The first day of the 15U/16U National Team Identification Series (NTIS) Champions Cup is in the books. Check out the day one action that took place in Cary for both age groups.
15U NTIS CHAMPIONS CUP ROUNDUP
SOUTHEAST STARS 26, NORTHWEST STARS 5
Despite an early run in the first by the Northwest Stars thanks to an RBI groundout by Kingston Norris, the Southeast Stars jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the bottom frame. The inning was highlighted by Cade Seale’s 2-RBI triple. The two teams traded runs across the next few innings, but then the Southeast Stars plated a combined eight more runs in the fourth and fifth innings to take a commanding 26-3 lead. Despite the Northwest Stars plating a pair in the sixth, the squad was unable to overcome its late deficit over the final outs of the contest. Cody Moore (NW Stars), Cooper Tsang (NW Stars), and Matthew Zander (SE Stars) led all players with two hits in the contest, and Zaidyn Spencer paced all batters with a game-high three RBIs.
NORTHEAST STRIPES 12, SOUTHEAST STRIPES 11
The Southeast Stripes strung together four-run scoring singles in the first inning to take an early lead, but the Northeast Stripes responded with a combined six unanswered runs across the bottom frames of the first and second. The Northeast Stripes used three hits, including an RBI triple by Brayden Moughan, and capitalized on multiple defensive miscues by the Southeast Stripes, to take a 6-4 lead after two complete. The Southeast Stripes plated three in the third and two in the fifth, but the Northeast Stripes responded each time to open up the event with a 12-11 victory. Moughan led the game offensively with a 3-for-3 performance with three RBIs, while Braiden Morgan also turned in a multi-hit outing by going 2-for-2 with an RBI and a run scored.
SOUTH STRIPES 30, MIDWEST STRIPES 5
After plating an early run in the first inning, the South Stripes used four runs in the second to jump out to a 5-0 lead, which was highlighted by Chase Petro’s bases-clearing triple as part of his four-RBI day. The South Stripes exploded for five runs in the third and seven in the fourth to take extend its lead, and despite the Midwest Stripes scoring three runs in the fifth it was unable to make a late rally. Jett Vanover (MW Stripes) and Brennan Ball (South Stripes) each tallied two hits in the contest, while Brody Cook (MW Stripes), James Lee (South Stripes), Carter King (South Stripes), and Isaac Solis (South Stripes) all scored two runs for their respective teams.
SOUTHWEST STRIPES 7, SOUTH STARS 7
Following two quiet innings from both teams, the Southwest Stripes took advantage of multiple walks with the bases loaded to take a 3-0 lead. The South Stars responded in the fourth inning with four runs to take its first lead of the game, and added another in the fifth to extend its lead to two. In the sixth, the Southwest Stripes used a three-run home run by Matthew Avila and RBI double by Jonathan Lott to take its lead back at 7-5, but a 2-RBI double from Troy Haynes allowed the South Stars to finish the game in a 7-7 tie. Avila and Haynes both drove in multiple runs with three and two, respectively, and the Southwest pitching staff of Ian Brum, Cooper Briscoe, and Rhett Lopez all tossed two innings each and combined for nine strikeouts.
SOUTHWEST STARS 8, NORTHEAST STARS 3
The Southwest Stars scored a combined six runs across the first three innings to take an early lead, but the Northeast Stars cut into its deficit in the bottom of the third with three RBI singles to make the score 5-3. Southwest managed to respond in the fourth with two runs to add some insurance for an 8-3 lead, and held on through the final four innings of the contest. Southwest Stars’ Cooper Holland (2-for-3) and Austin Maiden (2-for-2) turned in multi-hit outings, as Holland and Mason Smith scored two runs each and Maiden and Joey Koenig tallied two RBIs apiece. On the mound for Southwest, Sheriff Hall, Eli Martinez, and Finnegan McManamy hurled two scoreless innings each and fanned a combined eight batters.
MIDWEST STARS 12, NORTHWEST STRIPES 8
Brady Rallo went 3-for-4 with two triples and four RBIs to lead the Midwest Stars to a 12-8 victory over Northwest Stripes. Both teams scored runs in the first inning to knot the score at 2-2, and Midwest looked to pull away by scoring runs in the third through fifth innings, but not before Northwest tied things up at 5-5 in the fourth. Rallo used run-scoring triples in back-to-back at bats in the fifth and sixth innings to help Midwest take its lead back at 10-5. In the bottom of the sixth, Northwest looked to rally when it utilized a 2-RBI double by Connor Donohue as part of a three-run frame, but came up short. Along with Rallo, Alexander McCord also had a multi-hit performance by going 2-for-2 with two runs scored.
16U NTIS CHAMPIONS CUP ROUNDUP
MIDWEST STRIPES 12, SOUTHWEST STARS 5
The Midwest Stripes used four hits to score a combined seven runs in the first two innings of the contest, which ultimately propelled the squad to a 12-5 victory. The Southwest Stars got on the board in the third with a pair of runs, but Midwest answered with three in the fourth which included Cole Chambers’ third hit of the day – an RBI triple. Southeast plated three runs in the fourth to cut into is deficit, but neither team managed to bring a run across the rest of the game as the score held at 12-5. Chambers had a strong day at the plate with a 3-for-3 showing with three RBIs and two runs scored, and Rocco Bucci drove in two runs and Porter McCarthy scored two for Midwest.
NORTHWEST STARS 10, SOUTH STARS 2
The Northwest Stars used a nine-run third inning to open up play at the NTIS Champions Cup with a 10-2 victory. Kyler Reynolds and Hunter Hadley helped the South Stars score its lone two runs of the contest in the fifth inning when they tallied back-to-back RBI singles. Reynolds led all players with a 3-for-3 performance, and on the bump Ethan Reyzelman and Mateo Harris combined for five strikeouts across four shutout innings.
MIDWEST STARS 13, NORTHEAST STRIPES 4
The Midwest Stars scored in each of the first five innings en route to a 13-4 victory over the Northeast Stripes. In the fourth inning, Gavin Stanislawski drove in multiple runs on a double as a part of Midwest’s seven-run burst. Northeast scratched runs across in the second and third, and plated two more in the sixth, but the deficit was too much to overcome. Cason Borchardt (3), Brennan Walters (2), Landon Sanderson (2), and Lincoln Page (2) all scored multiple runs and combined for nine of the team’s 13 runs. Gavin Stanislawski did work on both sides of the diamond for Midwest as he went 2-for-4 at the plate and pitched the last two outs of the game.
SOUTHWEST STRIPES 19, NORTHEAST STARS 8
The matchup between the Southwest Stripes and Northeast Stars was a back-and-forth contest where all of the runs scored were in the first three innings. Despite Northeast holding a 5-4 lead after the top of the second, Southwest asserted its dominance and put up 15 unanswered runs in the bottom of the second and third. Seven different players scored multiple runs for Southwest and was led by Seth Young with three. Oliver Allen, Caden Lee, and Ryan Burgess, who all scored two runs each, also had two hits apiece in the game.
NORTHWEST STRIPES 9, SOUTHEAST STRIPES 6
The Southeast Stripes quickly plated two runs in the first inning, but the Northwest Stripes used five hits to score three runs in the bottom frame. Southeast brought runs across in the second and third innings to take its lead back, but Northwest once again scored two in the third take a 5-4 lead. Southeast tied things up at 5-5 in the fifth, then scored a run in the sixth and held onto its lead through the final frames. Nash Beckman and Jacob Wood each tallied two hits, and Beckman scored two runs for Northwest. For Southeast, Brandon Bush and Harrison Milanowski led the squad with two hits apiece and Bush scored a team-high two runs. On the mound, Southeasts’ Caleb Carpenter tossed three hitless innings in relief and racked up five strikeouts.
SOUTHEAST STARS 4, SOUTH STRIPES 1
The first three innings were a pitchers’ duel between South Stripes’ Stephen Ozuna and Southeast Stars’ August Backman. They both tossed three hitless innings, as Ozuna tallied seven strikeouts and Backman fanned six. The Southeast Stars broke through in the fourth by scoring four runs, highlighted by a two-run home run by Rogan Tyler. South Stripes plated a late run in the seventh to avoid the shutout, but its rally fell short. Backman managed to toss four hitless innings, while five different South Stripes players registered a hit in the contest.
