CASTAIC, Calif. - The USA Baseball 12U National Team Trials Red Team opened a three-game series against the Blue Team with 20 hits en route to a 14-9 victory Thursday at VTV Baseball Complex.
The Red Team was paced by six multi-hit performances. Luis Ayden Almeyda (Hawthorne, N.J.) went 2-for-3 for the Red Team. Both of Almeyda's hits were produced with runners on base and led to three runs-batted-in.
The Blue Team opened the game's scoring with a three-run top of the first inning. The lead changed hands in the bottom of the second inning with a five-run outburst by the Red Team. Paul Dominguez (Anaheim, Calif.) and Travis Friend (Whittier, Calif.) each hit a double in the inning, as Red Team combined for six hits in the inning for a 7-3 lead. The Blue Team responded in the top of the third inning with a three-run inning. They completed the task with one hit, as a bases-loaded walk and a dropped third strike led to a pair of runs in the inning. The Blue Team, trailing 7-6 after the top of the third inning, were held off the scoreboard the next four innings of the nine-inning contest.
A run in the fifth inning, a three-run sixth inning and a solo run in the seventh inning provided Red Team with five straight runs for a 12-6 lead. Julius Pfau (Tampa, Fla.) hit a two-run double in the eighth inning for Blue Team, and they were able to get the tying run at the plate in the top of the ninth inning, but they were unable to erase the 12-9 deficit. The teams played out the ninth inning, and the scoring came to a close in the bottom of the inning with the Red Team scoring a pair of runs.  
The contest was a good series opener for the USA Baseball 12 National Team coaching staff to see a myriad of players compete. Each team used all 18 of their players and the teams combined for 21 players with at least a hit in the game. The Red Team featured 14 players with at least one hit. The two squads combined to use 11 pitchers in the game, and all 11 pitched two or less innings. Kibru Pam (Pasadena, California) was credited with the win, pitching two innings and striking out a pair of batters. Ethan Puig (Miami, Florida) led the Blue Team in strikeouts with two.
The two teams continue their 12U trials Friday with training, leading up to the second game of the series Friday afternoon at VTV Baseball Complex. The 12U trails concludes Saturday, July 28.
For more information on the 12U National Team Trials, please visit USABaseball.com or follow along on Twitter, at @USABaseball12U.