CARY, N.C. – Team Blue led wire-to-wire to pick up its first win of the 2022 12U National Team Trials Blue vs. Red series, 7-2, over Team Red on Thursday morning at Thomas Brooks Park in Cary, North Carolina.
The Team Blue offense got started quickly in the win, scoring five runs in a three-inning span. Jordan Leon (Northridge, Calif.) got the scoring started with an RBI groundout to plate Braiden Miller (Waterford, Va.), and Josiah Park (Fullerton, Calif.) followed with an RBI double to keep the momentum going. Leon later delivered a two-run double in the fourth as Team Blue began to pull away en route to its first win of the series.
Leon had a game-high three RBIs for Team Blue, continuing to pace the offense as he has all series long. Park’s two-hit output was the high mark for Team Blue, which also got two runs scored from Miller. For Team Red, Alexander Bello (Orlando, Fla.) had two hits to lead the charge. Cristian Matos (Belleville, N.J.) drew a pair of walks and had the lone RBI for Team Red, also scoring one of the team’s two runs.
Graham Huffstetler (Charlotte, N.C.) pitched two innings of relief to earn the victory. Huffstetler did not surrender any hits and allowed just one baserunner to reach via the walk, striking out a pair of batters. Colton Pettinato (Charleston, S.C.) suffered the loss for Team Blue, giving up three runs in three innings of work.
KEY MOMENTS
- Anthony Frausto (New Braunfels, Texas) looked to get the Team Red offense going early with a two-out double in the first inning, but he was stranded at third to end the top of the first.
- Team Blue’s offense got to work in the second inning, scoring the game’s first two runs. Miller started the inning with a double down the right field line and later scored on Leon’s RBI ground out to give Team Blue a 1-0 lead.
- With two outs in the second inning and Colin Anderson (Evans, Ga.) standing on third, Park hit a double to right-center field to get Anderson home and make it a 2-0 advantage for Team Blue.
- Major Ciers (Conroe, Texas) scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the third to give Team Blue a 3-0 edge.
- Ethan Orozco (Chula Vista, Calif.) singled to lead off Team Blue’s fourth and Miller walked before both came around to score on a two-run double by Leon, extending Team Blue’s lead to 5-0.
- The Team Blue advantage grew to six in the bottom of the sixth, when Anthony Ramon (Phoenix, Ariz.) doubled and later scored on an RBI groundout by Miller.
- Team Red was aggressive on the basepaths to get on the board for the first time in the seventh. Matos walked and Alan Parker (Wake Forest, N.C.) singled to put runners on the corners, and a double steal plated Matos to make it a 6-1 game in favor of Team Blue.
- Team Blue returned the favor with a double steal of its own in the bottom of the seventh, putting Landon King (San Mateo, Calif.) and Park in motion to grab a run and make it a 7-1 lead.
- Matos drew a bases-loaded walk to give Team Red its second run on the day and get them within five runs at 7-2.
- Anderson locked down the win for Team Blue, pitching a scoreless ninth to secure the victory.
NOTABLE INFORMATION
- With the win, Team Blue improves its Blue vs. Red series record to 1-2. Team Red dropped its first game of Trials to fall to 2-1.
- With two more hits on Thursday, Team Red’s Bello now leads all of Trials with a .714 (5-for-7) average.
Leon raised his Trials batting average to .571 (4-for-7) in the win, and has now driven in four runs in the series for Team Blue. - Ciers became the sixth player to pitch for Team Blue and not allow a run through the first three games of the series.
- With three more stolen bases on Thursday, Team Red is now 9-for-10 on stolen bases in the series.
- Each side only committed one error in the game, raising their fielding percentages to .978 (Team Blue) and .971 (Team Red).
ON DECK
- Friday, July 1: Red vs. Blue (8:00 a.m. ET; Thomas Brooks Park)
SOCIAL MEDIA
- Stay tuned to @USABaseball12U on Twitter for the most up-to-date news about the 2022 12U National Team Trials.
