CARY, N.C. - Two champions were crowned on Sunday at the 15U/16U NTIS Champions Cup at the National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina. The 15U Southwest Stars squad defeated the Midwest Stars 6-2 to claim its second gold medal at the age level, and the 16U Midwest Stripes shut out the Southwest Stripes 2-0 for its third consecutive gold medal victory for the age group. Check out the action below from each gold medal game, as well as how each bronze medal game went down.

15U GOLD MEDAL GAME - SOUTHWEST STARS 6, MIDWEST STARS 2

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Adam Allett put Southwest on the board in the second when he roped an RBI double to right field with runners in scoring position.
• Midwest knotted the score in the third at 1-1 thanks to a sacrifice fly by Colton Smith to center field, driving in Nolan Gambino after he reached on a double and stole third.
• Southwest took its lead back in the bottom frame, responding with a run when Joey Koenig hit a fly ball to deep left field to score Taylor Chairez from third after he drew a leadoff walk.
• Once again, Midwest managed to tie things up at 2-2 in the fourth inning thanks to an RBI single by Calvin Stanczyk.
• James Stout delivered the key hit of the game in the fifth when he drove in Kye Ward and Chairez, who both walked to start the frame, with a single up the middle to give Southwest a 4-2 lead.
• In the sixth, an RBI triple by Austin Maiden followed by a sacrifice fly from Juan Carlos Rodriguez Jr. provided late insurance to ultimately five Southwest the 6-2 victory.

NOTABLES

• Five different Southwest players tallied a hit to contribute to the team victory, and Stout tallied a game-high two RBIs with his game-winning hit in the fifth.
• Chairez managed to draw walks in both of this at bats and score runs each time.
• For Midwest, Brady Rallo (2-for-3) and Gambino (2-for-2) turned in multi-hit performances.
• Southwest starting pitcher Sheriff Hall fanned a game-high four batters in 3.2 innings pitched. Koenig took over in relief and tossed 1.1 scoreless innings to earn the win, and then Ayden White closed the game by tossing the last two frames in shutout fashion to pick up the save.
• Midwest starting pitcher Gavin McGee was saddled with the loss after surrendering four runs on three hits in 4.0 innings. Tighe Brown III hurled two innings out of the bullpen and gave up two runs on as many hits.
• This marks Southwest Stars’ 10th gold medal and 17th all-time medal at the NTIS Champions Cup, and this is its second gold medal at the 15U level.

16U GOLD MEDAL GAME - MIDWEST STRIPES 2, SW STRIPES 0

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Midwest Stripes broke through in the bottom of the third when Isaiah Snavely roped an RBI triple to right-center, scoring the game’s first run. Cole Chambers followed with a sacrifice fly to plate Ryan Murphy, giving Midwest a 2-0 lead.
• Southwest threatened in the top of the fourth as Ryan Burgess tallied his team’s first hit of the day and advanced to second on a wild pitch, but the Midwest defense held strong to keep the shutout intact.
• In the bottom half, Ahvyance Taylor singled before he was caught stealing second, and Cruz Winegarden doubled to keep the pressure on, but the score remained 2-0. Meanwhile, Midwest starting pitcher Murphy dominated on the mound, striking out nine over five shutout innings while allowing just three hits and one walk.
• Southwest looked to rally in the sixth when Seth Young reached on a walk from reliever Cooper Sanders, but a flyout to center turned into a double play after Young was caught off first, preserving Midwest’s lead.
• A final push from Southwest in the seventh wasn’t enough, as the Midwest pitching staff proved too much to overcome, sealing the 2-0 victory and the gold medal.

NOTABLES

• Taylor led the Midwest offense with a 2-for-3 performance, while Chambers added a hit in two at-bats and an RBI.
• Murphy tossed 5.0 scoreless innings for Midwest, surrendering just three hits and one walk while striking out a game-high nine batters. The Midwest pitching staff combined for 11 total strikeouts in the contest.
• Southwest’s Burgess went 2-for-3 at the plate, recording the team’s first hit in the fourth inning and advancing to second on a wild pitch.
• The Midwest defense came up big in the sixth inning, turning a flyout into a double play to erase a Southwest baserunner and keep the shutout intact.
• This marks Midwest Stripes’ third consecutive gold medal victory in the 16U NTIS Champions Cup.

16U SEMIFINAL ROUNDUPS

Midwest Stripes 6, Northwest Stripes 3

Midwest Stripes punched their ticket to the gold medal game with a 6-3 win over the Northwest Stripes, powered by a complete-game performance from Ethan Copher. Despite Colton Kocher’s perfect 2-for-2 day at the plate, four Northwest errors proved costly as Midwest held firm to seal the victory.

Southwest Stripes 3, Midwest Stars 1

In a defensive duel featuring seven strikeouts apiece, Southwest’s late surge at the plate secured a gold medal game berth. Oliver Allen paced the Stripes with a 2-for-3 outing, while Landon Sanderson dominated early for the Stars, fanning six through seven innings before surrendering the decisive runs in the final frame.

BRONZE MEDAL ROUNDUPS

In the 16U bronze medal game, the Northwest Stripes topped the Midwest Stars 6-4 to secure a podium finish. Northwest struck first in the fourth, loading the bases on three straight hits before Gregory Hernandez’s RBI single sparked a three-run inning. Midwest answered in the bottom half with a sacrifice bunt to make it 3-1. Two runs both scored on wild pitches in the sixth extended the Stripes’ lead, but the Stars battled back with two runs of their own to pull within 5-3. Charles Preston’s double in the seventh put him in position to eventually score on a wild pitch, and Northwest’s bullpen held strong to seal the win.

In the 15U bronze medal game, the Northwest Stripes defeated the Southeast Stars 4-3 to capture its first medal at the age level since 2019. Northwest took an early lead on sacrifice fly by Riley Shumpert in the first, then plated three runs on as many hits in the third to extend its lead to 4-0. Southeast responded in the bottom frame by scoring on a wild pitch and RBI groundout to cut its deficit in half at 4-2, and then Jocquez Lucious’ RBI single made it a one-run game in the fourth. Jaxson Thrower tossed three shutout innings in relief to hold off Southeast, allowing just one hit while striking out five batters, to give his team the victory.