CARY, N.C - Day one of the 2026 National High School Invitational presented by the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance and Netting Pros was full of exciting action. From complete-game shutout performances and matching tournament records, to red hot offenses and dominant wins, read up on the action below:
Trinity Christian 4, Edmond Memorial 3
Trinity Christian (Jacksonville, Fla). scored a pair of early runs and then held off a late Edmond Memorial (Edmond, Okla). rally in the seventh to win, 4-3, in the first game of the 2026 NHSI. Parker Loew got the scoring started for Trinity Christian in the bottom of the first, smoking an RBI double into left field to plate the game’s first run. Brady Harris added a second run for the Conquerors in the bottom of the third frame with a well-struck single back up the middle before Edmond Memorial answered back with a run of their own on an RBI knock by Logan Schmidt in the top half of the fourth. Harris and Aiden Arnett added two more runs with RBI hits for a pair of insurance runs for Trinity Christian to make it 4-1 in the sixth, which proved to be two key runs. Edmond Memorial put together a late rally in its final trip to the plate as back-to-back singles by Cooper Kardokus and Koen Isaacson put the tying run just 90 feet away, but Brennan Bachtell Jr. struck out the final batter of the game to secure the 4-3 win. Ethan Wheeler got the win for the Conquerors, pitching the first 6.2 innings and allowing four hits and three earned runs with 10 strikeouts.
Venice 10, Gloucester Catholic 0
Defending champion Venice (Venice, Fla.) opened its 2026 NHSI run with a dominant 10-0 run-rule win over Gloucester Catholic (Gloucester City, N.J.). Carter Cox threw a complete-game shutout with eight strikeouts, while four players, including Cox, turned in multi-hit performances to help the team combine for 11 hits in the game. The Indians scored two in the bottom of the first on a balk and RBI groundout with runners in scoring position, and then Randall Riley homered to left in the fourth to extend their lead to 3-0. In the fifth, a sac fly by RJ Shields followed by an RBI single from Cox in the fifth added to Venice’s lead, and then the offense tacked on five more runs in the sixth to seal its run-rule victory. Graham Houston and Jonathan Mauro laced back-to-back doubles to score the first three runs of the inning, and then Cox and Beau Daniel tallied back-to-back hits later in the frame to plate the final two runs. Randall led the way with a 3-for-3 outing with an RBI, while Cox, Houston, and Mauro tallied two hits apiece.
Orange Lutheran 3, Regis Jesuit 0
Three-time champion Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.) shut out Regis Jesuit (Aurora, Colo.) 3-0 behind a complete-game one-hit performance from Gary Morse. Morse tied the NHSI game record with 16 strikeouts, which was last accomplished in 2022 by The First Academy’s Seth Keller. The game was a pitcher’s duel between both starters, as the first run of the game was not plated until the fourth inning on an RBI groundout with the bases loaded. In the fifth, Hamilton Friedberg extended the Lancers’ lead to two with an RBI double to right field, and in the seventh a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded provided insurance. Friedberg and CJ Weinstein each tallied two hits in the game to combine for four of the team’s five hits while Regis Jesuit’s Jack Mathney had the lone hit for his squad.
Casteel 11, Delbarton 2
Casteel (Queen Creek, Ariz.) put up a six-run second inning and continued to add on throughout the game to beat Delbarton (Morristown, N.J.), 11-2, in opening round action at the 2026 NHSI. The six-run second came courtesy of six hits for the Colts, who began the frame with back-to-back singles by Ryan Harwood and Ryne Barker and later came around to score to kick off the scoring. Blake Gonzales followed with an RBI single to make it 3-0, Connor Russell placed a bunt single for an RBI to make it a four-run lead, and Taylor Dodd singled to right field to plate Jase Diaz and make it 5-0 in favor of the Colts. Baylor Denny finished off the six-run frame with another bunt for Casteel, bringing Russell home as Casteel’s edge became 6-0. Delbarton answered with two runs in the top of the third to trim its deficit to four on an RBI single by Finnian O’Loughlin and a run-scoring error, but Casteel regained momentum on an RBI triple by Gonzales to make it a 7-2 score. The Colts continued to add on with runs in the fourth and fifth, pulling away to win it 11-2. Denny got the win for Casteel with 5.2 innings and two runs (one earned) allowed, punching out eight batters.
Harvard-Westlake 16, Wakefield 0
Four-time NHSI participant Harvard-Westlake (Los Angeles, Calif.) cranked 13 hits en route to a 16-0 run-rule victory over Wakefield (Raleigh, N.C.) to advance to the second round of the NHSI. The Wolverines dominated from start to finish, scoring a run in every inning while holding Wakefield to four hits over five frames. After taking an early 3-0 lead via back-to-back RBI base knocks by Ethan Price and Jake Kim, Harvard-Westlake strung together an eight-hit rally and hung a nine-spot in the second inning, highlighted by a deep two-RBI double to left field off the bat of Louis Lappe. The Wolverines kept piling on the runs thereafter, as William Lynch and Eric Tani each drove in a run apiece the following two innings. A defensive miscue in the fifth plated the Wolverines’ last pair of runs to make it 16-0 after the top of the fifth. Meanwhile, California’s starter produced an equally stellar outing as the offense, as Justin Kirchner tossed all five innings and surrendered only four hits in the process. The right-hander notched a strikeout in each inning pitched to compile double-digit strikeouts on the day with 10. Four players collected a hit for Wakefield, including a leadoff double – the team’s only extra-base hit – by Tyler Thomas in the home half of the fifth. Four pitchers saw action for the host team as Hunter Lentz held it down for the final 1.1 innings and allowed no hits in his outing.
St. John Bosco 14, Nolensville 1
St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) made a late surge in its opening game of the NHSI by scoring 13 of its 14 runs across the final three innings to secure a 14-1 run-rule win over Nolensville (Nolensville, Tenn). After an RBI groundout in the first got the Braves on the board, they managed to score four in the fourth on a bases-loaded walk and a three-RBI double by Miles Clark. Nolensville scored its lone run of the contest in the bottom of the fourth when Kael Barney homered to left field, but St. John Bosco responded by plating two runs on an error in the fifth to extend its lead to 7-1. In the sixth, James Clark and Jaden Jackson tallied back-to-back RBI hits with runners on base, Jack Champlin laced a two-RBI double, and Richie Avina roped a two-run single to help their team erupt for seven runs in the frame. Champlin led all players with a 2-for-4 performance that included a pair of RBIs and two runs scored, while Miles Clark (3) and Avina (2) turned in multi-RBI performances. On the mound, Julian Garcia secured the win after surrendering one earned run on two hits in 5.2 innings of work while Aidan Dahlk tossed the final two thirds of the game in shutout fashion.
Trinity (KY) 2, Tampa Jesuit 0
The night games began with a showdown between two big league pitching prospects -- Grayson Willoughby of Trinity (Louisville, Ky.) and Kaden Waechter of Tampa Jesuit (Tampa, Fla.). Each pitcher got into trouble in the first inning, with Willoughby narrowly escaping a jam and Waechter allowing a run. It was Willoughby himself who brought home the first run for the Shamrocks when he hit a sac fly RBI to left. From there, the two aces traded blows and dominated the opposing lineups for several innings. By the end of the fourth, Waechter had eight punchouts and Willoughby had seven, and the score was still 1-0. Trinity finally got to Waechter in the fifth when Harper Haywood singled to left and pinch runner Wyatt Graeter entered. Graeter proceeded to steal second, advance to third on a fly out, and score on a passed ball to put the Shamrocks up 2-0. Willoughby then finished off the Tigers in the top of the seventh to complete the two-hit shutout. Waechter finished with ten Ks, but it’s the Shamrocks who advance to the quarterfinals.
Baylor School 9, Aquinas 6
The Baylor School (Chattanooga, Tenn.) put up six runs in the bottom of the third inning and withheld a big response by Aquinas (San Bernardino, Calif.) to win the opening round finale of the 2026 NHSI on Wednesday night in Cary. After Aquinas scored the first two runs on an RBI single by Johnny Tena and a bases-loaded walk, the Red Raiders responded with six runs in the bottom of the frame, starting with a two-run single by Mac Morris. A dropped third strike, RBI fielder’s choice, and Emerson Morris two-run single made it a six-spot for Baylor, who had four hits and drew two walks in the inning. Aquinas immediately tied it a half inning later on RBI hits by Jacob Bitonti and Orlando Oates followed by a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch and walk to knot it at six, but Baylor got the lead back courtesy of a Brooks Berry RBI single in the bottom of the fourth. The Red Raiders tacked on a couple of insurance runs and Henry Allen slammed the door on the win, sending Baylor to the NHSI Quarterfinal Round.
