14U NC Champs kick off with action-packed opening day in Cary

SBA Bolts National 5, Anchor Striker 2

After five scoreless innings, SBA Bolts National and Anchor Bat provided plenty of drama on Thursday morning as the Bolts pulled away with a 5-2 victory. The two starting pitchers dueled through the first four innings, with SBA’s Luke Esquivel striking out eight batters and not allowing a single batter on base, while Anchor Bat’s Nolen Oglesby held SBA scoreless in return. Anchor Bat’s lineup returned to form at the start of the sixth inning, loading the bases with no outs. SBA’s defense managed a double play, but an Andrew Mashak triple gave Anchor Bat a 2-0 lead before the third out. The Bolts responded promptly, and the offense finally got going, scoring five runs in the bottom half of the inning. Trendyn Motley put two runners on base, ripped an RBI single to center before a bases-loaded walk tied the game at 2-2. A fielder’s decision and an error brought in two more SBA runs and an RBI groundout gave the Bolts their fifth and final run to cap the late surge.

Alpha Prime, Wow Factor 5

Wow Factor rallied from a 3-0 deficit in the first inning to score 11 runs in a four-inning stretch to defeat Alpha Prime by a final score of 11-5. Alpha Prime stayed on top with RBI singles from Landon King and Landon Miller, although the team could only hold the lead until the bottom of the second inning. Wow Factor’s offensive explosion began with a two-RBI single from Emerson Morris before Porter McCarthy scored another single to tie the game and an error allowed Wow Factor to take a 4-3 lead. McCarthy hit another RBI single in the fourth inning, this time scoring two runs, and Camden Rakaczewski scored the team’s seventh run, also with a single. Four more Wow Factor runs were scored in the fifth inning when the trio of Dayne Franks, Morris and Ryder Sowa each hit RBI singles.

UDACF Evolution 9, Sports Academy Legends 4

UDACF Evolution turned the game around thanks to a strong fifth inning and never looked back in a 9-4 victory over Sports Academy Legends. Evolution took an initial lead in the first inning on an RBI single by Colin Raymond, but Sports Academy Legends was able to score two runs in the bottom half of the inning thanks to a triple by Zach Estrada. The Legends scored a third run in the bottom half of the third inning on an RBI single by Sammy Garcia. UDACF’s comeback in the fifth inning began with two runs scored on a series of wild pitches and errors to tie the game at 3-3, followed by a two-RBI double by Easton Brunson and another run on an error to make it 6-3. UDACF Evolution added three more runs for good measure in the seventh inning, with Raymond scoring his second RBI with a double and Anthony Huaranga adding the final run with a triple.

Stix 7, Dirty Bags 5

Stix scored four runs to start the eighth inning and took a 7-5 win over the Dirtbags in the extra inning. Stix took an early 3-0 lead through the first two innings, scoring two runs in the first on an RBI single by Camden Dean and a walk with the bases loaded. The third run came in the second inning on an RBI single by Elias Lara. The Dirtbags bounced back in the fourth inning, scoring two runs thanks to a single by Devan Welch. An RBI groundout tied the game in the bottom of the sixth inning, and after the seventh inning the two teams were still tied 3-3. At the start of the extra innings, Stix’s bats were hot again and the trio of Miles Applegate, Barrett Elston and Trenton Furgal hit RBI singles and a balk scored Stix’s fourth run of the inning. With a 7-3 lead, Stix withstood a comeback from the Dirtbags in the bottom of the eighth round and emerged victorious 7-5.

Texas Twelve – Red Sox 1, Canes National 1

The Texas Twelve Red Sox and Canes National played out a 1-1 tie at Ting Park on Thursday morning, with both teams scoring an early run and remaining in a stalemate for the rest of the game. Texas Twelve took the lead early in the first inning on a sacrifice fly by Anthony Frausto III, which was answered in the third inning when the Canes scored on a fielder’s choice. Neither team was able to score in the final four innings as the pitchers dominated the duel. For the Red Sox, Carlos Trevino started and went 5.1 innings, striking out eight batters and allowing just one hit. Lukas Matzen finished the game as a replacement for Trevino and also allowed just one hit. Canes National entered with the trio of Yariel Lito Diaz (3.0 IP), Grant Arnold (3.0 IP) and Chase White (1.0 IP), who combined to strike out four batters and limit Texas Twelve to seven hits.

Wow Factor National 6, SBA Bolts National 5

Wow Factor National held on until the end to score a thrilling 6-5 victory over SBA Bolts National, extending their lead to 2-0. The Bolts scored first when Luke Esquivel reached home base during a double play. Wow Factor answered in the bottom half of the second inning, loading the bases and scoring two runs when Braylon Edwards was hit by a pitch and then balked at the next batter. SBA didn’t trail by long, as Aiden Kearny hit a triple to right that scored two runs to put the Bolts ahead 3-2 in the top half of the third inning. But again, the score turned in the bottom half of the inning on a defensive error that allowed two Wow Factor runners to reach home base, making the score 4-3. Esquivel tied the game again for the Bolts with an RBI single in the fifth inning, but Wow Factor responded again in the same inning. Eddie Pineiro gave Wow Factor a 5-4 lead with a line drive double to right, and a single by Credan Reasons helped the team score another run. SBA tried one last time to catch up in the bottom of the seventh inning, making it a 6-5 game thanks to Brayden Landry’s home run. But the SBA Bolts defense held firm and ended the game with a lineout.

Alpha Prime 6, Anchor Striker 1

Alpha Prime held Anchor Bat at bay long enough for the offense to find its rhythm late and pull away. They scored four runs in the fifth inning, put the game out of reach and took a 6-1 victory. After Anchor Bat took a 1-0 lead early in the second inning thanks to an RBI single by Holden Powell, two Sacrifice Flies in response gave Alpha Prime the advantage heading into the fourth inning. Alpha Prime starter Johnny Archuleta was stellar, allowing two hits and the first run and limiting Anchor Bat to a single hit in the next three innings. He left after five innings after recording six strikeouts and keeping his team up 2-1. Alpha Prime scored four more runs after Archuleta’s exit and secured the win thanks to RBI singles by Mason Harris, Landon Miller and Maxim Rocheleau, as well as a walk with the bases loaded.

Legends of the Sports Academy 9, Dirtbags 0

Sports Academy Legends scored eight runs in three innings to take a comfortable 9-0 run-rule victory over the Dirtbags in five innings. Sammy Garcia opened the scoring with an RBI double in the first inning, the only run scored by either team in the first two innings. Zach Estrada hit a triple to left field in the third inning to score two more runs, and Sports Academy Legends took a 4-0 lead on an RBI single by Theo Swafford. A perfectly executed sac bunt by Adam Ornelas brought in a fifth run in the fourth inning. Sports Academy Legends didn’t let up, scoring four more runs in the fifth inning. Swafford hit another RBI single to left field, and both Austin Rodriguez and Richard Avina hit triples into the outfield that each brought home runs. Angel Gonzalez capped the win with a final RBI single to left field. Brennan Mustard started and got the win for the Sports Academy Legends, going 3.1 innings, striking out six batters and allowing just two hits.

UDACF Development 5, Stix 4

UDACF Evolution scored four runs in the fifth and final inning to fight back from a 4-1 deficit against Stix, winning 5-4 to make it 2-0. After 15 scoreless outs to start the game, Stix took a 2-0 lead in the third inning when both Camden Dean and Barrett Elston hit RBI singles. A walk with the bases loaded put UDACF on the scoreboard in the fourth inning, but Cash Bird hit a triple to center that scored two more runs for Stix. UDACF turned things around in the fifth inning and delivered a huge late response. Colin Raymond and Easton Brunson put two runs on the scoreboard thanks to a single and a hit batter, hitting doubles to right and left for three runs and tying the game at 4-4. Brunson reached home base later in the inning on a fielder’s choice, making UDACF Evolution the second team to improve its record to 2-0 on Opening Day.

Midland Redskins 3, South Charlotte Panthers Marucci 1

The Midland Redskins moved to a 1-0 lead with a 3-1 win over the South Charlotte Panthers Marucci in their season opener at Ting Park. Midland scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning thanks to a well-executed sacrifice bunt by Kai Bledson and an RBI groundout by Alex Potter. Potter worked a walk with the bases loaded in the bottom of the third inning to add a third run to the lead. An error in the fifth inning allowed the Panthers their only run of the game. Potter showed off his ability in both directions for the winners, playing 6.0 innings on the mound and striking out six batters while allowing a single hit.

Team Elite 13, Top Tier Select 5

Team Elite scored four runs in the first inning and added more later to keep Top Tier Select at bay en route to a 13-5 victory Thursday afternoon. With the bases loaded in the first inning, a walk gave Team Elite its first run and two RBI singles by Hudson Burnett and Breck Hemphill added three more. Top Tier rallied with three runs in the third inning to cut the lead to one, but Team Elite answered with three more in the same inning on a wild pitch, an RBI single and a fielder’s choice to extend the lead back to four runs, 7-3. Another two runs by Top Tier Select in the fourth inning brought the team within two runs, only to see Team Elite shift into another gear on offense with five runs in the fourth inning. Brennan New and Burnett fired home run triples into the outfield and were aided by an RBI double by Hemphill and an RBI single. Team Elite’s last run came in the fifth inning with an RBI single by Lucas Smith.

USA Prime National 4, PRD 3

USA Prime National overcame a 3-1 deficit on Thursday to take a 4-3 win over reigning champions PRD by deciding the game in overtime. PRD took a quick 3-0 lead in the first inning on a groundout and two wild pitches, while USA Prime scored in the bottom half of the inning thanks to a sacrifice fly. An error allowed USA Prime to score again in the bottom half of the fifth inning, and another in the bottom half of the sixth inning allowed the tying point. In overtime, a sacrifice fly by Jake Welch scored the deciding point, ending the game and opening USA Prime’s campaign with a big win.