16U NC Champs starts day one full of action

The first day of the 16U was full of action. Let’s take a closer look at some of the closest games and their outcomes.

Aces National 2, Top Tier Select 1

Top Tier Select struck first in the bottom of the second inning when Kaden Waechter got to second base on an infield error and later crossed the plate on a fly out. The next few innings were controlled by the Aces’ Parker Granse and Top Tier’s Sam Swank on the mound, both of whom combined for 11 strikeouts in five frames. With the Aces trailing 0-1 early in the sixth inning, Trevor Condon hit a double to left field to tie the game at 1-1. Condon got to third base on a wild pitch in the next at-bat and Coleman Borthwick took advantage, hitting a single to give the Aces their first lead of the day at 2-1. Jackson Gilbert appeared on the mound for the Aces in the seventh inning and secured the win after getting two strikeouts and forcing a ground out on the last play to close out the win at 2-1.

TPA Nationals 2, MBA Scout Team Murphy 1

Both the TPA Nationals and MBA Scout Team Murphy performed excellently, extending the game into the eighth inning after seven hard-fought innings. The Nationals opened the game with two consecutive singles, followed by an RBI single by Nathan Mizelle to bring home their first run. MBA Scout answered in the bottom of the first inning with a run of their own thanks to a single to right field by Brady Harris, tying the score at 1-1. Both defenses held firm for the rest of the game, forcing the contest into an extra inning. In the top of the eighth inning, the Nationals brought home a run after Sawyer Cannon was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, bringing the score to 2-1. With a win in sight, Samuel Snyder finished off the MBA offense by forcing two outs and getting a strikeout in the final frame.

EBC Wright 4, Knights Knation 0

Thanks to dominant pitching, EBC Wright was able to beat the Knights Knation 4-0. Both teams remained scoreless for four innings, which gave both sides the opportunity to take the lead for the first time. It was not until the third inning that EBC broke the victory, scoring three runs and crowning a run with the bases full. EBC scored another run in the sixth inning with a single to right field by Tommy Baker, increasing the lead to 4-0. While the EBC offense was at work, it was Cayden Prestage who had the upper hand on the mound. Prestage recorded seven strikeouts in six innings and kept the Knights off the scoreboard. EBC’s Caden Kern came in as a substitute and made the 4-0 victory perfect. He recorded two strikeouts in his appearance.

USA Prime National 2, East Cobb Astros 0

USA Prime duo Drew Oerther and Tensley combined for 12 punchouts in their team’s 2-0 win over the East Cobb Astros. In a game that didn’t see a single runner cross the plate in the first seven innings, it was obvious that the game would come down to the last strike. In the eighth inning, Chandler Hart reached first base on an infield error, pushing two runners across the baseline and giving USA Prime a 2-0 lead. Under mounting pressure, Oerther kept his cool on the mound, forced two outs and secured the win with his sixth strikeout of the game.

Alpha Prime 5, Power Baseball 4

In a back-and-forth duel, Alpha Prime’s performance in the decisive period pushed them past Power Baseball, 5-4. Power Baseball was the first team to find the home turf, putting together a three-run rally in the third inning. In response, Alpha Prime scored two runs in the fourth inning and scored on a ground out by Marcus Gries to end the inning, making it 3-2 for Power Baseball. Trying to hold on to its lead, Power Baseball scored another run on a double by Louis Hernandez to extend its lead to two. Alpha Prime responded by tying the game with a balk in the fifth inning to make it 4-4. With the score tied, the two teams engaged in a thrilling battle until the seventh inning, when Warren Gravely hit an RBI single to give Alpha Prime the lead for the first time of the day. Graham Schlicht secured the win on the bump by forcing a ground out in the final inning and getting two strikeouts.

SmarTense the Show 3, South Charlotte Panthers 1

SmarTense snuck past the South Charlotte Panthers behind Corwin Allard and Jaden Grose pitching on the mound. SmarTense scored the first runs in the first two innings thanks to defensive indifference and a hit to center field by Justin Lopez. In the bottom half of the fourth inning, the Panthers responded by bringing home a run on a wild pitch, bringing the score to 2-1. SmarTense added another run in the fifth inning on a single by Troy Southisene, extending the lead to two. The deficit was too much for the Panthers to overcome, and SmarTense was able to get off to a 2-0 start.

Legacy Baseball Group 5, TPA Nationals 3

The Legacy Baseball Group scored three runs in the first to defeat the TPA Nationals 5-3. In the third, James Tronstein took matters into his own hands and hit a home run over the left outfield wall, extending his team’s lead to four runs. The Nationals scored their first run of the game on an error in the fifth, but another run from Legacy Baseball followed shortly after. Knowing they had to get back on the scoreboard, the Nationals answered with two runs of their own in the sixth to cut the lead to two runs. The Legacy Group defended strongly in the seventh to secure the 5-3 victory.