Friday began the second day of pool play at the 11U Futures Invitational, seeing many games come down to the wire in the last few innings of play. Let’s take a look at some of the tightest contests from day two.

Braves Baseball Academy Edges Out Future Elite, 7-6, in Extra-Inning Play

After going down 3-0 after the first two innings, Braves Baseball Academy knew it needed to get on the board quickly to keep its chances of a win alive. In the fourth frame, the Braves did just that and tied the game, 3-3, courtesy of back-to-back outfield singles from Liam Mojica and Xavier Bejarano. The Braves shut down the Future Elite offense in the next frame and took advantage of the scoreless inning, adding two more runs to their total, 5-3. An error helped Future Elite cut the deficit to one and it was followed up with an Andrew Mercedes RBI single to tie the game at 5-5. Both teams went scoreless in the seventh inning, forcing the game to extend into an eighth inning. Future Elite put a quick one up on the board via an Andrew Vanderhoff sacrifice fly, giving Elite a sense that a win was on the verge. With a runner in scoring position, the Braves were able to reach base and advance on a wild pitch, placing a runner on third. After a balk, the game was evened 6-6 with a runner also advancing to third. AJ Lira stepped up to the plate and played hero, smacking a fly ball to right field, driving in the winning run to cap off the game.

The Memphis Tigers’ Five-Run Inning Fuels 6-4 Comeback Over Legacy Baseball Group

Legacy Baseball Group started off hot in the first three innings, building up a 3-0 lead thanks to a couple of Tiger mishaps. Getting back to true form, the Tigers rattled off a five-run rally via back-to-back singles from Liam England and Charlie Faber in the fourth inning to gain their first lead of the day, 5-3. Legacy Baseball cut the deficit to just one after Clay Malik singled to left field to drive in a runner, but the Tigers put the game out of reach thanks to Cooper M’s sacrifice fly, driving in the final run of the game and leaving the score at 6-4.

Wildcatters Elite Knocks Off Undefeated San Diego Show 7-4

Wildcatters Elite jumped out to a fast 5-0 start after registering a four-run second inning, hitting a double and three singles in a row to begin the break. After going down five, the Show registered a run of its own, tallying a single run in the top of the third. The Wildcatters struck back, throwing down two more runs thanks to a Kyler Bielss single to center field. In an attempt at a comeback, San Diego slashed back with a base-clearing triple and a run-producing line out to score three more in the top of the fourth frame. The lead proved too much to overcome as the Wildcatters walked away with the win, 7-4.

PRD Ghosts Narrowly Escape TC Titans in 4-3 Victory

After a scoreless first inning, the TC Titans struck first, crossing home plate on a balk to register the first run of the game. An RBI-groundout and an Easton Griffin single in the next at-bat drove two more runs across the plate, pushing the score to 3-0 in favor of the Titans. PRD responded in third, loading up the bases and eventually registering its first run of the ball game on a bases-loaded walk. The Ghosts didn’t stop there as they added three runs via back-to-back singles from Lucas Litton and Tyler Ballard which gained the Ghosts their first lead of the day, 4-3. Defense was the name of the game after the first, as both teams held strong throughout the rest of the match, finalizing a 4-3 victory for PRD.

Dominant Pitching Pushes Scottsdale Past Bolts in 3-0 Win

The Scottsdale Dirtbags got on the board first in the opening inning when Noah Henderson cracked a double to left field, making the lead 1-0. Dirtbags pitcher Clayton Ratliff went to work on the mound in the next few innings, forcing the Bolts to stay at bay and keeping the lead for his squad. The Dirtbags added another run in the third, increasing their lead to two. The two-run lead was all Ratliff needed, punching out eight batters across a five-inning span. In the top of the seventh, the Dirtbags added another run to put things out of reach, clinching the 3-0 win.