PREMIER BANDITOS 12, NEW LEVEL NATIONALS 2

Despite the New Level Nationals jumping out to a two-run lead right out of the gate on Saturday morning, the Premier Banditos posted 12 runs over the second and third innings en route to a 12-2 win to clinch a spot in the 10U Futures title game.

A leadoff single by William Hemenway, a triple by Aaiden Brown, and a wild pitch put New Level in front 2-0 immediately in the top of the first. But Premier’s Malacai Bullock escaped without allowing further damage, making way for his offense to score 12 unanswered runs.

Tobias Lowry led off Premier’s half of the second with a single and advanced to scoring position on a Miles Torregano double. With two runners in scoring position and nobody out, a hard ground ball by Dylan French led to a New Level error, allowing two runs to score to knot the game at 2-2. After the Nationals coaxed a fly out for the first out of the inning, Premier rattled off four consecutive hits to take the lead and eventually pull away.

The hit parade began when Jacob Radow singled up the middle to put a pair of runners on. Bullock followed with an infield single to plate the go-ahead run before a two-run double by Jonathan Vannoy made it a 5-2 edge for the Banditos. Vannoy scored moments later on a Case Miller RBI knock, and the rally was capped by a sacrifice fly by Cade Chapman to put Premier in front 7-2.

After M. Brown held the Nationals off the board in the top of the third, Premier got right back to work in the bottom half of the frame with a two-out rally to put the game out of reach. Two singles and an error loaded the bases with two outs for M. Brown, who continued his hot day with a bases-clearing triple to right field. Vannoy followed immediately with a two-run, inside-the-park homer to put the finishing touches on the 12-2 semifinal round victory.

Four different Premier players had multi-hit games in the win. M. Brown and Vannoy collected two hits apiece and combined to drive in seven runs, while Lowry and Radow each tallied two hits. After the bumpy first inning, M. Brown settled in to pitch three innings of two-run ball. For New Level, A. Brown had a hit, RBI, and run scored while Hemenway contributed a single, a run scored, and a walk.

ZT PROSPECTS NATIONAL 9, THE FUTURE ELITE 2

ZT Prospects National fell behind by two runs in the top of the first but answered in the bottom half and never looked back, picking up a 9-2 win over The Future Elite to punch their ticket to the 10U Futures title game.

The Future Elite scored twice in the top of the first despite not recording a hit. After both reaching on walks, Aiden Nieto and Genaro Espinales III scored on the base paths to jump out to an early 2-0 lead.

ZT Prospects National did not stay behind for long as four consecutive hits to lead off the bottom of the first tied the game**. James Gordillo** and Rocco LaMotte started the frame with singles and an RBI double by Ruben Elias got ZT on the board. Dominic Gomez followed with a single to tie the game, and a Jacob Martinez RBI fielder’s choice made it a 3-2 advantage for ZT after one.

The hitting continued for ZT in the bottom of the second. Nathan Lasso singled before coming around to score on an RBI triple by Leonardo Villalobos to make it 4-2, and an RBI ground out extended the advantage to three. Both sides exchanged zeros in the third before ZT got back to work in the bottom of the fourth. Frankie Trejo and Lasso each picked up hits to reach base and scored on a single by Kaleb Burcham to go up 7-2.

As ZT’s pitchers kept The Future Elite off the scoreboard in the later innings, the offense continued to build on its lead. LaMotte and Elias both picked up hits to reach scoring position and Gomez added on an infield single to put ZT up 8-2. Martinez skied a sacrifice fly to left field to drive in ZT’s ninth and final run of the victory.

Nine different players picked up at least one hit for ZT, including Gomez’s two-hit, two-RBI day. Elias and LaMotte chipped in two hits apiece, while Martinez drove in two runs and Lasso scored twice.

ZT’s pitchers combined to hold The Future Elite hitters to just one hit. Trejo tossed 3.1 innings and allowed just the two runs (one earned) in the first, striking out six batters in the outing. Burcham turned in 2.2 innings of hitless relief.

UP NEXT

Premier Banditos will meet ZT Prospects National in the 10U Futures title game on Sunday morning at Thomas Brooks Park in Cary, North Carolina. First pitch is set for 10:45 am ET. The New Level Nationals and The Future Elite will battle for bronze at 8:15 am ET.