USA Baseball’s 18U National Team Training Camp Phase One delivered another exciting day of action on Sunday at the National Training Complex, with Team Grey improving to a perfect 3-0 record and Team Light Blue picking up its second win of the week.
In the morning matchup, Team Grey staged a thrilling comeback, scoring six unanswered runs to defeat Team Navy 6-4. In the afternoon, Team Light Blue edged Team Red 5-3 in a back-and-forth battle.
Grey Overcomes Early Deficit to Stay Undefeated
The Grey-Navy contest remained scoreless through the first four innings thanks to strong pitching from both sides. Chase Fuller and Camden Boehm each threw two blank frames for Navy, while Isaac Vidal and Casen Reedy did the same for Grey.
Navy broke through in the top of the fifth, plating four runs. Brogan Witcher was hit by a pitch, advanced on a groundout, and scored on a Harry Jones Jr. single. Devlan Daniel was then hit by a pitch, setting up Connor Balazic’s RBI single. Grady Grant added a squeeze bunt to score Daniel, and Caden Borcherding knocked in another run with a single to center, giving Navy a 4-0 lead.
Grey began its comeback in the sixth when Dylan Seward launched a solo home run to left field. After a scoreless top of the seventh, Grey cut the deficit to 4-3 in the bottom half. Tyson Moore drew a leadoff walk, scored on a Malachi Butler double, and Butler later came home on a wild pitch after stealing third.
In the bottom of the eighth, Grey’s offense exploded for three runs to take the lead for good. Seward singled, advanced on a balk, and moved to third on Lubin Rincon’s single. Caden Dawson ripped a double to tie the game, and Moore followed with a two-run single up the middle for the go-ahead and insurance runs. Grey’s bullpen held firm to secure the 6-4 victory.
Notable Performances:
- Dylan Seward and another Grey hitter (Swanson) each recorded two hits, with Seward also scoring twice.
- Camden Boehm led all pitchers with four strikeouts in two innings. Isaac Vidal and Cooper Jones each fanned three.
- Several pitchers — Drake Hawpe, Lucas Waite, Justin Kirchner, and Jake Ivey — turned in scoreless relief appearances.
Light Blue Takes Down Red in See-Saw Affair
Team Light Blue jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning. Drake McClurg walked, stole second, and advanced to third on a Joe Mendazona Jr. single. Kyler Meccage drove in McClurg with a line drive to center, and a defensive miscue later allowed Mendazona to score the second run.
Red responded immediately in the bottom of the second when Brady Cunningham doubled and scored on a Sebastian Wilson single. Red tied the game in the third on Christopher Wall’s triple and Taylor Dodd’s sacrifice fly.
Red grabbed its first lead in the sixth on Dodd’s single, a wild pitch, Cullen Scott’s single, and Wilson’s RBI hit. However, Light Blue answered right back in the seventh. McClurg walked, and back-to-back hits from Mendazona and Meccage tied the game at 3-3.
Light Blue reclaimed the lead in the eighth when a defensive miscue put Juan Diaz on base, and Graham Houston doubled him home. Jordan Kurz added an RBI single to make it 5-3. Strong relief pitching from Grant Sperandio, Axton Brewer, and Ryan Donahoe (four combined strikeouts over three scoreless innings) sealed the win for Light Blue.
Notable Performances:
- Sebastian Wilson went 3-for-3 with two RBIs for Red.
- Graham Houston collected three hits, an RBI, and a run scored for Light Blue.
- Mendazona Jr., Meccage, Dodd, and Scott all had multi-hit games.
On Deck
Game action resumes Monday, July 20, at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary. Team Light Blue will face the undefeated Team Grey at 10 a.m. ET, followed by Team Red versus Team Navy at 1 p.m. ET.
These intra-squad games are providing valuable reps and evaluation opportunities as USA Baseball prepares its 18U National Team for upcoming international competition. Stay tuned to Litehouse Media for continued coverage of prospects and standout performances from the camp.
