Day one of 16U Champs NC was filled with plenty of action. Despite the lengthy rain delay, twelve games including multiple shutouts, near no-hitters and nail-biting matchups made for another great day of baseball.

ZT National Prospects 3, Top Tier Select 0

Cash Wiltgen had a day on the mound for ZT National Prospects, as he threw nine punchouts, allowed just three hits and no runs while recording a complete, shutout game. Three players made up ZT Nationals six hits, with Angel Gonzalez, Zion Avina, and Ryan Gates all recording two apiece. An RBI walk put ZT National in front in the third, followed by an RBI ground out and an RBI single in the fifth and sixth frames.

Team Elite 4, Dirtbags 2028 National 4

Chase White stole the show early for the Dirtbags 2028 National, striking out eight of nine through three innings. Teammate Thomas Piscorik gave them the lead after his 360 ft two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth to begin the scoring. Team Elite responded in the fifth, adding a run off of a wild pitch before Dirtbags bumped their lead following an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth. After trading a pair of runs each, Breck Hemphill’s two-RBI double in the top of the seventh tied the game at four.

Arizona Diamondbacks Scout Team 4, Performance Baseball 3

Performance Baseball came out swinging to start the game as, Landon Bonner roped an RBI triple to right field to give them an early edge. The following inning, Ethan Smith singled and Mason Bryant’s RBI double gave Performance Baseball a 2-0 lead. The Arizona Diamondbacks Scout Team responded quickly, scoring a run in the third, and two in the fourth to take a 3-2 lead before Performance Baseball evened the game at three apiece in the fifth. Ultimately, it was Carter Moon’s RBI single in the sixth which gave the Arizona Diamondbacks Scout Team the 4-3 advantage.

SBA Bolts National 2028 10, FTB Phillies 16U 2

A walk and a hit-by-pitch put two runners on early for FTB Phillies, before Braiden Miller’s two-RBI double gave them a 2-0 advantage. It would also be the only hit that the FTB Phillies recorded as SBA Bolts National's pitching took control the rest of the way. It wasn’t until the fifth and sixth where SBA Bolts National found their rhythm, as they put up six runs in the fifth and three more in the sixth to close out the contest via run rule. SBA Bolts National’s relievers, Grayson Broadway and Brayden Krakowski pitched a combined five innings, striking out nine and not allowing a hit in that span.

PRD 2, Texas Twelve Red Sox 0

A low-scoring affair between PRD and Texas Twelve Red Sox got started with PRD’s Jaden Freeze roping a double in the first before Jason Marll Jr. knocked an RBI single bringing Freeze home and giving PRD a 1-0 advantage. The following inning, PRD added their second and final run of the game on a gutsy home plate steal by Kaleb Foster. The pitching duo of Rory Funke and Carter Culbreth combined for six strikeouts and just one hit allowed.

Alpha Prime 2028 2, Wow Factor National 1

Another matchup with few runs recorded saw all three runs occur in the second frame. In the top half, Alpha Prime scored off of a pair of doubles from Mason Harris and Miles Cornell. In the bottom half, Wow Factor National’s Kobe Reese reached on a fielder’s choice and brought home teammate Hank Drew on the play. Alpha Prime’s Riley Salvemini had a stellar outing in relief, notching five strikeouts in two innings without allowing a hit or run to help close out the game.

Atlanta Braves Scout Team 1, STIX 2028 Scout 0

The lowest scoring matchup of the day featured just one run courtesy of an RBI sac fly from Liam Collier in the bottom of the fourth. The contest only featured six combined hits — five of which came from the Atlanta Braves Scout Team. Getting the start, Ty Howard helped deliver the shutout, throwing five strikeouts and allowing only one hit across five innings of action.

Canes National 5, SC Panthers 2028 Marucci 2

Canes National topped SC Panthers 2028 Marucci in an exciting contest. The Canes National’s Bryan Mesa had a great performance at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a two-run home run and two RBIs. Following the home run, Canes National went up 3-0, and the SC Panthers answered with two runs in the top of the sixth. Their comeback attempt would fall short, as Canes National added a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth to go up 5-2.

Wow Factor National 9, PRD 3

Wow Factor National rolled to a 9-3 win over PRD behind big days at the plate from several players including Austin Maiden, Ty Madden, and Carter Sizemore. The trio combined for six hits, five runs, and five RBIs to lift their squad to victory. They stayed in control throughout the course of the game, going up 6-0 into the sixth inning before a halted comeback attempt from PRD brought the game within three runs. Wow Factor National added three more runs in the top of the seventh to secure the win.

Alpha Prime 2028 6, Texas Twelve Red Sox 0

Alpha Prime cruised to their second win of the day in shutout fashion over Texas Twelve Red Sox by a score of 6-0. The contest went scoreless through three innings until Alpha Prime broke through with a two-RBI single from Jack Carpenter. In the following inning, they recorded a four-run inning to put the game out of reach, credited to a critical two-RBI triple by KJ Henrich.

Canes Midwest National 6, Jason Kidd Select 5

A back-and-forth game saw a dramatic end in walkoff fashion, as Andrew Noble scored off a wild pitch in the bottom of the seventh to give his team the win. Jason Kidd Select struck first with Mikey Batiste drawing an RBI walk in the opening inning. The lead would hold until the Canes Midwest National exploded for a five-run fourth inning to take the lead. Jason Kidd Select responded strongly, with a four-run fifth frame to tie the game at five.

EBC-Britcliffe 16U 4, USA Prime National 3

EBC Britcliffe survived a rally from USA Prime National to pick up the 4-3 victory. EBC scored all four runs in the top of the second off of a pair of RBI singles and an RBI groundout. In the bottom of the fourth, USA Prime National began to claw their way back in, scoring their first run on a passed ball followed by an RBI single to bring the game within two runs. A fifth inning RBI triple had the tying run at third, but the comeback ultimately fell short.