Premier Nationals 8, ZT Prospects National 5
The Premier Nationals got revenge from last year’s 11U Futures title game, taking down ZT Prospects National, 8-5, in semifinal action. After ZT Prospects got on the board immediately in the first, the Nationals took the lead and then went back and forth until an explosive fifth inning helped them pull away.

Nine different players had at least one hit for the Nationals, with Cash Ericsson and Dylan Mercado leading with two hits apiece. Liam Barry, Ericsson, and Quinn Neal each drove in two runs in the win for Premier. ZT’s offense was led by two-hit efforts from Adam Allet, Eli Martinez, Caleb Lozano, and Mason Smith.

Mercado earned the win for Premier, turning in 5.1 innings and allowing five runs (two earned). He was replaced by Chase Cook, who got the final five outs and allowed just two hits. Martinez suffered the loss for ZT Prospects.

Game Highlights

• After tossing a scoreless top of the first inning, Martinez drove in the game’s first run with an RBI single to plate Trent O’Malley and give ZT Prospects a 1-0 lead.
• The Nationals immediately answered in the top of the second, loading the bases on a pair of singles and a walk before Barry singled to left field to give Premier a 2-1 edge.
• Premier’s Mercado responded well to the run support on the mound in the second, tossing a perfect frame to give the Nationals a shutdown inning.
• ZT Prospects was able to scratch a run across in the bottom of the third. Mannix Renfro was hit by a pitch and Allett singled, followed by another RBI single by Martinez to knot the game at two apiece.
• In the bottom of the fourth, ZT Prospects scored again to take the lead. With two outs and two on, Lozano singled on a line drive to left field to give his squad a 3-2 edge.
• Premier National immediately responded in the top of the fifth, exploding for six runs to open up a big lead. The rally started when Cook slammed a two-run double to give Premier a one-run lead, and continued when Carter Holder singled to put Premier in front 5-3.
• The lead was extended to five for Premier National when they tacked on a trio of runs in the fourth on defensive miscues by ZT Prospects.
• ZT Prospects crept a little closer in the bottom of the sixth, scoring twice to make it 8-5. The first run came on a single by Lozano followed by a sacrifice fly from Kason Burger to make it a three-run game.
• Cook secured the final three outs in the seventh to punch Premier's ticket to the title game.

Notable Information

• The game was a rematch of last year’s 11U Futures title game, which resulted in a gold medal for ZT Prospects in 2021.
• The Nationals had five hits in their six-run fifth inning, including three consecutive knocks early in the frame.
• Mercado is now batting .500 (7-for-14) in the tournament and has at least one hit in all five games played for the Nationals.
• Martinez also raised his tournament batting average to .500 (7-for-14) and has now driven in seven runs across five games for ZT Prospects.
• With the win, Premier advances to the 11U Futures Invitational title game for the second consecutive year.

Showcase Baseball Academy 1, Braves Baseball Academy 0

Showcase Baseball Academy was able to hold a powerful Braves Baseball Academy offense scoreless in route to a 1-0 shutout win to clinch a spot in the 11U Futures title game.

SBA scratched a run across in the top of the second and then spent the rest of the game playing strong defense to keep the Braves off the board and secure the win. The only run of the game came on an RBI single by Layton Saliba in the second inning.

Graham Hufstetler got the win for SBA after tossing 5.0 shutout innings, scattering five hits and striking out three. Colton Pettinato entered for the final batter and induced a game-ending ground out to get the save for SBA. Despite throwing a complete game, Parker Visage got the loss for the Braves after allowing just a single run on six hits.

Game Highlights

• Visage worked around a one-out hit in the top of the first to keep the game scoreless in the opening frame, and Hufstetler did the same for Showcase as the game stayed scoreless in the early going.
• Hufstetler led off the top of the second inning with a triple and scored on an RBI single by Saliba to give SBA a 1-0 lead.
• The Braves got a leadoff single from Mateo Mier in the bottom of the second, but Hufstetler coaxed a big double play to escape the inning and keep the Braves scoreless.
• SBA put a runner in scoring position in their half of the third when Pettinato hit a two-out triple, but an inning-ending groundout thwarted the scoring chance.
• Another opportunity came for SBA to extend the lead in the top of the fourth when they hit back-to-back singles, but a double play retired the side and kept the game 1-0.
• The Braves started their half of the fourth with a pair of singles to open the inning before lining into a double play as the game remained a one-run contest.
• The scoring chances came few and far between in the final few innings, as Ryder Sheffield and Pettinato combined to pitch the final two frames to secure to win.

Notable Information

• The win was SBA’s second shutout of the day, as they beat Knights Elite, 4-0, in quarterfinal round action on Saturday morning.
• SBA has now allowed just six runs over the tournament’s first five games.
• The Braves had a potent offense up until this point, combining to score 43 runs in their first four games before the shutout.
• Visage’s complete game came on a 73-pitch effort, as the Braves’ starter was dominant aside from the early run.
• With the win, SBA secures a spot in the 11U Futures title game for the first time in program history.