The stage is set and the action is underway at the 14U Champs NC, where some of the top young talent from around the region have taken the field in pursuit of championship glory. Opening day brought no shortage of intensity, with teams battling through the summer heat and high stakes to make an early statement. From clutch pitching performances to explosive bats, the tournament kicked off with a flurry of highlights — and we’ve got all the key moments covered in today’s roundup.
Legacy Baseball Group 14U 2, SBA Bolts National 14U 2
After a scoreless first three frames, the matchup between Legacy Baseball Group and SBA Bolts National turned into an opening round game that ended in dramatic fashion. The SBA Bolts got on the board first in the bottom of the fourth inning. Ivan Carballo started the push when he was awarded a free base after being hit by a pitch. With Carballo safe at second base after a steal, Antonio Gil rewarded his efforts and struck a sacrifice fly to center field to give his side a 1-0 lead. Legacy Baseball Group answered in strong fashion in the top of the sixth. Nathan Englander plated a run on a sacrifice fly which was immediately followed by a Hunter Rich RBI single to put Legacy up a run headed into the final half inning of the game. In a last ditch effort, SBA’s Kinkade Vest garnered a four-pitch walk to put the tying run on base. Two quick in only six pitches threatened the Bolts, but Alexander Bello came in clutch in a crucial moment after he struck an RBI double. Due to a time-limit restriction, the tightly contested game was called after six frames, resulting in a 2-2 tie to kick off the tournament.
Houston Wildcatters Elite 2, Top Dawg National 1
Artemio Mata was nothing short of amazing in the Houston Wildcatters opening round win over Top Dawg National. A two-way player, Mata made the bulk of his impact from atop the mound going 5.1 frames of hitless baseball while racking up five punchouts compared to a single walk. His fiery performance from the bump kept his side in the contest despite an abundance of pressure applied by Top Dawg National in the lasting minutes of the game. Down 2-0 in the top of the seventh frame, Top Dawg’s Andrew Brown cut the deficit to one run thanks to an RBI double. With pressure rising, it was Layden Citty that played hero for the Wildcatters. Coming on in relief for Mata, Citty went 1.2 innings and registered crucial strikeouts in both the sixth and seventh frames. With a 2-1 lead in its clutch, the Citty and the Wildcatters held strong in the field to secure an early victory at 14U Champs NC.
Elite RBI 8, Dirtbags National 0
Behind dominant pitching from Elite RBI, who only used two arms in the contest, held Dirtbags National to one hit on the way to an 8-0 win. Getting it done on the mound with the combined effort of Braiden Miller and Dylan Mercado, wrapping up a mercy rule victory. A solid five-inning performance, surrendering only one hit while striking out seven helped keep the momentum in the Elite RBI dugout. Getting it done at the plate and recording multi-hit games were Alan Montes and Peyton Lopez, both notching an RBI in the game. The team combined for nine hits total, with patient plate discipline being a huge factor in today's victory, drawing seven walks as a team, on the way to an opening-game win.
Team Elite 5, Wow Factor 5
In the second tie of the day, Wow Factor held a 5-0 lead going into the fifth inning, followed by an offensive turnaround from Team Elite. With the first three batters reaching base in the bottom of the first for Wow Factor, a two-RBI single from Anderson McAfee, followed by a sacrifice fly from Jack Stokes, concluded the three-run first inning. Wow Factor brought in another run off a defensive miscue on a fly ball, before another defensive miscue, this time on a throw to first, leading to the 5-0 lead. No more runs would be scored until the sixth inning. Team Elite found the first two batters on base with a walk and a single, leading up to a clutch at-bat from Landry Boiling, smacking a two-RBI single to start the Team Elite rally. In the top of the seventh, a leadoff double by Knox Keesee began the rally for Team Elite's comeback. Another double later on, this time from Carter Landrus, brought home Keesee, putting the score at 5-3. Off a defensive miscue, Team Elite plated its fourth run by way of a wild pitch, followed by a game-tying RBI ground out from Brooks Blanchard, ending the game 5-5 and avoiding a loss with the late comeback.
Wildcatters Elite 8, Legacy Baseball Group 3
Wildcatters Elite got its second win of the day in a dominant 8-3 victory over Legacy Baseball Group to cap off a successful start to 14U Champs NC. Unlike their first game in which they relied heavily on pitching, the Wildcatters were relentless at the plate. Artemio Mata picked back up where he left off in the first game and was unstoppable at the dish registering a game-high two RBIs thanks to a two-RBI triple. His teammate, Grey Taylor, also pushed home two runs via a line drive single to left field in the top of the third frame. From there, Wildcatters Elite capitalized on errors to extend its lead. After winning 8-3 in their second contest, the Wildcatters enter day two amongst the top of the pack.
Top Dawg National 5, SBA Bolts National 4
Top Dawg National held off a fierce push from SBA Bolts National to secure a tight 5-4 win. The action started early, with Chase Watson sparking the offense with an RBI triple in the bottom of the first, followed by a run-scoring single from Sandy De La Rosa to make it 2-0. SBA answered back in the second with a hard-hit RBI single from Colton Pettiano, but Top Dawg responded immediately, tacking on two more in the bottom half to maintain control. The Bolts clawed their way back in the third, with Wyatt Lo driving in a run and later scoring on a passed ball to make it 4-3. They tied the game in the fourth behind a clutch RBI double from Nathan Malone, who finished the day 2-for-2. But Top Dawg found the answer in the fifth, when Jason Marll Jr. delivered what proved to be the game-winning RBI double – part of his 2-for-3 day at the plate. Despite a strong four-inning, six-strikeout performance from SBA’s Owen Todd, the Bolts came up just short, as Top Dawg escaped with a narrow one-run win.
Team Elite 3, Elite RBI 0
Team Elite was able to shut out Elite RBI with dominant pitching from its two arms, while putting up seven hits on the way to a 3-0 victory. Ryan Musa and Mason Kelley combined for seven innings of scoreless baseball, giving up just three hits and punching out six. Brooks Blanchard recorded a team-leading two hits on the contest, while Landry Boiling and Hudson Morris picked up an RBI to their names. The impressive overall performance led Team Elite to a huge win from complimentary baseball ending the day 1-0-1.
PRD 3, BPA 0
PRD got its first win at 14U Champs NC in a 3-0 shutout victory over BPA in its only game on opening day. The PRD pitching duo of Mateo Mier and Kaysen Click combined for seven scoreless innings from the bump. Mier, who went 4.2 frames, yielded five hits and a walk while also fanning a game-best five batters. Click handled the other portion of the game and knocked down another two batters. On the offensive side of the plate, PRD capitalized on a wild pitch that scored two runs to complete the win.
Canes National 7, UDACF Evolution 2
Canes National was able to use an explosive performance from the offense to take down UDACF Evolution 7-2. A big day at the plate behind a multi-hit performance from Chance Braisden, picking up multiple RBIs along with his pair of hits. Giving up the lead in the first from an RBI single by Thomas Leeper, and Brady Wellens RBI fielder's choice. Canes National bounced back shutting out UDACF Evolution the rest of the game behind a combined effort from William Miller and Cruz Guzman, going a combined six innings of work giving up three hits, two earned runs, racking up five strikeouts. Canes National struck back in the bottom of the second with a four-run inning. Using a two-RBI double from Colton Smith, followed by an RBI triple from Tripp Morris bringing home Smith, capped off by an RBI single by David Lee that gave Canes National a 4-2 lead. Back-to-back singles gave Romeo De La Torre a situation to extend the lead, and he did just that, bringing home the fifth run of the game for Canes National with an RBI single. Canes National rounded out the win with a two-RBI single by Chance Baisden, securing the 7-2 victory.
Wow Factor 9, Dirtbags National 4
Wow Factor used an explosive third inning and a dominant performance on the mound to take down Dirtbags National, 9-4. Easton Housewright led the charge, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBIs and two runs scored. He kicked things off with an RBI double in the first and later crossed the plate on a groundout to give Wow Factor a quick 2-0 lead. Dirtbags responded with a run in the bottom half, but Wow Factor broke it open in the third. Housewright delivered again, ripping a two-run triple to center before Sam Lerner’s two-RBI single made it 6-1. A sacrifice fly and wild pitch added two more runs in the fourth. Andrew Bena handled business on the mound, striking out 10 over four innings to keep Dirtbags in check. Fenton Morrissey tried to spark a late rally with a two-RBI single in the fifth, but Wow Factor’s lead proved too much to overcome.
ZT National Prospects 7, Top Tier Select 4
ZT National Prospects rallied late to take down Top Tier Select, 7-4, in a back-and-forth battle. Top Tier struck first in the second, with Nathan Miller delivering an RBI single to make it 1-0. ZT responded quickly, plating two in the bottom half on a walk and a fielder’s choice to take a 2-1 lead. Kameron Cox tied it up for Top Tier in the third, scoring on a groundout, and the offense kept rolling in the fourth with an RBI single from Jonathan Mitch to reclaim the lead. ZT answered in the bottom frame with a game-tying sac fly from Brandon Manivong. Cox came through again in the fifth with a go-ahead RBI single, but ZT had the final word, scoring four runs in the home half. A groundout and RBI single brought in two to give ZT the lead before D. Badar’s two-run single capped the rally and sealed the 7-4 win.
East Coast Sox 6, USA Prime National 6
East Coast Sox and USA Prime National finished opening day at 14U Champs NC with a tightly contested battle that resulted in a tie at six runs each. Both squads ripped off rallies in bursts of three in the top of the fourth frame and bottom of the fifth respectively, setting the scene for an electric finale. East Coast’s Grady Bledsoe and Land Sharpless led the way with two RBIs apiece to fuel the Sox offense. Back-to-back RBI shots from Hibiki Suzuki and Bryce Haydock kept USA Prime in the hunt for a victory, but due to time limit restrictions in pool play, the game resulted in a tie.
