Knights Knation, MVP Hustle Punch Tickets to Futures Final
Quarterfinals
SBA National 5, Scottsdale Dirtbags 2
Cooper Thissen was a force to be reckoned with on the mound, striking out eight batters across four innings of work in SBA National’s 5-2 victory over the Scottsdale Dirtbags. SBA got on the board early and never looked back, plating two runs in the first inning on a single from Jaxon Simon. The Dirtbags fired back as Mav’ric White scored on a Connor Bailey pop fly to left field, but it ultimately wasn’t enough to match the fire power of SBA. The North Carolina squad plated an insurance run in each of the following innings, while Thissen continued to dominate from the bump. Simon and Langston Broome recorded multi-hit games for SBA, and Noah Kirk did the same for Scottsdale.
MVP Hustle 5, DG29 Baseball Academy 4
California and Texas teams faced off in what proved to be the best game of the quarterfinals, with MVP Hustle fending off a comeback by DG29 to advance. Kai Rios kicked off the scoring in the first inning with an RBI triple to right, and Andrew Alexander recorded his second RBI of the game in the third to put MVP Hustle up 4-0. Jaxon Knox backed up the offensive outpour with a stellar outing on the bump for MVP, allowing only one run in five innings. Down but not out, DG29 put two runners on base in the top of the seventh for Cordneil Phillips, who promptly launched the first over-the-fence homer of the tournament to tie the ballgame. Finally, with the winning run on second in the bottom of the seventh, Landon McKennan capped off the thriller with a walk-off single up the middle to give MVP Hustle a spot in the semifinals.
Knights Knation 6, Tennessee Elite 4
Despite looking like a pitcher’s duel for three innings, Knights Knation and Tennessee Elite exploded for 17 hits combined in this back-and-forth affair, with the Knights narrowly prevailing 6-4. Aiden Izquierdo starred on the mound for the Knights, holding Tennessee to one run over four innings, while Dennis Picklesimer silenced bats for Elite for three innings. The Knights finally got the Picklesimer in the fourth though, when Madden Weeda, Declan Silverstein and Carter Rigoli drove in three straight runs. After the Knights piled on three more runs in the fifth, Tennessee responded with three of their own. The comeback was not enough, however, and Knights Knation advanced to the semifinals to face SBA National.
East Cobb Astros 11, Wildcatters Baseball 8
The East Cobb Astros recorded a huge fourth inning to break a 5-5 tie en route to their 11-8 victory over the Wildcatters. After the Astros scored in each of the first three innings for a 5-0 lead, the Wildcatters matched their run total by plating five in the third. But the East Cobb bats kept firing into the fourth as they matched the five-run inning with one of their own. Jayden Holmes opened the scoring after stealing multiple bases, and a chorus of singles kept it going for a 10-5 lead. The Wildcatters scored three in the fifth, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the firepower of the Astros.
Semifinals
MVP Hustle 11, East Cobb Astros 1
The semifinals started with a showdown between MVP Hustle of California and the East Cobb Astros of Georgia, after each team earned narrow victories in their morning quarterfinal matchups. Kai Ruiz started on the bump for MVP Hustle and wasted no time getting into a groove, retiring the side on 11 pitches in the top of the first. Feeding off the momentum, the MVP batters got hot. The first five batters reached base, including an RBI double from Andrew Alexander. By the time the MVP Hustle batters were finished, it was 4-0 and East Cobb was playing catch up.
The Astros were able to scratch a run across in the second on a line drive single from Donovan Dickerson, but struggled to generate offense against Ruiz. The MVP starter shut down East Cobb the rest of the way, pitching five innings total and racking up an impressive nine punchouts. Ruiz also paced the team offensively, collecting three hits in as many at bats with one RBI. Sebastian Vazquez also had a stellar day at the plate for Hustle, going 2-for-2 with two RBIs. When it was all said in done, the Californians had 12 hits and 11 runs, and a ticket to the gold medal game at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday.
Knights Knation 7, SBA National 6
Chaos ensued during the final inning as Knights Knation overcame a 6-1 deficit to defeat the defending tournament champions, SBA National, 7-6. It was a close game through four innings before the SBA bats got hot in the fifth. A 2-1 lead for the Knights quickly became a 6-2 deficit after the first SBA three batters loaded up the bases. Kannon Kane showed excellent discipline at the plate to draw a walk and score the first runner. With the bags still juiced, Atticus Arnold knocked a hard ground ball to right field to score two more. The North Carolina squad plated another pair of runs on a single and a fielder’s choice before the end of the inning.
After a scoreless sixth, the tides changed in favor of the Knights in the top of the seventh. With two outs and two on base, Roberto Gutierrez reached first on an error and a run scored. The scoring continued as the Knights plated two more runs with the help of a Jaylen Carpenter single. To score the final two runs of the rally, Omar Villasenor laced another ground ball to score two and take a 7-6 lead. The defense came through in the bottom frame to complete a 1-2-3 inning and secure the come-from-behind victory.
Consolation Games
ZT National Prospects 1, Original Florida Pokers of Parkland 0
New Level National 2, Devine Baseball 0
Top Tier 11, Canes Midwest National 4
Canes Southwest National 7, SBA Southeast 5
San Diego Show vs. Ghost National
Team Elite 25, The Future Elite 4
Premier Banditos 11, Easley Baseball Club 11
Stacked 11, USA Prime National 6
