CARY, N.C. – In the third game of the 15U National Team Training Camp, the Stripes plated runs in each of the first six innings to earn a 13-11 win over the Stars at the National Training Complex. With the win, the Stripes clinched the series.
Brady Harris got things going early, putting the Stripes on the board in the first with a solo shot to left field.
In the second the Stripes doubled their lead, as Carson Lane’s single through the left side drove in Kevin Roberts Jr. from second after he reached on an error to start the side.
The Stars took their first lead of the game in the third, scoring three runs on four hits to secure a narrow 3-2 advantage. Brandon Washington led off the inning with an outfield single, and then scored on James Tronstein’s triple to center field for the first run of the frame. Tronstein eventually crossed home plate on a wild pitch to knot the score at 2-2, and Trey Ebel plated the go-ahead run when he scored on a wild pitch after reaching on a triple to center field.
The Stripes responded in the bottom frame with a pair of runs to take its lead back at 4-3. Drew Davis started the side with a single to left field, stole second, advanced to third on a fielder’s choice, and scored on JC Pacheco’s sacrifice fly to center field. Harris, who reached on the fielder’s choice and moved to second on a Stars error, scored on Brody Jindra’s RBI single through the left side.
In the fourth, the Stripes extended their lead to 8-3. With runners at first and second, a defensive miscue by the Stars plated the first two runs of the frame, and then Nate Davis’ run-scoring single followed by Drew Davis’ RBI triple to right field brought the lead to five.
The Stars cut into their deficit in the fifth with three runs. After a pair of walks and stolen base put runners at the corners, an RBI groundout by Will Adams followed by an RBI triple from Jorvorskie Lane Jr. and a wild pitch cut the score to 8-6.
The Stripes made it a three-run game in the bottom half of the fifth when Pacheco roped a one-out triple to right field and then scored on Jindra’s base hit up the middle, but the Stars once again responded in the sixth with a run of their own thanks to JT Griod’s RBI triple to drive in Taytum Reeves after a two-base error started the inning.
A bases-loaded hit-by-pitch followed by a bases-clearing double from Garner Rodriguez plated four more runs for the Stripes in the bottom of the sixth, extending their lead to 13-7.
After two scoreless frames, the Stars battled back in the ninth with two runs to make the score 13-9. Tronstein reached on a hit-by-pitch, moved to second on a groundout, and scored on Adams’ single to left center to plate the first run. The other run came across on a bases-loaded RBI groundout.
The squad managed to plate two more runs in the 10th to cut its deficit to 13-11. Gavin Smith started the inning with a double to left field, and Oliver Minyard drew a walk to put runners on first and second. Washington’s sacrifice hit moved the runners into scoring position, and then a Tronstein RBI single followed by a double play brought them home.
Jindra led all players in the game with a 3-for-4 outing and an RBI, while five other players tallied two hits apiece. Samir Mohammed earned the win on the mound after tossing 4.0 innings and surrendering three earned runs in relief, while Will Grable was saddled with the loss after giving up two earned runs in the first 3.2 innings of the game.
The finale of the Stars vs. Stripes series is set for Saturday, August 5, at 11 a.m. at Coleman Field at the National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina. The contest will be streamed at USABaseball.TV, and live updates will be provided via Twitter at @USABaseball15U.
