CARY, N.C. - Braylen Dritz threw a complete game shutout to lead the Southwest Stars to the 14U National Team Identification Series Champions cup gold medal Sunday morning after defeating Southeast Stars 1-0 at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina.
Dritz was dominant on the mound in the gold medal game, allowing just one hit through the first five innings. He allowed just four base runners in total while striking out three in the complete game effort.
"[Dritz] went out there and dealt," said Southwest Stars head coach Kerry Kincaid. "He experienced very little trouble all game… I am proud of that kid. Today, he was outstanding."
Osnel Rojas was called on to start for the Southeast Stars, tossing 3.1 scoreless innings while striking out six. He was relieved out of the bullpen by Christian Rodriguez, who threw 3.2 innings, striking out four and allowing the only run of the ballgame. Rodriguez (0-1) was the losing pitcher while Dritz (1-0) earned the win.
Both teams were scoreless heading into the sixth, but Logan de Groot hit a single to right to drive in Jaydon Kea in the bottom of the sixth, scoring the only run of the ballgame and giving the Southwest Stars a 1-0 lead. With the lead, Dritz came back out in the seventh to finish the game and did just that, securing the gold medal for the Southwest Stars.
"They all played hard," said Kincaid. "They gave me one hundred percent the entire time. It has just been such an amazing and incredible opportunity to meet kids from the west that I have never met before. It was a fun experience."
Continue to follow @USABaseballNTIS on Twitter and visit USABaseball.com for the most up-to-date news about the National Team Identification Series.
Key Moments:
• Southwest Stars threatened with the bases loaded in the first, but Southeast Stars starting pitcher Osnel Rojas recorded a strikeout to end the inning and keep the game tied at zero.
• With Southwest runners on first and second and one away, Rojas forced a groundball to the third baseman who stepped on third and threw to first to record the double-play, keeping the score at 0-0 in the third.
• Logan de Groot hit a single to right to drive in Jaydon Kea in the sixth inning, scoring the only run of the ballgame and giving the Southwest Stars a 1-0 lead.
• With the Southeast Stars batting and the tying run on third with just one away, a fly-ball was hit to Southwest Stars' right fielder Ricky Smith, who caught the ball and proceeded to gun the runner at the plate, securing the 1-0 victory for the Southwest Stars.
Up Next:
The National Team Identification Series Champions Cup will continue next weekend, August 23-25, as the 15U and 16U age groups come to town.
Social Media:
Continue to follow @USABaseballNTIS on Twitter and visit USABaseball.com for the most up-to-date news about the National Team Identification Series.
