Top Tier Select 2, Alpha Prime 0

Behind Austin Liss’ complete game on the mound, Top Tier Select secured a 2-0 victory over Alpha Prime on Tuesday. Both squads played stellar defense and held each other to scoreless innings throughout the first two frames of the day. It wasn’t until the bottom of the third that the seal was broken when Jacob Parker drove in Joseph Parker to put the first run across the plate for Top Tier Select. While the Top Tier offense worked to gain the lead, Liss kept Alpha Prime at bay, registering his second strikeout of the contest in the third inning. Playing behind a dominant pitching performance, Top Tier’s JD Stein smacked a line drive double to left field which would score Trey Meyers to double the lead, 2-0, in the bottom of the fifth inning. Alpha Prime attempted a comeback, but Liss remained strong on the bump to finalize the 2-0 win for Top Tier. Alpha Prime pitcher Chase Bentley held his own on the mound, tossing five innings and tallying three punchouts.

Aces National 5, GBG 0

The Aces’ John Davis was credited with the win, tossing five scoreless innings in his squad’s 5-0 victory over GBG National. The Aces had a quick start swinging the bat in the first inning as Glenn Brooks hit a single to left field which would push John Davis across the plate. In the next two innings, Davis went to work on the mound registering two strikeouts to squash GBG’s offensive efforts. Brooks wasn’t done collecting RBIs for the Aces as he hit a two-run single to push the lead to 4-0 in the top of the third frame. GBG got busy at the plate, notching singles to threaten a comeback, but the runners would ultimately be left stranded. In the top of the fifth, the Aces’ Gavin Howard bunted into a fielder’s choice to increase the lead to 5-0. Bradley Irish came on in relief for the Aces and quickly went through four batters to get out of the sixth inning. With the seventh inning on the horizon, GBG had Rohan Kasanagottu on the bump to fizz out the Aces’ bats; Kasanagottu made quick work with two pop outs and a ground out to give his team a chance at a comeback. GBG’s Quentin Young got the bottom of the seventh frame started with a single to center field and another batter was hit by a pitch to put two runners on base for GBG. With one out, the pressure was on for Irish to secure the win. On a full count, Irish pushed his third strike past the plate to tally the second out of the seventh and then proceeded to strike out the next batter on another full count to seal the 5-0 win for the Aces.

Texas Twelve Red Sox 6, PRD 8

PRD’s Michael Williams held Texas Twelve to just two hits and one run while fanning seven batters in the first four innings, giving his offense the chance to streak out to an 8-1 lead during the same span. While Williams struck out four batters in the opening two frames, PRD’s lineup collected three extra base hits in the first inning to take a quick 3-0 lead. PRD’s bats stayed hot in the second inning, with two of the first three runners able to reach on singles. An error on another single, this time into left field, allowed both runners to score to make it 5-0. Texas Twelve suffered another setback before the end of the inning, as a wild pitch surrendered a sixth PRD run. The offense for Texas Twelve posted its first run in the fourth inning thanks to a wild pitch, and fully woke from its slumber in the following frame. With the first two Red Sox runners aboard via walks, another PRD wild pitch and Wes Baker stealing home game gave Texas Twelve life with the score now 8-3. Lucas Franco drove in two more runs with a double into right and a fielder’s choice brought home the fifth run of the inning for Texas Twelve, now suddenly only trailing by a score of 8-6 and within striking distance. With the game on the line, PRD sealed the win by forcing a fly out, ground out, and strikeout in the final inning.

Power Baseball 0, USA Prime National 2

Strong pitching shined for both sides in USA Prime National’s 2-0 win over Power Baseball. USA Prime’s Jack Lafflam had a strong showing by hurling four innings and recording four strikeouts along the way. In the top of the first frame, Lafflam racked up two early K’s to help his offense play comfortably. Power Baseball’s Parker Hohnstock matched Lafflam’s effort striking out two batters of his own to clean up the first, andver the next four innings, both teams played lights out defensively and did not allow a single run. The first action of the game came in the bottom of the sixth inning when Jack Ruckert nailed a single to right field to score Kayson Cunningham and Josiah Hartshorn. USA Prime brought in Aiden Poe in the seventh to cap off the contest, and after registering a fly out and a walk, Poe forced two batters into a fly out and ground out respectively in the last inning to push his squad to 1-0 in the tournament.

Scorpions Scout Team Black 6, Dulin's Dodgers Prime 0

Led by the stellar duo of Keegan Deihl and Brody Juntunen on the mound, Scorpions Scout Team Black cruised to a 6-0 opening win over Dulins Dodgers Prime. Deihl, who got the start, recorded eight punchouts in five innings as he allowed just two walks as his only baserunners for the win. Juntunen struck out a pair of Dodgers Prime hitters over the final two innings, nearly completing the no-hitter until Brody Mattox swatted a one-out single in the seventh inning. For Scorpions offensively, they broke the deadlock in the second inning thanks to a pair of consecutive errors, going up 2-0. An RBI single from Bryson Ayala quickly made it 3-0 before the end of the inning. Ayala would tally his game-high second hit and second RBI of the game on a line-drive double into left in the fourth inning. Errors would again play a role in the sixth inning, as another fielding error from Dodgers Prime allowed the final two runs to score on the same play and give Scorpions a 6-0 lead they would go on to win by.

Stix Scout 3, Canes National 0

Stix’s Ethan Baiotto pitched five hitless innings and fanned eight batters out as his squad rolled to a 3-0 win over Canes National. Canes’ pitcher Johnny Slawinski opened up the first two innings on the bump with three strikeouts to combat Baiotto’s performance, anditching proved crucial as both teams held each other scoreless throughout four innings. In the fifth, Callan Warren uncorked a ball to center field for a single to drive two runs across the plate to take the score to 2-0 in favor of Stix. Baiotto continued his dominance on the mound in the bottom of the fifth by sitting down all three batters that stepped up to the plate in the inning. Stix would add one more run in the top of the seventh frame courtesy of Cayden Mitchell, whocranked a sacrifice fly to left field to drive in Braxton Van Cleave. Both starting pitchers, Baiotto and Slawinski, had impressive stat lines as they combined for 16 total strikeouts across 10 innings of work while only allowing two runs in their outings.

Wow Factor 2, Phillies National 3

Phillies National earned a stunning walk-off victory over Wow Factor in a dramatic finale, scoring two late runs while down to their final out of the game to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Eli Pitts opened the scoring for Wow Factor in the first inning with an RBI single that would be the only run of the game until a wild pitch allowed a second Wow Factor score in the top of the sixth frame. Phillies National finally put themselves on the board in the bottom of the sixth thanks to an RBI double from Blake Fields, setting up a tense final inning. Kaniel Rosado struck out two of three Wow Factor hitters in the top of the frame, ensuring that Phillies National would come to bat only trailing 2-1. Wow Factor’s Carter Wilcox held his nerve initially, ringing up the first two Phillies National batters to put them on the brink. But a walk and an error suddenly put the tying run within reach, and a clutch single from Jalen Foxx tied the game at 2-2 while also advancing Jackson Roper to third base. That proved crucial, with Roper seeing his chance on a wild pitch and making no mistake to score the winning run and cap off a wild game.

East Cobb Astros 2, Team Elite 8

Team Elite sparked a late six-run inning in the bottom of the sixth to cruise past East Cobb, 8-2, on Tuesday. Team Elite jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first frame, when with the bases loaded, Coleman Lewis nailed a ground ball to collect two runs.. East Cobb struck back as Gabe Gonzalez shattered a two-strike homer over the left field wall to cut the deficit to one after playing three. After a scoreless inning from Team Elite, East Cobb took advantage of the opportunity to even the score, 2-2, on a Kade Kisz single. With both teams fighting for a win, Team Elite took charge in the fifth inning and didn’t look back, scoring six runs in the bottom of the sixth to put the game out of reach at 8-2. Team Elite’s Lewis finished his day 2-for-3 with three RBIs and a walk while also scoring a run himself.

Dirtbags 3, Texas Senators 1

Dirtbags’ Seth Manning kept the Senators at bay on the mound by tossing four hitless innings while garnering five punchouts in his squad’s 3-1 win on Tuesday. The Dirtbags were electric swinging the bat in the top of the opening frame, starting whenIan Williams singled on a bunt down the first baseline before he was pushed across the plate later in the inning on a two-strike triple by Johnathan Coombs. CJ Oxendine joined in on the fun and struck a sacrifice fly to right field to score Coombs and put the Dirtbags up 2-0. Strong pitching from Manning allowed the Dirtbag offense to play with confidence as later in the second inning, Zach Bender found home to make the score 3-0. The Texas Senators attempted to chip away at the lead in the bottom of the seventh with a Clayton Namken double to center field. Namken then advanced to third on a ground out and soon crossed the plate after Victor Coronado lifted a sacrifice fly to center field. In relief for the Dirtbags, Cameron Tarkenton shut down the Senators by forcing a fly out to secure the win.

South Charlotte Panthers 3, Top Tier Select 2

The South Charlotte Panthers narrowly edged out Top Tier Select 3-2 behind a dominant Sterling Bass pitching performance. Bass chucked five strong frames while fanning seven batters to give South Charlotte the edge. Defense was the name of the game in the first three innings as Top Tier’s Conor Essenburg registered three strikeouts in the first two innings. JD Stein continued his stellar play at the plate with a triple to left field in the bottom of the third to drive in Jacob Seamon to mark the first runs of the game for Top Tier. Bass fed off the energy that his offense provided him with and punched out two batters in a row in the fourth to keep Top Tier off the board. After a walk and a single to begin the fifth, the Panthers were able to load up the bases andKasen Williams delivered, stroking a double with the bases loaded which would drive two runs in to round out the fifth inning and give South Charlotte its first lead of the day. With the Panthers up by one in the sixth, Top Tier knew it needed to take action for a shot at a win. Zackary Johnson reached on an infield error and advanced to second on a wild pitch before he would later tie the game up courtesy of an infield single to send the game to the seventh inning in dramatic fashion. The Panthers’ Carter Blankinship went to work in an effort to earn a victory for his squad as he hit a triple to lead off the seventh. After a ground out, Harrison Alshie connected with a pitch to earn himself an RBI and regain the lead, 3-2. South Charlotte’s Gavin MacDonald saved the day in the bottom of the seventh by forcing three ground outs and registering the Panthers a win.

Original Florida Pokers 5, Alpha Prime 8

Alpha Prime bounced back from its early morning loss with an 8-5 win over Original Florida Pokers as the offense roared to life at the plate. Early in the game, however, it was all Original Florida beginning in the first inning. A double from Nicholas Diaz opened the scoring to give the Pokers a 1-0 lead, and they would tack on four more runs in the following frame. Beginning with a sac fly to make it 2-0, Eddie Marshall drove in two more runs with a single into center before Diaz notched his second RBI on a single into right for Original Florida’s fifth scoreas the Pokers tallied five runs in the top of the second inning. Their lead held until the fourth inning, when Alpha Prime stormed back with two outs to unleash a stunning eight-run barrage. Beginning with a sac fly and followed by a bases-loaded walk, Ethan Porter cleared the bases with a single to tie the game at 5-5. Alpha Prime’s run didn’t stop there, as a double from Alec Blair sent Porter home for the game winning run and a double from Mason Pike added two more runs to ensure the victory.

GBG 7, PRD 3

GBG National bounced back from its earlier loss to hand PRD its first of the 2024 17U Champs, 7-3. It took until the the fifth inning for either side’s offense to ignite, with PRD’s bats the first to start finding contact at the plate. With the bases loaded, a Hutson Chance sac fly and a fielding error allowed the first two runs to score in the bottom of the fifth inning. Despite being saddled with two outs, GBG found a way to answer in the top of the sixth frame. Jase Desantis lasered a two-RBI single into left with the bases loaded to tie the game, followed by three straight walks as GBG took a 4-2 lead. Another two-run single into left, this time off the bat of Aiden Aguayo, made it 6-2. PRD pulled a run back in the bottom of the sixth, but it was too late to salvage a comeback. GBG added an insurance run in the seventh inning via a final single from Angel Laya. Zach Strickland pitched 5.0 innings for the victors, striking out five and exiting having allowed just two hits and a single earned run.

Aces 4, Texas Twelve Red Sox 1

Aces National’s bats proved too much to handle in its 4-1 victory over the Texas Twelve Red Sox. The Aces got started right out of the gate earning two walks in the first inning. With two runners on, Grant Walters smoked a sacrifice fly to center field allowing time for John Davis to cross the plate. In the next at bat, Glenn Brooks got a hold of a single to score another run putting his team up 2-0. The Aces continued to keep their bats hot in the second inning when Steele Hall hit a single to tally an RBI under his belt. While the Ace offense went to work, it was Charlie Wilcox on the mound who kept the Texas Twelve off the board only allowing two hits in his outing through five frames. After the Aces went up 4-0 courtesy of Hall stealing home, the Texas Twelve rallied its troops in an attempt at a comeback. Lucas Franco singled to start the sixth to put himself on the bags and William Hill drove him across the plate on a single to left field to put the score at 4-1. Eli Blair settled in on the mound for the Aces and finished off the order to register the Aces second win at the 17U NC Champs.

USA Prime National 9, Dulins Dodgers Prime 1

USA Prime National’s bats came alive early and stayed hot throughout the game as it rolled to a 9-1 win over Texas Twelve Red Sox and moved to 2-0. USA Prime struck first in the second inning, managing to load the bases after being saddled with two outs. Korbin Reynolds became the fourth USA Prime player to walk as the opening run scored and the bases remained loaded, setting up Kayson Cunningham to double into right and drive in all three baserunners for a 4-0 lead. Prime struck again on a Josiah Hartshorn single in the third inning that made it 5-0, and they’d tack two more runs onto the lead in the fourth via a fielder’s choice and another single. An error and an RBI single from Cannon Goldin in the top of the fifth inning ensured that USA Prime held a commanding 9-0 lead before Dodgers Prime scored their lone run of the game in the bottom of the fifth, a sac fly off the bat of Parker Moore. On the mound for USA Prime, Joseph Vaccarella earned the win with a terrific four inning shift where he fanned four batters and allowed just three hits and a pair of walks.

Power Baseball 1, Scorpions 0

Cooper Coleman’s performance on the bump pushed Power Baseball past Scorpions Scout Team Black in a 1-0 contest on Tuesday. Both squads played lights out defensively, only allowing five total hits throughout the course of the game. Grayson Gibson represented the Scorpions on the mound and registered three strikeouts throughout his first three innings. In the top of the fourth frame, Jordan Marlo smashed a single to center field to put Power Baseball up and register the only RBI in the contest. Throughout the rest of the game, both pitching staffs commanded the mound and held the opposing offenses at bay. Scorpions Scout Team now sits at 2-0 while Power Baseball now holds a 1-1 record after dropping in its early morning contest.