Bracket play is underway at the 16U Champs NC tournament at the USA Baseball National Training Complex. With two first-round matchups followed by the quarterfinals, there was no shortage of action. Read below to catch up on today’s excitement.
Top Tier Select 3, FTB Phillies 2028 2
Top Tier Select did it again. After winning via walk-off in their last contest, they recaptured victory once more in dramatic fashion. After being held scoreless through six innings and trailing by two runs, Top Tier Select broke through in the bottom of the seventh. Brody McDavid got things going with a single, then back-to-back strikeouts put them in a pinch. Mason Biernacki came through in a pivotal moment with the game on the line, and roped an RBI double and cut the deficit to one. Miles Mazanowski’s single brought home Biernacki and tied the game at two to force extra innings. Johnny Louise came up clutch for his squad on the mound and kept FTB Phillies from scoring going into the bottom half of the eighth. Louise’s monster day on the mound included nine strikeouts over five innings without allowing a run or hit. Kameron Cox was the hero in the end and smacked the game-winning RBI double to advance his squad to the quarterfinals.
Wow Factor National 3, Canes Midwest National 1
A low-scoring affair during the second matchup of the first round saw Wow Factor National emerge victorious. Wow Factor National capitalized on all their opportunities, having scored three runs on three hits. Canes Midwest National grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the first inning after Brady Rallo’s RBI single brought teammate Andrew Noble home. Their lead would hold until the bottom of the third inning, where Austin Maiden recorded an RBI single, which scored Anthony Huaranga. A defensive miscue on the play allowed Madden Pike to score and gave Wow Factor National a 2-1 advantage. The following inning, Wow Factor added the final run of the contest after a Chase Alonso RBI single. Four consecutive three-up, three-down innings were crucial in helping Wow Factor National advance into the quarterfinals.
Alpha Prime 2028 9, Top Tier Select 1
Alpha Prime improved to 4-0 and into the semifinals after a dominant 9-1 win over Top Tier Select. After a pair of scoreless innings for both teams, Alpha Prime saw three consecutive batters reach base in the bottom of the third. Landon King was hit by a pitch to bring in the first run of the contest. Isaac Schroeder followed up with a massive three-RBI double to extend the lead to 4-0 before Mason Harris’ RBI double, which sent Schroeder home, capping off a five-run inning. Top Tier Select answered in the fourth, driving in a run off a Mason Biernacki RBI double. But Alpha Prime responded, adding two more runs in the bottom of the fourth to bump their lead to 7-1. Once more in the sixth, they posted a two-run inning to end the game via mercy rule.
SBA Bolts National 7, Wow Factor National 1
It was all SBA Bolts National in a 7-1 victory over Wow Factor National. At the bottom of the first frame, a passed ball gave SBA Bolts National an early 1-0 lead. A big two-out rally in the third inning saw Hudson Simmons single to get on base before Ivan Andino’s RBI double brought him home. Martinez came through again, this time roping an RBI single to bring home Andino and give SBA Bolts National a 3-0 advantage. An inning later, SBA Bolts National got three consecutive runners on base, and with two outs, Jacob Reynolds swung on the first pitch of his at-bat and blasted a grand slam into the trees behind the left field wall. The Reynolds blast gave SBA Bolts National a commanding 7-0 lead. Wow Factor National attempted to scratch their way back into the game and added a run during the top of the sixth, but it wouldn’t be enough, and SBA Bolts National held on to remain undefeated and advance to the semifinals.
Atlanta Braves Scout Team 17, STIX 2028 Scout 8
There was no shortage of offense in this action-packed, back-and-forth thriller between the Atlanta Braves Scout Team and STIX 2028 Scout. A combined 25 runs, 22 hits, 19 RBIs, and 17 walks were accounted for in this loaded quarterfinals matchup. A wild top half of the first inning saw the Atlanta Braves Scout Team draw a pair of walks and hit-by-pitches before Joseph Nystrom’s RBI single gave them a 1-0 edge. STIX 2028 Scout responded, having three consecutive reach base safely in the bottom of the first and tying the game at one apiece following an RBI single from James Siegler. The second inning saw both teams mirror one another once more, as two runs were added for each team. After preventing the Atlanta Braves Scout Team from scoring in the third, they added three more runs. Giving STIX 2028 Scout their first lead of the game, Zach Barnes launched a solo home run, then Truman Shelton’s RBI double and Siegler’s RBI walk gave them a 6-3 advantage through three. But the Atlanta Braves Scout Team wouldn’t be denied; two triples by Rylan Jenkins and Isaiah Cador would once again even the game. Riding the momentum, the Atlanta Braves Scout Team rallied and put up 11 runs over the final three innings while only allowing two, swinging their way into the semifinals.
ZT National Prospects 16U 3, USA Prime National/Detroit Tigers Underclass 0
ZT National Prospects’ defense was the story of the game. A no-hitter, shutout to advance to the semifinals was led by pitchers Nathaniel Maldonado and Maximo Ruiz. Maldonado went four innings and struck out six while Ruiz pitched the final three with a pair of punchouts. The offense, on the other hand, was hard to find, as ZT National Prospects only found three hits. The first three frames went scoreless before Angel Gonzalez drew a walk and Zain Valdivia drove him home to take a 1-0 lead. Then, in the sixth, Gonzalez reached base again with a single, and Zion Avina got hit by a pitch. Valdivia came through once again with a two-RBI single to add a pair of insurance runs to keep the game out of reach.
