The quarterfinal round of the 16U National Team Championships North Carolina brought high-stakes action and standout performances to the USA Baseball’s National Training Complex in Cary. As teams battled for a spot in the semifinals, the energy on the field matched the intensity of championship aspirations. From clutch hitting to dominant pitching, each matchup delivered its share of drama and highlight-worthy moments. Here’s a full recap of the quarterfinal games as the road to the title narrows and the competition heats up.

Stacked Baseball 2, Indiana Bulls Black 1

In a tight quarterfinal matchup, Stacked National did just enough on both sides of the ball, edging Indiana Bulls Black 2-1 to punch its ticket to the semifinals. Brady Guth sparked the offense from the jump, going 2-for-3 and scoring both of Stacked’s runs. He led off the third with a single, then came around to score on a line drive RBI single from Ricardo Hurtado to break the scoreless tie. Two innings later, Guth ripped a double to set the table once again. Angel Delgado followed with a single to center, and Hurtado capitalized with a sacrifice fly to give Stacked a 2-0 lead. Indiana Bulls threatened late in the sixth, stringing together back-to-back singles from Drake McClurg – who finished 2-for-4 – and Isaiah Snavely. Mason Meyer followed with an RBI single to cut the lead in half, but the Stacked pitching staff slammed the door. The group combined for five strikeouts and allowed just one earned run, holding off the Bulls’ push and preserving the win.

PRD 2027’s 2, Texas Twelve Red Sox 1

PRD 2027’s relied on late-inning execution and dominant pitching to shut down the Texas Twelve Red Sox, 2-1. Texas struck early in the second after Cash McWhorter was hit by a pitch and moved to third on a sharp single to right by Karson Scholz. Luke Hardy brought him home with a sacrifice fly, giving the Red Sox an early 1-0 lead – but it would be the only run they managed to scratch all game. PRD starter Wyatt Plyler kept his team within striking distance, striking out six over four solid innings while limiting the damage to just one earned run. Momentum came in the fifth, when Evan Paul worked a walk and Dante Matarese followed with a deep fly ball to center for an RBI double, tying the game at one run each. Two innings later, PRD delivered the knockout blow. Bryan Ravelo led off the seventh with a single down the left field line, and Paul, who had sparked the rally earlier, came through again with a base hit to bring Ravelo around and give PRD a 2-1 lead. From there, Michael Fekete took control on the mound, tossing three no-hit innings with four strikeouts and slamming the door in the bottom of the seventh to secure the win.

Canes Midwest 6, Wow Factor 0

Canes Midwest continues its postseason surge with a dominant 6-0 shutout over Wow Factor, punching its ticket to the semifinals behind a lights-out performance from Cash Muzzy. The right-hander was nearly untouchable, striking out nine over six shutout innings and holding Wow Factor to just four hits on the day. Following back-to-back walks, Carson Leuthauser laced a two-run single into center field to give Canes the early lead in the top of the fourth. Blake Ragsdale followed with a double down the third-base line, and pinch runner Gunnar Wade later came around to score on a wild pitch, stretching the lead to 3-0. Canes kept the pressure on in the sixth. After two more walks, Rocco Bucci came home on a throwing error, and Leuthauser added another run on a perfectly executed sacrifice bunt by Tyler Denny. Tyler Fryman capped the inning with an RBI single, making it 6-0. Wow Factor never found its footing offensively, stranding runners and failing to generate momentum against Muzzy. He slammed the door in the bottom of the sixth, striking out the side to end any hopes of a comeback.

SBA Bolts Robbins 11, South Charlotte Panthers 4

SBA Bolts Robbins cruised to an 11-4 victory over the South Charlotte Panthers behind impressive performances on both sides of the plate from Aaron Garcia and Kaden Nichols. From the mound Nichols was fantastic, tossing six innings of scoreless baseball. The flamethrower knocked down five batters while only walking two in his appearance on the bump. On the other side of the dish, Garcia smacked home a whopping five RBIs. Garcia started his stellar performance early with a hard-hit two-RBI grounder to right field in the bottom of the first inning. He continued his dominant performance tacking on two RBI singles and a groundout that pushed a run home. Garcia finished his outing going 3-for-4 with a game-high five RBIs while scoring a run of his own. The SBA Bolts are tabbed to take on Stacked Baseball which is a matchup that is sure to provide plenty of firepower throughout the contest.