The bats were hotter than the North Carolina heat during the 15U National Team Championships on Tuesday, as 16 teams duked it out on the final day of pool play. Each of the 12 games on the day two slate provided standout performances, setting the stage for some exciting bracket games on Thursday.
CBA/Orioles Scout Team 11, Wildcatters National 2029 1
Landon McEIhinny pitched a gem in the first matchup of the morning, and the CBA bats never stopped as the Orioles Scout Team cruised to a run-rule victory in four innings. McElhinny tossed four innings of one-run ball, allowing only two hits and racking up three punchouts. He was backed up by a red hot Orioles lineup that totaled seven hits and eight walks against the Wildcatters, including multi-hit efforts from Kingston Rupert and Whitton Butler. Butler led all batters with three RBIs as CBA improved to 2-0 on the tournament.
Elite RBI Banditos National 12, Alpha Prime 2029 0
The second morning game to finish was another lopsided affair, with the Banditos dominating Alpha Prime to the tune of a 12-0 triumph. Dylan Mercado and Artemio Mata were simply unstoppable at the plate, as both players notched a double and a triple to combine for six RBIs. Carson Noce and Cole Marquardt also posted two-hit days for the Banditos, while Braiden Miller delivered a masterful four-inning shutout performance. The win gave the Banditos a 1-1 ledger in pool play and left Alpha Prime at 0-2.
ZT National Prospects 8, Team Elite 0
Keeping in line with the other early games, ZT National routed Team Elite 8-0 over five innings thanks to a strong combination of hitting and pitching. Henry Kuenstler and James Stout blanked Team Elite for the entire game and bequeathed only two hits in the process. Kuenstler especially impressed with his four-inning, zero-walks, seven-punchout outing. At the plate, Nateo Victorio paced the Prospects with two hits and two RBIs. Tre Lawrence also smoked a two-run double in the first that put Team Elite into a hole they wouldn’t be able to climb out.
Canes National 3, FTB Phillies 2029 1
The lone close game of the morning came on Field Three, where Canes National edged out the FTB Phillies, 3-1. After Carter Rivera drove in a run for the Phillies on a sac fly in the first, Ellsworth Elston and Braylon Rogers combined to silence the FTB bats for the rest of the game. Canes National evened the score in the second, then relied on the heroics of Kannon Derry to carry them the rest of the way. Derry launched an inside-the-park homer to take the lead in the fourth and capped things off with an RBI double in the sixth. His three hits on the day led all batters, and Canes National remained perfect in pool play.
ZT National Prospects 8, Wildcatters National 7
This down-to-the-wire thriller proved to be the best game of the day, as the ZT National Prospects staved off a comeback by Wildcatters National to escape with a one-run victory. Things seemed to be heading off the rails early, as ZT piled on four runs in the first inning off a series of walks and hit batsmen. The Wildcatters stormed back, however, scoring three runs in the fifth thanks to RBI singles from Beau Baggenstoss and Max Warner. The rally ultimately fell short, however, as the ZT bats proved to be too much to keep up with. James Stout led the Prospects on offense with a single, double, and two RBIs in the win.
Team Elite 3, CBA/Orioles Scout Team 2
Pitching ruled the day in this midday showdown between Team Elite and CBA. Trey Vandergriff dominated on the mound for four innings for Team Elite, allowing zero runs and walking none. He finally got some offensive support in the third inning when Mason Devine broke a scoreless tie with his RBI double to left to put Elite up 1-0. The Orioles Scout Team knotted things up in the top of the fifth, but Team Elite immediately responded in the bottom half. Wyatt Schuck roped a two-run single to left field to take the lead for good, and Team Elite picked up its first win of pool play.
Canes National 7, Elite RBI Banditos National 4
A two-run double off the bat of Ethan Taylor highlighted a four-run first inning for Canes National as the squad battled its way to a 7-4 victory and its third win of pool play. The Canes received a stellar outing on the bump from Trenton Nelson, who gave up only one run in four innings of work. Chase Hallett helped fuel the offensive effort with his two hits and two RBIs as well, as did Ian Choi with his double and pair of RBIs. Leadoff hitter Peyton Lopez had a strong day at the plate for the Banditos, but the effort was not enough as the Banditos fell to 1-2 on the tournament.
FTB Phillies 2029 8, Alpha Prime 2029 6
This back-and-forth affair did not disappoint, as the FTB Phillies and Alpha Prime traded leads and tallied 14 hits combined in the Phillies’ 8-6 win. FTB jumped out to an early 3-0 lead after an offensive barrage in the first two innings that included an RBI triple from Stephan Pio. Alpha Prime battled back, however, and seized control with a two-run, no-doubt homer from Jedrek Elliot to go up 4-3. The Phillies rebounded with a three-run fifth though, as Kingston George smoked a go-ahead RBI double to give them a lead they would not give up.
Performance Baseball National 4, Top Tier Select 2
Few games featured more ballyhoo than the afternoon nail-biter between Performance Baseball National and Top Tier Select. Performance kicked off the scoring in the third with a monster home run from Bryce Tesseyman that cleared the left field fence and scored three. Top Tier cut into the lead just an inning later when Isaac Miller launched a rocket of his own to left to score two runs. The PBN bullpen locked things down after that, and Ty Pugh plated an important insurance run to give Performance Baseball National a 2-1 record in pool play.
Texas Twelve Red Sox 2029 5, Top Dawg National 2
This one was close until the final inning, as the Texas Twelve Red Sox went blow for blow with Top Dawg National during the afternoon slate. Both starting pitchers delivered admirable performances, with Ryder Brian throwing five shutout innings for the Red Sox and Nolan Carter allowing only two runs over five for Top Dawg. The pivotal inning came in the sixth, when the Red Sox stepped to the plate with a 2-1 lead. Jackson Todd and Andrew Velazquez smacked back-to-back RBI singles to stretch the Texas advantage in the top of the inning, and the Top Dawg rally came up short in the bottom half. The victory gives the Red Sox a 2-1 record entering bracket play.
PRD 5, USA Prime National 1
It was all PRD in this matchup, as the California squad finished pool play with a commanding victory over USA Prime National. Despite USA Prime scoring the first run of the game on an RBI double from Tristan Blalock, PRD took over the game midway through. L Accardo roped an RBI single to left to tie the game in the third inning, and patient at bats earned PRD two more runs in the fourth. Meanwhile, Brayden Morrison cruised his way to 5.2 shutout innings on the mound, striking out seven USA Prime batters along the way. Evan Thompson clinched the game with an RBI double off a sharp grounder through the right side, and PRD finished pool play 2-1.
SBA Bolts National 2029 6, Wow Factor National 1
The final game of the day pitted two national squads against each other, with SBA Bolts National prevailing 6-1. The Bolts rained down hits throughout the second inning to take a 4-0 lead that they would not relinquish. Ivan Carballo, Sam Grimm, and Keaton Larson each drove in runs during the hit parade, highlighted by Grimm’s two-run double. A two-run triple off the bat of Wyatt Lo furthered the lead in the sixth inning, and a 5.1-inning shutout from Jacob McCarter secured the SBA triumph. The Bolts enter Thursday’s bracket riding high with a 3-0 record.
