San Diego Show 2, Texas Sun Devils 0
Led by a stellar outing on the mound from starting pitcher Dave Beck, San Diego Show clinched a spot in the semifinals with a 2-0 victory over Texas Sun Devils. Beck went the first 5.2 innings, fanning eight batters and letting just five Sun Devils reach base. Marcos Thompson came in for relief, keeping Texas hitless in the final inning as he struck out another two batters. For the Show offensively, the squad took the lead in the third inning thanks to an RBI single from Iker Santiago Laija. A defensive error in the fifth allowed a second run to score for San Diego. On the bump for the Sun Devils, Sean Ryan Bartel (4.0 IP) and Matthew Brandon (3.0 IP) did their best to contain the Show’s offense, combining to surrender just six hits while retiring six batters.
Scottsdale Dirtbags 9, Wildcatters Elite 0
Taking an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, the Scottsdale Dirtbags never looked back as they booked their spot in the semifinals with a 9-0 win over Wildcatters Elite. The Dirtbags took the lead thanks to an RBI single from Noah Henderson before adding a groundout, and Henderson would tally his second RBI of the game on a sac fly in the third inning. Up 3-0, Scottsdale put three more runs on the board in the fourth inning thanks to a groundout, a fielder’s choice, and an RBI double from Mikayel Khan. In the sixth, another three runs would come in to seal the game thanks to an RBI groundout and singles from both Emilio Medina and Daylon McCants. McCants was also terrific on the mound for the Dirtbags, going all seven innings as he struck out five batters and allowed just five hits.
ZT National Prospects 15, MVP Hustle 5
Initially going down 5-0 in the first inning, ZT National Prospects erupted for 15 unanswered runs in a 15-5 win over MVP Hustle. MVP Hustle leaped out to a 3-0 advantage thanks to a two-run triple from Carson Schoener and a one-run double from Declan Bothwell, before a fielder’s choice and RBI single from Kenzo Shimomura made it 5-0. Undeterred, the fightback from ZT National began immediately in the top of the second inning. Cash Tellez put his side on the board with an RBI single, and Joshua Park launched a three-run triple to pull ZT National to within a run. Tellez was effective at the plate again in the third inning, lasering a single into right that tied the game at 5-5. Now warmed up at the plate, ZT Nationals exploded for nine runs in the fourth inning to surge ahead. Ruben Elias and Jack Wu drove in RBIs with a double and single, respectively, and then Jonathan V raked a triple into center that scored another two runs. Now up 10-5, ZT National got another pair of RBI singles from Jeremy Jimenez and Elias along with a run on a fielder’s choice. Tellez drove in ZT National’s final run in the fifth inning, ending the run the same way he had started it.
Premier Banditos 7, Ninth Inning Royals 6
Premier Banditos stormed back from an early 6-0 deficit to earn a close 7-6 win over Ninth Inning Royals, becoming the final team to reach the semifinals. Ninth Inning Royals opened an initial 3-0 lead in the first inning, getting an RBI single from Rocco Slater and a two-RBI drive from Jeremiah Dorsey. The lead doubled in the top of the second inning thanks to another RBI single from Matthew Komar, along with an RBI groundout and run scored on a wild pitch. Facing a 6-0 deficit, Premier Banditos rallied to blast six runs in the bottom of the second inning and tie the game. Dylan French led the comeback with an RBI single, followed by a two-run single from Caden Tipton. A pair of costly defensive errors gifted the Banditos three more runs, suddenly tying the game at 6-6. The two teams remained deadlocked until the fifth inning, when Jacob Radow raked the deciding RBI single into left and handed the Banditos the winning run. On the mound for the winning side, Toby Lowry earned the win as he struck out seven batters over 4.2 innings, with Luke Wells coming in to close out the win with 2.0 perfect innings down the stretch.
