SARASOTA, Fla. - Highlighted by a Jackson Holliday (Stillwater, Okla.) solo home run, the Stars scored seven unanswered runs in game three of the 2021 18U National Team Trials to take down the Stripes, 7-4, and take a 2-1 trials series lead on Monday afternoon at the Buck O’Neill Complex in Sarasota, Florida.

The Stripes got on the board first, scoring four runs in the top of the third to take an early 4-0 lead. The Stars then cut the deficit to one with three runs of their own in the bottom of the fourth before breaking the contest open with four runs in the fifth, highlighted by a Termarr Johnson (Atlanta, Ga.) sacrifice fly that tied the game and a two-RBI single off the bat of Paxton Kling (Roaring Spring, Pa.).

Holliday (1-for-2), whose homer marked the first of the 2021 18U Trials, led the Stars offense in the comeback victory. In addition to his two RBIs, Kling (1-for-2) also scored a run of his own and drew a walk in the win. The Stripes offense was paced by Gavin Kilen (Milton, Wis.), who went 2-for-3 with a run scored, and Gavin Guidry (Lake Charles, La.), who picked up two RBIs and a run scored in the loss.

Louis Rodriguez (Long Beach, Calif.) earned the win after tossing three scoreless innings of relief for the Stars, allowing just three hits and one walk while striking out three. Cole Phillips (Boerne, Texas) allowed five earned runs in 1.2 innings and was tagged with the loss.

Key Moments

• A leadoff single off the bat of Adonys Guzman (Valley Cottage, N.Y.) got the Stripes offense rolling in the top of the third. Kilen followed one batter later with his own single to put two runners on for Mikey Romero (Menifee, Calif.) who laced a double down the left field line to bring in Guzman and give the Stripes a 1-0 lead.
• Guidry immediately added two more with a double of his own to left, giving the Stripes a 3-0 lead in the third.
• Guidry then added another run in the inning for the Stripes when he advanced to third on a Druw Jones (Suwanee, Ga.) ground out and came home on a wild pitch to make it a 4-0 game.
• Jayson Jones (Savannah, Texas) got the Stars on the board in the bottom of the fourth when he reached base and advanced to second on a Stripes error, then got to third base and crossed home plate on wild pitches.
• Holliday then immediately cut the Stripes lead in half with a solo home run over the right field wall.
• The Stars took advantage of another Stripes error to plate one more in the inning and make it a 4-3 game.
• In the fifth inning, a leadoff walk to Owen Murphy (Riverside, Ill.) and back-to-back one-out hit-by-pitches loaded the bases for the Stars, and Johnson brought in Murphy with a sacrifice fly that tied the game at four runs apiece.
• A walk to Holliday one batter later loaded the bases once again and Kling knocked a two-RBI single into left that gave the Stars a 6-4 lead.
• The Stars would go on to add one more in the inning to take a commanding 7-4 lead that they would not relinquish, holding the Stripes scoreless in the final two innings to secure the victory.

Notable Information

• Holliday’s longball was the first of the 2021 18U Trials.
• Stars starter Jack O’Connor (Arlington, Va.) and relievers Rodriguez and Blake Mitchell (Sinton, Texas) combined to record eight strikeouts in the win, bringing the Stars pitching staff’s total punchouts to 32 through three games..
• The Stars’ Walker Jenkins (Oak Island, N.C.) and the Stripes’ Kilen, Guzman, and Druw Jones have all recorded three hits in the first three games of the trials series.
• Mitchell (2-for-4) and Kilen (3-for-6) are both hitting .500 so far in the series for the Stars and Stripes, respectively.
• The Stars now lead the 2021 18U Trials series 2-1 after they took game one on Friday, August 27, and the Stripes claimed game two on Sunday, August 29.
• The 2021 18U National Team will be announced on Tuesday, August 31, following the final trials game.

On Deck

• August 31: Stars vs. Stripes (12:00 p.m. EDT; Sarasota, Fla.; Buck O'Neill Complex)

Social

• Stay tuned to @USABaseball18U on Twitter for the most up-to-date news about the 18U National Team.