to an early lead and never looked back en route to an 11-1 victory over ZT Prospects National in the 10U Futures Invitational Gold Medal Game at Thomas Brooks Park in Cary, North Carolina.

Premier scored once in the first before a four-run outburst in the second inning helped it pull away for good. ZT Prospects National was able to put runners on base all afternoon but could not get many across home plate, collecting 14 hits but only one run.

The gold medal is the first in program history for the Premier Banditos, who finished runner-up in the 2022 tournament. ZT Prospects National’s silver medal is also its first after it won gold in both 2021 and 2022.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Cade Chapman was hit by a pitch in the top of the first and came around to score on the base paths to put Premier in front 1-0.
• ZT looked primed to tie the game in the bottom of the first, but a runner was thrown out at the plate as Premier held onto its one-run lead.
• Premier started its four-run second with two singles and a hit-by-pitch to load the bases, making way for Malacai Bullock to smoke an RBI double to put the Banditos ahead 2-0.
• Jonathan Vannoy cranked a triple to left field to score two runs for Premier and Case Miller singled to drive Vannoy home and increase Premier’s lead to 5-0 in the second.
• A bases-loaded walk drawn by Bullock extended the Premier Banditos’ advantage to 6-0 in the third.
• ZT Prospects National cracked the scoreboard in the bottom of the third and made the score 6-1 on an RBI single by Ruben Elias.
• A sacrifice fly by Tobias Lowry followed by an RBI triple from Miles Torregano added two runs to Premier’s tally as its lead became 8-1 in the fourth.
• The Premier lead extended to 10-1 when Beau Brian and Jacob Radow led off the fifth with singles and scored on a passed ball and sacrifice fly.
• Chapman put the lid on Premier’s victory, scoring the final run of the game after singling and coming home on a wild pitch.

NOTABLE STATS

• Ten different Banditos players collected at least one hit in the win. Brian, Chapman, Miller, and Radow all had multi-hit games.
• Vannoy drove in a game-high three runs in the gold medal victory.
• Dylan French tossed five innings and allowed just one unearned run. He scattered 13 hits, working in and out of trouble all afternoon to earn the win.
• Four different ZT players had multi-hit afternoons, paced by Elias, Jacob Imposimoto, and Gomez’s three-hit performances.
• The Banditos scored a run in every inning of the title game.
• Premier Banditos earns its first-ever gold medal at the 10U Futures Invitational and second medal overall.
• ZT Prospects National has secured a medal in each of the last three 10U Futures Invitationals, winning gold in 2021 and 2022 before this year’s silver.