SBA Bolts National 5, Anchor Bat 2

After five scoreless innings, SBA Bolts National and Anchor Bat provided plenty of late drama on Thursday morning as the Bolts pulled away with a 5-2 win. Both starting pitchers dueled over the opening four innings, with SBA’s Luke Esquivel striking out eight batters and not allowing a single batter to reach base, while Anchor Bat’s Nolen Oglesby kept SBA scoreless in return. Anchor Bat’s lineup found its form in the top of the sixth inning, loading the bases with no outs. SBA’s defense turned a double play, but a triple from Andrew Mashak put Anchor Bat up 2-0 before the third out. The response from the Bolts was swift, with the offense finally clicking to score five runs in the bottom of the inning. Putting two runners aboard, Trendyn Motley ripped an RBI single into center before a bases-loaded walk tied the game at 2-2. A fielder’s choice and an error brought two more SBA runs home, and an RBI groundout gave the Bolts their fifth and final run to cap off the late surge.

Alpha Prime, Wow Factor 5

Bouncing back after going down 3-0 in the first inning, Wow Factor plated 11 runs during a four-inning stretch to take down Alpha Prime by a final score of 11-5. Alpha Prime stuck first with RBI singles from Landon King and Landon Miller, though the squad would 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 drove in the tying run on another single and an error allowed Wow Factor to take a 4-3 lead. McCarthy added another RBI single in the fourth, this time sending two runs home, and Camden Rakaczewski sent the team’s seventh run in with a single as well. Four more Wow Factor runs scored in the fifth inning, as the trio of Dayne Franks, Morris, and Ryder Sowa each tallied RBI singles.

UDACF Evolution 9, Sports Academy Legends 4

UDACF Evolution flipped its game around thanks to a big fifth inning and never looked back in a 9-4 win over Sports Academy Legends. Evolution took the initial lead in the first inning on an RBI single from Colin Raymond, only for Sports Academy Legends to plate two runs in the bottom of the inning thanks to a triple from Zach Estrada. The Legends added a third run in the bottom of the third inning, driven in on an RBI single from Sammy Garcia. The fightback from UDACF in the fifth inning began with two runs scored on a string of wild pitches and errors to tie the game at 3-3, followed by a two-RBI double from Easton Brunson and another run on an error to make it 6-3. UDACF Evolution added three more runs for insurance in the seventh, highlighted by Raymond notching his second RBI with a double and Anthony Huaranga adding the final run on a triple.

Stix 7, Dirtbags 5

Stix erupted for four runs in the top of the eighth inning for an extra-inning win over the Dirtbags, 7-5. Stix took an early 3-0 lead in the first two innings, putting two runs on the board in the top of the first with an RBI single from Camden Dean and a bases-loaded walk. The third run scored in the second inning on an RBI single from Elias Lara. The Dirtbags began to rally in the fourth inning, putting a pair of runs on the board thanks to a single from Devan Welch. An RBI groundout tied the game in the bottom of the sixth, and the two teams remained deadlocked at 3-3 after the seventh inning. The bats for Stix were hot again to begin the extra inning, with the trio of Miles Applegate, Barrett Elston, and Trenton Furgal slashing RBI singles and a balk scoring Stix’s fourth run of the inning. Now up 7-3, Stix withstood a rally from the Dirtbags in the bottom of the eighth to emerge victorious, 7-5.

Texas Twelve Red Sox 1, Canes National 1

Texas Twelve Red Sox and Canes National tied 1-1 at Ting Park on Thursday morning, with both teams scoring a run early and holding each other to a stalemate the rest of the way. Texas Twelve took the lead in the top of the first inning on a sac fly from Anthony Frausto III, which was answered in the third inning as Canes scored on a fielder’s choice. Neither side scored over the final four innings, with pitching dominating the matchup. For the Red Sox, Carlos Trevino got the start and went 5.1 innings, retiring eight batters and allowing just one hit. Lukas Matzen closed the game in relief of Trevino, also surrendering just one hit. Canes National rolled 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 late for a thrilling 6-5 win over SBA Bolts National, improving to 2-0. The Bolts scored first, thanks to Luke Esquivel reaching home during a double play. Wow Factor responded in the bottom of the second inning, loading the bases and tallying a pair of runs thanks to Braylon Edwards being hit by a pitch followed by a balk against the next batter. SBA didn’t trail long, as Aiden Kearny lined a triple into right that scored a pair of runs and put the Bolts ahead 3-2 in the top of the third inning. But again the score would flip in the bottom of the inning thanks to a defensive error that allowed a pair of Wow Factor runners to reach home and make it 4-3. Esquivel pulled the Bolts level again with an RBI single in the fifth, only for yet another Wow Factor response in the same inning. Eddie Pineiro pushed Wow Factor ahead 5-4 on a line drive double into right, and a single from Credan Reasons tacked on another run to the lead. SBA sought to rally for the final time in the bottom of the seventh inning, making it a 6-5 game thanks to Brayden Landry stealing home. But the SBA Bolts’ defense held firm, ending the game on a lineout.

Alpha Prime 6, Anchor Bat 1

Alpha Prime held off Anchor Bat long enough for the offense to find its rhythm late and pull away, posting four runs in the fifth inning to put the game out of reach and earn a 6-1 win. After Anchor Bat took a 1-0 lead thanks to an RBI single from Holden Powell in the top of the second inning, a pair of sac flies in response handed Alpha Prime the advantage going into the fourth inning. Alpha Prime starter Johnny Archuleta was outstanding after allowing a pair of hits and the opening run, limiting Anchor Bat to a single hit over the next three innings. He’d exit after five, having racked up six strikeouts and kept his side ahead 2-1. Alpha Prime tacked on four more runs after Archuleta’s exit to ensure the win, thanks to RBI singles from Mason Harris, Landon Miller, and Maxim Rocheleau, plus a bases-loaded walk.

Sports Academy Legends 9, Dirtbags 0

Sports Academy Legends rang up eight runs in three innings to cruise in a 9-0 run-rule win over the Dirtbags in five innings. Sammy Garcia opened the scoring with an RBI double in the top of the first inning, the only run either team scored in the first two innings of action. Zach Estrada lined a triple into left in the third inning to plate two more runs, and Sports Academy Legends went up 4-0 on an RBI single from Theo Swafford. A perfectly executed sac bunt from Adam Ornelas tacked on a fifth run in the fourth inning. Sports Academy Legends didn’t lose a step, with four more runs coming in during the fifth inning. Swafford drove another RBI single into left, and both Austin Rodriguez and Richard Avina roped triples into the outfield that each brought runs home. Angel Gonzalez capped off the win with a final RBI single in left. Brennan Mustard got the start and the win for Sports Academy Legends, going 3.1 innings and retiring six batters with just two hits allowed.

UDACF Evolution 5, Stix 4

UDACF Evolution plated four runs in the top of the fifth and final inning to storm back from a 4-1 deficit against Stix, moving to 2-0 with the 5-4 victory. After 15 scoreless outs to open the game, Stix jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning as both Camden Dean and Barrett Elston raked RBI singles. A bases-loaded walk put UDACF on the board in the top of the fourth inning, only to see Cash Bird laser a triple into center that scored another pair of Stix runs. UDACF turned the tide in the fifth inning, mounting a huge late response. Putting two aboard thanks to a single and a hit batter, Colin Raymond and Easton Brunson drove doubles into right and left to drive in three runs and tie the game at 4-4. Brunson reached home on a fielder’s choice later in the inning, making UDACF Evolution the second team to improve to 2-0 on the opening day.

Midland Redskins 3, South Charlotte Panthers Marucci 1

Midland Redskins moved to 1-0 with a 3-1 win over South Charlotte Panthers Marucci to open their campaign at Ting Park. Midland got a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning thanks to a well-executed sac bunt from Kai Bledson and an RBI groundout from Alex Potter. Potter drew a walk with the bases loaded in the bottom of the third inning, adding a third run to the lead. An error in the fifth allowed the only run of the game for the Panthers. Potter showcased his two-way ability for the victors, going 6.0 innings on the mound and retiring six batters while he gave up a solitary hit.

Team Elite 13, Top Tier Select 5

Scoring four runs in the bottom of the first inning, Team Elite poured on more runs late to keep Top Tier Select at bay en route to a 13-5 victory on Thursday afternoon. Loading the bases in the bottom of the first inning, a walk delivered Team Elite’s opening run and a pair of RBI singles from Hudson Burnett and Breck Hemphill added three more. Top Tier rallied with three runs in the top of the third inning to cut the lead to one, but Team Elite answered with three more of its own in the same inning on a wild pitch, an RBI single, and a fielder’s choice to again extend the lead to four runs, 7-3. Another two runs from Top Tier Select in the top of the fourth pulled the squad to within two, only to see Team Elite shift into another gear offensively with five runs in the bottom of the fourth. Brennan New and Burnett lasered triples into the outfield that brought home runs, and they were assisted by an RBI double from Hemphill and an RBI single. The final Team Elite run came home in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI single from Lucas Smith.

USA Prime National 4, PRD 3

USA Prime National rallied to overcome a 3-1 deficit late to pull out a 4-3 win over reigning champions PRD on Thursday, walking the game off in extra innings. PRD initially raced out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning on a groundout and a pair of wild pitches, while USA Prime got on the board in the bottom of the inning thanks to a sac fly. An error allowed USA Prime to score again in the bottom of the fifth, and another in the bottom of the sixth let the tying run come in to score. In extra innings, a sac fly from Jake Welch scored the winning run to end the game and open USA Prime’s campaign with a big win.