Thursday brought all of the action at the 2025 National Team Championships North Carolina in Cary at the National Training Complex. Eight teams punched their ticket into quarterfinal play with hopes of winning gold at the event. Catch up on all of the quarterfinal fireworks from the third day of Champs NC.
USA Prime/Aces National 6, Canes National 17U/NY Mets Scout Team 4 (Box Score)
USA Prime/Aces National punched its ticket to the semifinals with a 6-4 quarterfinal win over Canes National 17U/NY Mets Scout Team, fueled by a dominant two-way performance from Giovanni Rojas. Rojas struck out the side in the first frame to set the tone, then opened the scoring with an RBI single in the bottom half of the inning. Taj Marchand and Cole Prosek helped USA Prime build a 3-1 lead in the third, and small-ball execution in the fourth and fifth stretched the advantage to 5-1. Canes National clawed back with a two-run blast from Blake Bowen in the sixth, but Rojas answered again at the plate with an RBI single to give USA Prime breathing room. Despite a late sacrifice fly from Christian Serrano in the seventh, Prime’s 13-hit day was too much to overcome as it secured the victory and semifinal berth.
CBU Scout Team James 5, Stix 2 (Box Score)
CBU Scout Team James came up clutch in the big-time quarterfinals showdown, knocking off Stix 2026 Scout with a commanding 5-2 victory to punch its ticket to the semifinals. After falling behind 1-0 early, CBU flipped the script in the third inning with a pair of gritty RBI groundouts to take the lead.The bats stayed hot for CBU in the fourth as Rodney Chung ripped a double and Isaiah Perez followed with an RBI single to make it 4-1. Stix trimmed the deficit with a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning, but CBU slammed the door with one more run in the bottom half – including another clutch knock from Kaine Ellis, who finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Jimmy Huard added a perfect day at the plate, going 2-for-2 with an RBI, while the dominant pitching duo of Mills Carrillo and OB Osceola silenced the Stix offense allowing just one earned run and six strikeouts. Osceola shut the door in style, fanning the final batter to lock in the win and keep CBU’s championship hopes alive.
PRD 2026s 3, Dirtbags National 0 (Box Score)
PRD 2026s advanced to the semifinals with a 3-0 win over Dirtbags National in the quarterfinals. Despite racking up 11 hits, the Dirtbags couldn’t break through a lights-out PRD pitching staff. Kyle Wenckus and Logan Chi combined for seven scoreless innings, allowing just one walk and striking out five. PRD broke a scoreless tie in the fifth when Jason Amalbert drove in Carter Heagle with a single to left. They added two more in the sixth inning on RBI knocks from Logan Martel and Ryan Ventrelle to extend the lead. Martel finished 2-for-3 with an RBI, helping PRD capitalize on its opportunities while the defense slammed the door. Dirtbags starter Amos Rich was electric in his own right, fanning eight over four innings.
USA Prime National/Detroit Tigers Scout 5, Dulins Dodgers Prime Godwin 1 (Box Score)
Right from the first inning, CJ Sampson sparked the offense with a sharp single, and Connor Comeau followed up with a clutch RBI line drive to put USA Prime on the board early. The momentum kept building as Jorvorski Lane’s timely single in the third frame drove in another run, pushing the lead to 2-0. The Dodgers fought back, sneaking a run home on a wild pitch, but USA Prime’s firepower and lockdown pitching quickly shut down any hopes of a comeback. Tyler Putnam dazzled on the mound with five strikeouts in three scoreless innings, while Catcher Hopkins was a catalyst at the plate, going 2-for-3 and setting the stage for a game-breaking sixth inning. In that frame, a walk and a costly error by the Dodgers allowed three runs to pour in, turning a close game into a commanding lead. Landon Collins’ strong outing kept the Dodgers competitive, but USA Prime’s relentless attack was too much to handle, punching its ticket to the semifinals in thrilling fashion.
