It didn’t matter if its opponents engineered a five-run, late-game rally to threaten its chances at gold, nothing was going to stop Stacked National from taking it all at the 15U National Team Championships in Arizona.

After pitching back-to-back shutouts in the quarter and semifinals to punch its ticket to the gold medal bout, Stacked once again looked as though it was headed towards putting on another defensive masterclass. While the team gave up five runs in the sixth frame of the championship match, Stacked collected itself to hang on and win gold as the last team standing at the 15U age group.

Starting pitcher Asher Friedman led Stacked’s effort throughout the entire game on both offense and defense. Whether he was on the mound tossing a strong five innings or in the box racking up a team-leading three RBIs, the two-way, do-it-all player breathed a sigh of relief as he donned gold.

“I mean, it feels great to finally win,” Friedman said. “We had to battle to get here for sure. And even in the game we had a big lead, but it got a little sketchy at the end, but we came out and it feels great to win that.”

Friedman followed behind two starting Stacked pitchers who put on show-stopping performances the day before, and he didn’t disappoint. Friedman steered his team through five frames of one-run ball. Finishing with no earned runs, no walks, only two hits allowed, and three punchouts, Friedman knew he had his best stuff from the very start.

“I was definitely feeling myself,” Friedman said. “All my stuff was working in the bullpen, and I knew I had to translate to the game, and everything was working. So it feels great.”

Meanwhile, Friedman and Stacked National’s offense had time to jump out to a 3-0 lead by the end of the fourth thanks to a sacrifice fly from the pitcher. One frame later, Friedman struck again. This time, it was via a double into centerfield that plated two and ticked Stacked Natinonal’s lead up to 7-1. By the end of the sixth, Stacked was out to an 8-1 lead.

Stacked National was running up the score and setting opposing batters down with ease, a script similar to that of its quarter and semifinal bouts.

“We scored some runs and they kept swinging early,” said head coach Robert Ybarra. “So we got quick outs, and that helped Asher have a good pitch count to keep him going.”

However, Next Level Baseball refused to go down without a fight. Once the bottom of the sixth rolled around, the team mounted a comeback that nearly took gold out of the hands of Stacked National.

With Friedman’s day done, Next Level saw its opportunity and struck. It quickly loaded the bases against Stacked’s new pitcher, scoring one on a hit by pitch. One play later, a double plated two more Next Level Baseball, and it didn’t plan on stopping anytime soon.

However, Friedman still found a way to be a boon to his team even if he was in the dugout. In need of a new pitcher, Friedman found it in his team’s then-right fielder Austin Gerkan.

“I was actually in the dugout sitting and there was a foul ball down the right field line, and our right fielder told me, ‘My arm feels great, get me in the pen,’” Friedman said. “I told Coach, he warmed up, threw like three pitches and came in and he shoved.”

Shoved he did. Gerkan came in and quelled Next Level’s rally, and while Stacked National now only led 8-6, that two-run gap was all it needed to close out the win.

“You got to understand that even after giving up those runs, you're still winning the game by two," Ybarra said. "So you just got to count the outs, don't really focus on those runs there. But I thought the guys played mature baseball, and that's how we were able to win.”

Gerkan finished the final two innings for Stacked National and finalized its win. He threw three punchouts — two of which were in the seventh and final frame — while allowing only one hit and no runs.

At the end of it all, Gerkan, Friedman, Ybarra and the rest of Stacked National had warded off Next Level Baseball’s late rally and won gold medals at the 15U National Team Championships in Arizona.