CARY, N.C. - The Stars defeated the Stripes 8-7 to claim the series after another competitive matchup in game two of the 14U National Team Development Program at the USA Baseball National Team Training Complex in Cary, N.C.
In the second inning, the Stripes put the first run on the board when Collin Reuter (Olive Branch, Miss.) scored on an RBI single by Cooper Kinney (Chattanooga, Tenn.) to make the score 1-0. But an error by the Stripes third baseman allowed Thomas Splaine (Los Gatos, Calif.) to tie the game back up 1-1 in the bottom half for the Stars.
The Stars then jumped ahead with 3 runs in the fourth inning when Blake Burke (Brentwood, Calif.) and Daniel Corona (Brooklyn, N.Y.) scored on an RBI double by Joshua Hartle (King, N.C.) who then crossed the plate himself on an RBI single by Charles Duffield (Houston, TX).<9> The Stars continued to pile on in the fifth when Davis Diaz (Pittsburg, Calif.) scored on a two-base error by the left fielder and Tyree Reed (Vallejo, Calif.) came home on a wild pitch. Cody Schrier (Coto De Caza, Calif.) put one more tally on the board to give the Stars a 7-1 lead when he scored on an RBI double by Burke to left-center field.
The Stripes got two runs back in the sixth inning when Eddie King (Chicago, IL) and Preston Herce (Key West, Fla.) scored on a single by Brady House (Winder, GA) (7-2). But the Stars answered with one of their own in the bottom half when Gavin Zurn (Stillwater, Minn.) scored on an RBI triple by Eldridge Armstrong (Pasadena, Calif.).
The Stripes rallied in the seventh inning with four runs when Tyler Fullman (Homewood, IL) scored on an RBI single by King and a bases-clearing double play by Trevor Haskins (San Jose, Calif.) brought Joseph Collier (Surprise, Ariz.), King and Diego Prieto (Miami, Fla.) home. But the late comeback would not be enough for the Stripes as the Stars took their second win of the week, 8-7.
Nick Kurtz (Lancaster, Penn.) earned the win for the Stars, pitching three innings, while striking out four and giving up just one earned run. Joshua Hartle (King, N.C.) and Burke led the Stars at the plate as Hartle went 2-for-2 with two RBI doubles and Burke added his own RBI double while going 2-for-3.
Haskins led the Stripes offense with three RBIs and House had two. The Stars and Stripes will compete in the final game of the 14U National Team Development Program on Friday, July, 28 at 10:15 a.m. at the USA Baseball National Team Training Complex.