CARY, N.C. - Day two of the 11U/13U National Team Identification Series (NTIS) Champions Cup delivered plenty of action. Read up on all games from both age groups below:
11U NTIS CHAMPIONS CUP ROUNDUP
SOUTH STARS 7, NORTHEAST STARS 2
The South Stars defeated the Northeast Stars 7-2 in extra innings. Northeast got on the board in the fourth on Logan Preston’s RBI single, and the South Stars tied things up at 1-1 in the sixth on Major Garrett’s RBI triple. In the eighth, the South Stars erupted for six runs on run-scoring doubles by Dallas Leach, Jackson Maxwell, and Isaiah Hughes, and an RBI single by Hudson Johnson. Northeast got a run across in the bottom frame on an error, but it wasn’t enough to complete the rally.
MIDWEST STRIPES 8, SOUTHEAST STRIPES 3
The Midwest Stripes used a seven-run burst in the second inning en route to an 8-3 win over the Southeast Stripes. Despite Southeast scoring a run apiece in the first and second innings, Midwest used seven runs in the second and a run in the third to take a commanding 8-2 advantage. Southeast plated a run in the fifth, but was unable to overcome its deficit.
NORTHWEST STRIPES 7, SOUTHEAST STARS 6
The Northwest Stripes held off the Southeast Stars 7-6. Southeast scored a combined five runs across the first two innings, but Northwest used a bases-clearing double by JD Brown and 2-RBI single by Maverick Harwood to ultimately take a 6-5 lead. After Northwest tacked on another run in the fourth, Southeast’s Carter Shepard hit a clutch RBI single to make a one-run game. Northwest managed to hang on to its narrow lead, though, for the victory.
MIDWEST STARS 10, NORTHWEST STARS 3
Thanks to a combined eight runs scored in the third and fourth innings, the Midwest Stars captured a 10-3 win over the Northwest Stars. Richard Peters put Midwest on the board in the first inning with an RBI double, and then plated five runs in the third with help from a 2-RBI double by David Thomas II and another RBI double by Peters to take a 6-0 lead. In the fourth, three more runs came across on an RBI single by Sebastian Edwards and a two-run double by Aiden Folgmann. Northwest avoided the shutout with two runs in the fifth, and scratched a run across in the seventh after Midwest scored one more in the sixth, but the rally fell short.
SOUTHWEST STRIPES 12, NORTHEAST STRIPES 0
The Southwest Stripes shut out the Northeast Stripes 12-0, with all of its runs coming in the first three innings. After getting on the board in the first with a run and scoring two more in the second, Southwest used an RBI double by Dominic Floyd, an RBI single by Miles McPherson Jr., and a 2-RBI single by Ryder Conder as part of a nine-run third.
SOUTH STRIPES 12, SOUTHWEST STARS 12
The contest between the South Stripes and Southwest Stars ended in a 12-12 tie. The South Stripes scored six runs across the first two innings, but Southwest responded with eight runs to take an 8-6 lead. The South Stripes took its lead back with three in the third, but Southwest tacked on a run in the fourth to knot the score at 9-9. Once again, the South Stripes used timely hitting to score three runs in the top of the fifth, but Southwest responded with three of its own to make it 12-12. The teams battled defensively in the final two innings to end in a tie.
13U NTIS CHAMPIONS CUP ROUNDUP
SOUTHWEST STRIPES 4, NORTHWEST STRIPES 1
Three Southwest pitchers combined for seven frames and allowed only one run en route to a three-run victory over Northwest. After trading runs through the first two frames, the Southwest Stripes found an opportunity to take the lead in the third and took it, as Kalin Miedema slapped a 1-1 offering down the left field line to break the tie and hand his team a 2-1 advantage. Southwest proceeded to allow zero hits and plate a lone run in each of the next two innings to take a 4-1 lead. Southwest’s starting pitcher Casey Kellar set the tone and tossed 3.0 innings of one-run ball, striking out five in the process. Elias Guerra and Colt Minus combined for the final 4.0 innings and allowed only one hit in the process. Seven Northwest pitchers tallied a hit on the day while Anthony Sanchez allowed only one earned run in 3.0 innings of work on the bump.
SOUTHEAST STARS 17, SOUTH STRIPES 10
The scoring began in the second inning as the Southeast Stars took advantage of free passes for an early 3-0 lead. Southeast’s bats continued to mash in the third, as a seven-run inning saw three base knocks including a two-RBI triple off the bat of Reed McLaughlin. Despite South gaining four runs back in the fourth and fifth, the Southeast Stars used a two-run fifth and five-run sixth frame behind RBI base hits by Alex De La Rosa, Bryce Rennie, and McLaughlin to retake a comfortable lead. De La Rosa went 3-for-3 with two RBIs while Rennie and McLaughlin each picked up multi-RBI days. South’s Kane Malcolm and Princewill Njoku III each tallied a hit and RBI apiece today.
NORTHEAST STRIPES 23, MIDWEST STARS 3
The Northeast Stripes were nothing short of dominant, scoring four or more runs in four innings en route to a landslide victory. Northeast showcased its bats from the get-go, scoring four in the first and two in the second behind five base hits including a two-RBI single from Xavier Crespo. Runs kept pouring on from there, as Northeast proceeded to score 17 runs in the next four innings while holding the Midwest bats to one hit and no runs during that span. Northeast’s Joey Corradino shined at the plate, going 3-for-3 with three RBIs while teammate Jeremiah Dorsey tallied four RBIs on the day. Meanwhile, Midwest’s William Harvey collected the only multi-hit outing for his team, going 2-for-2 with an RBI.
SOUTHEAST STRIPES 14, NORTHWEST STARS 11
No time was wasted for the Southeast Stripes, as the squad scored five runs on three hits in the first two innings. The Northwest Stars got one back in the home half of the second, until pitching took over and the scoring was quenched in the third. The lack of offense was short lived, however, as both teams plated three runs apiece in the fourth to preserve the four-run lead for Southeast. Both offenses kept rolling from there, as Northwest’s seven-run rally was nullified as the Southeast Stripes’ bats posted six runs in the final two frames. Southeast’s Colt Carter went 1-for-2 with a pair of RBIs while Northwest’s Walker Williams and Teyton Le each notched a hit and RBI apiece.
MIDWEST STRIPES 5, SOUTH STARS 3
The Midwest Stripes broke the stalemate in the sixth and emerged victorious in a tight contest against the South Stars. South struck first thanks to an RBI single from Hank Morrison, who drove in the first run as part of a two-run first inning. The Midwest Stripes pieced together three hits in the home half and responded with two runs of its own. Runs were exchanged over the three frames until the Midwest Stripes broke the tie in the sixth thanks to a two-RBI shot off the bat of Wyatt Gutzman, who went 2-for-3 today with a pair of RBIs. Midwest’s starter Evan Cook held it down on the bump and fired 5.0 innings until Trey Arnold closed out the final two frames. Morrison drove in one run on one hit while Lane Bradshaw contributed an RBI for the South Stars.
SOUTHWEST STARS 24, NORTHEAST STARS 8
An early deficit was no match for the Southwest Stars, who came back down four and scored 23 runs in the final four innings to win on day two. Despite the Southwest Stars jumping out to an early 1-0 lead, Field 4 witnessed a five-run offensive outburst from the Northeast Stars in the second inning to capture an initial 5-1 advantage. Matias Gonzalez retaliated for Southwest in the fourth with a two-RBI single to cut into the deficit and make it 5-3. The Southwest Stars continued to chop into Northeast’s lead in the fifth and managed to grab its first lead of the contest after a six-run frame highlighted by Joshua Park’s two-RBI hit. The Northeast Stars put up a three spot in the sixth, however, Park struck again in the seventh and hammered a pitch into the left-center gap for an inside-the-park grand slam. Park finished the day with six RBIs while Adam Gonzalez and Wyatt Peabody each notched multi-RBI efforts. Northeast’s Henry Snyder went 2-for-3 with three RBIs.
