CARY, N.C. – The USA Baseball Collegiate National Team’s Stars vs. Stripes series continued on Monday at the National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina, with a doubleheader. The first game was a lopsided contest, which saw the Stars tally 18 runs on as many hits, while the Stripes shut out the Stars in the nightcap with a 3-0 victory. Both squads are now 1-0-1 through the first three games of the series.
GAME ONE – STARS 18, STRIPES 4
The first game of the doubleheader went to the Stars after they tallied 18 runs on as many hits. Six different players turned in multi-hit outings, including Roch Cholowsky (UCLA), AJ Gracia (Virginia), and Zion Rose (Louisville), who all tallied three hits each.
For the second consecutive game, Chris Rembert (Auburn) put the Stripes on the board early when he launched a 444-foot home run on the first pitch of the game.
The Stars quickly answered with a pair of runs on four hits to take their first lead of the series. Lucas Moore (Louisville) led off with a single to left field and scored on Cholowsky’s double to left field to knot the score at 1-1. Gracia and Rose then tallied back-to-back hits on one out to take a 2-1 lead.
In the top of the second inning, a wild pitch tied things back up a 2-2, but the Stars scored six runs on four hits in the bottom frame to take their lead back. With Tyler Bell (Kentucky) and Vahn Lackey (Georgia Tech) in scoring position following a leadoff walk, outfield single, and sacrifice bunt, Cholowsky, Eric Becker (Virginia), and Gracia all hit run-scoring singles to bring in three runs. The final three runs were added to the board due to a modified scoring system, which is used to achieve load management and limit potential injury.
Tague Davis (Louisville) managed to respond for the Stripes in the third with a 2-RBI single to right field, driving in Rembert and Myles Bailey (Florida State) after they both reached via a walk to make the score 8-4. But, once again, the Stars put up another big inning by stringing together six hits to score six runs, which was capped off my Mulivai Levu’s (UCLA) three-run home run. Levu managed to lead all players in the contest with four RBIs.
The Stripes’ final runs of the game came in the sixth inning, and Rose once again delivered for his team by roping a 2-RBI double down the left field line with the bases loaded. The final two runs of the game were added on due to the modified scoring system.
On the bump, the Stars trio of Owen Kramkowsi (Arizona), Gabe Gaeckle (Arkansas), and Jacob Dudan (NC State) combined four shutout innings. Kramkowski fanned three batters in his two innings pitched. In the Stripes bullpen, Ryan McPherson (Mississippi State), Cole Gibler (Arkansas), and Easton Hawk (UCLA), each threw a scoreless inning.
GAME TWO – STRIPES 3, STARS 0
Game two of the doubleheader was all Stripes as they earned a 3-0 win over the Stars to even the series. The first three innings were scoreless between both teams until Davis launched a 434-foot home run in the fourth inning to break the ice.
The Stripes doubled their lead in the sixth inning when they capitalized on a defensive miscue when the Stars attempted to turn a double play with runners at first and second. Then Alex Hernandez (Georgia Tech) added a late run for the Stripes in the seventh when his RBI double drove in Noah Franco (TCU) after he led off the frame with an outfield single.
Rose led all players with a 3-for-3 performance and has tallied eight hits through three games of the series. On the bump, the Stripes pitching staff of Dax Whitney (Oregon State), Smith Bailey (Arizona), AJ Ciscar (Miami), Tomas Valincius (Virginia), and James Guyette (Kansas) combined for the shutout and tallied seven strikeouts in the win. On the Stars staff, Blake Morningstar (Wake Forest) and Cole Carlon (Arizona State) both had scoreless outings.
USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team Training Camp Stars vs. Stripes series will continue on Tuesday, July 1, at the National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina, for Collectors Night. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. ET, and the contest will be streamed on USABaseball.TV.
For the most up-to-date information on the Collegiate National Team, visit USABaseball.com and follow @USABaseballCNT and @USABaseball on Twitter/X, and @USABaseball on Instagram.
