TOP TIER SELECT 12, TEAM ELITE 4

Nick Potter went 3-for-4 with three singles and three RBIs to lead Top Tier Select (4-1) to a 12-4 run-rule win over Team Elite (2-3) in the final round of consolation play at the 13U National Team Championships in North Carolina.

Team Elite scored the first two runs of the day in the top of the first off a sacrifice fly by Breck Hemphill and an RBI double by Brennan New. Top Tier responded in the bottom of the opening frame with four runs of its own. Two bases-loaded walks, a fielding error, and a sacrifice fly by Kai Torre made it 4-2 in favor of Top Tier after one inning of play. A scoreless second followed before Team Elite got a run back thanks to a sac fly from Colin Anderson. 

Team Elite made it 4-4 in the top of the fourth when Colton Dabkowski singled into right field and scored a runner from third. With the game tied heading into the bottom of the frame, Top Tier regained its lead after singles by Dylan Murphy and Potter and a double from Dylan Crowe that made it 7-4. Abram Decena doubled in the bottom of the fifth to make it 8-4 prior to a bases-loaded hit batter and walk scored two more runs for Top Tier. Potter and Carver Cruse each collected RBI singles to make the score 12-4 in favor of Top Tier and end the game in the fifth due to a run rule.

Decena turned in a 2-for-3 performance with a single, double, RBI, and three runs scored for the Top Tier offense. Darret Branson threw all 5.0 innings for Top Tier, striking out five batters and allowing six hits. New led the Team Elite offense, going 2-for-2 with a single, double, RBI, and run scored.

SCOTTSDALE DIRTBAGS 4, CANES WEST 13U 3

Scottsdale Dirtbags (4-1) earned a 4-3 walk-off win over Canes West 13U (1-3-1) in the final round of consolation play at the 13U National Team Championships in North Carolina.

Scottsdale got on the board in the second inning when Justin Tieman’s single to center field drove in Chase Gockenbach from second after he led off the inning with a base hit through the left side. Canes knotted the score in the fourth when Eli Martinez reached base on a double to left field and was doubled in on Kingston Sinner’s double to left field.

In the sixth, Scottsdale took its lead back when Mason Smith and Makhi Kirschner crossed home plate on wild pitches in consecutive at-bats, but Canes once again tied things up in the top of the seventh when Josiah Park’s single to right field and a walk with the bases loaded made it 3-3 heading into the final frame.

Gockenbach came up clutch for his team when he scored the game-winning run to secure the 4-3 walk-off victory. He led off the side with a base hit, stole second, moved to third on a wild pitch, then came home on Ben Jacobus’s single up the middle.

At the plate, Gockenbach led all players with a 3-for-3 outing and two runs scored, and Jacobus (2-for-3, RBI) also turned in a multi-hit performance for Scottsdale Dirtbags. Martinez and Sinner tallied two hits apiece for Canes West 13U to combine for four of the team’s six runs.

Kirschner was credited with the win after tossing the final inning of the game, while Dylan Lincicum was saddled with the loss after giving up the game-winning run in the seventh.

CALI NATIONAL BASEBALL ACADEMY 9, AZ RUNNERS SCOUT TEAM 1

Cali National Baseball Academy exploded for nine runs in a three-inning span to beat the AZ Runners Scout Team, 9-1, in consolation action at the 13U National Team Championships in North Carolina.

Cali scored early and often on Thursday, cracking the scoreboard in the second on an RBI single by Sam Wagner. The second run came home on a double play that plated Logan Pena to make it 2-0.

Cali National added another two runs in the top of the third when Brock Rainis smacked a two-run double to center field and put Cali in front 4-0. The offense continued in the top of the fourth, as Hudson Hempel scored on an error and Alan Montes hit an RBI single to make it 7-0. Dane Thornton followed with a hard-hit double and a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch brought home Pietro Rose as Cali National’s lead grew to nine.

Ty Chambless hit an RBI double to get AZ on the board in the bottom of the fourth, but that was all the team could muster as Cali held on for the 9-1 victory.

Nine different players registered a hit in Cali’s win, including Rainis, who drove in a game-high two runs and drew a walk. Thornton also had a hit, RBI, and run scored. For AZ, Chambless went 2-for-2 with an RBI.

Juan Sandoval tossed 4.0 innings and allowed just one run, punching out five to earn the win for Cali. Ryan Morales suffered the loss after allowing four runs in 3.0 frames.

PREMIER-NATIONAL 4, DIRTBAGS NATIONAL 0

Hunter Heinrich went 2-for-3 with two singles to lead Premier-National (2-3-0) to a 4-0 win over Dirtbags National (1-4-0) in consolation play at the 2023 13U National Team Championships in North Carolina.

With the win, Premier-National collects its second victory of the event. 

Caleb Cardenas got things started for Premier-National in the bottom of the second with an RBI single that plated the first run of the contest for either squad. Premier-National collected another run in the bottom of the third when an infield error by Dirtbags allowed Levi Kerr to score from third to make it 2-0 after reaching on a single to start the inning. A Tristan Gaines RBI single and an RBI groundout by Jack Doss each plated a run in the bottom of the sixth inning to make it 4-0 in favor of Premier-National. Asher Chapa entered the game in the top of the seventh and struck out two batters to secure the 4-0 shutout victory for Premier-National.

Lukas Metzen threw 6.0 scoreless innings, striking out three batters while allowing just three hits. Kerr went 2-for-3 with two base hits and a run scored for the Premier-National offense. Liam Skeen went 1-for-3 with a double for Dirtbags National.

STACKED 9, DULINS DODGERS PRIME 5

Blake Barberena went 2-for-2 with an RBI and run scored as Stacked (2-2-1) picked up a 9-5 win over Dulins Dodgers Prime (1-4) to wrap up the 13U National Team Championships in North Carolina.

Stacked got the scoring started in the top of the second, taking advantage of a pair of errors to bring home Barbarena and Jesse Lopez.

A five-run top of the third helped Stacked build a bigger lead and begin to pull away. After a bases-loaded walk made it 3-0, Enzo Recalde singled home a run to make it a four-run lead. Grayson Thomas followed by drawing a bases-loaded walk, followed by an RBI knock by Barbarena and an error to make it 7-0.

Dulins chipped away, scoring three times in the bottom of the third. After a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch plated their opening run, Cason Howard singled home a run and Baylor Shaw walked with the bases full to make it 7-3. Stacked increased its lead to five on a groundout in the top of the fourth, but Dulins crept even closer in the bottom half on a two-run error to make it 8-5.

Stacked then scored on a sacrifice fly by Tyler Fritz to add an insurance run in the fifth and held on to pick up the 9-5 victory.

In addition to Barbarena's two-hit day, Recalde added a 1-for-3 day with an RBI. Four different players picked up a hit for Dulins, and Shaw drew two walks and drove in a run.

On the mound, Stacked starter Owen Eteuati Edwards threw 3.0 innings and allowed three runs. Jacob Bryson started for Dulins and allowed seven runs (three earned) to suffer the loss.

LAMORINDA TITANS 6, ARKANSAS WARRIORS 4

Bryce Farris went 2-for-3 with a single, a triple, and two RBIs to lead Lamorinda Titans (1-4) to a 6-4 victory over Arkansas Warriors (0-5) in the final game of consolation play at the 2023 13U National Team Championships in North Carolina.

With the win, Lamorinda Titans collects its first win of the event.

Lamorinda got things started in the first when a fielding error by Arkansas and a Jacob Hinojosa RBI single made it 2-0. Hudson Roach picked up a single that scored the first run of the day for Arkansas in the bottom of the second. In the top of the third, Farris hit an RBI single into right that made it 3-1 in favor of Lamorinda. Arkansas narrowed the Lamorinda lead in the bottom of the fourth when Jackson McDonald ripped a double to center that scored another and made it 3-2. Lamorinda extended the lead in the top of the fifth with three runs on a Jack Carpenter single, a Farris triple, and a steal home on an attempted pickoff that made it 6-2. Jackson Hood provided a two-run triple in the bottom of the seventh for Arkansas, but Gavin McMillan struck out the final batter of the game to secure the 6-4 win for Lamorinda Titans.

McMillan went 1-for-4 with a single and struck out six batters in a complete game for Lamorinda. Blaine Van Hilsen threw 4.0 innings for Arkansas and struck out two batters. McDonald led Arkansas offensively, going 2-for-3 with a single and a double.

This concludes play at the 2023 13U National Team Championships in North Carolina.