There was a lot of action across the Top Gun sites this weekend including a bunch of our top 20 teams in multiple age groups. There were some dominant performances as well as some surprises, so check out our recap for a rundown of the action.
Carrabus/Stanly County 3/3
8u
The 8u division was dominated by out-of-state teams as the Tega Cay Titans (SC) and the LDA Bombers (VA) both went 2-0. The Titans defeated East Rowan 7u 12-11 and the Belmont Bandits 13-0, while the Bombers scored a 16-1 win over the Carolina Spinners and a 12-2 win over the Carrabus Bandits.
9u
The Stanly County Renegades went 2-0 on Saturday with a 11-4 win over Anson Baseball and a 19-2 win over Inferno Baseball.
10u
Aces – Edwards, the Kannapolis Cannons, and the Panthers all went 2-0 on Saturday. The Aces scored a 14-1 win over Bonecrushers and a 12-3 win over the Carolina Cobras. The Cannons edged out Crush – Homewood 8-6 and rolled over the Cobras 18-2. The Panthers earned a 9-3 win over Bonecrushers and a 13-1 win over Team Carolina.
11u
The Black Mambas scored two wins (5-2, 6-3) over the Carolina Fury – Matthews.
Carrabus/Stanly County 3/3
8u
Similar to Saturday, the Tega Cay Titans (SC) and the LDA Bombers (VA) both went 2-0 on Sunday. The Titans scored a 20-3 win over the Carolina Storm and a 16-4 win over the Anson Raptors, while the Bombers blasted a 26-3 win over Coul-Oak Diesel and a 10-5 win over the Belmont Bandits.
9u
#15 Union County Crush went 1-0-1 on Sunday with a 18-6 win over Copperheads – Duke and a 4-4 tie with Carolina Combat. The Carrabus Bandits went 2-0 with a 12-1 win over Copperheads – Duke and a 14-3 win over Inferno Baseball. Carolina Combat also went 1-0-1 with a 15-0 win over Inferno Baseball, in addition to their tie against the Crush.
10u
The Kannapolis Cannons and the CSA-Carrbus Chargers both went 2-0 on Sunday. The Cannons beat Team Carolina 18-7 and the Carolina Cobras 16-2, while the Chargers beat Team Carolina 6-2, and the Cobras 10-3.
11u
The Black Mambas again went 2-0 on Sunday with a 16-5 win over Dirtbags Gold and a 13-0 win over the Carrabus Bandits. Carolina Fury – Matthews went 1-0-1 with a 1-1 tie against the Carolina Heat and a 3-2 win over Hutters.
12u
12u #7 Carolina Chaos went 1-1 on Sunday with a 16-0 win over the Harrisburg Hammerheads and a 3-1 loss to Brohamer Baseball. Brohamer went 2-0 on Sunday with a 10-5 win over Crush – DeVore in addition to their win over the Chaos.
Cary
11u
The CB Kings went 1-1 on Saturday with a 17-0 win over the Riptide and a 3-2 loss to the Carolina Pirates to earn the #3 seed for Sunday. The South Wake Storm went 2-0 on Saturday with a 13-4 win over the Carolina Pirates and a 8-6 win over the Riptide. On Sunday, it was the CB Kings over the Carolina Pirates 15-2 in one semifinal, and the South Wake Storm edging out the Riptide 9-8 to earn a trip to the finals. In the finals, the Kings took care of business, winning 17-0 over the Storm.
12u
#14 Sanford Cobras went 4-0 and took home the 12u championship in this 5-team, round-robin tournament. On Saturday, they blanked the Area Stars – Pete 9-0 and beat CB Elite 12-1. On Sunday, they took out #20 Rock Solid Red 10-4 and also scored an 8-3 win over the New Bern Flames. Rock Solid went 3-1 this weekend, with a 19-4 win over the Area Stars, a 16-12 win over the New Bern Flames, and a 23-5 win over CB Elite, in addition to their loss to the Cobras.
13u
The 13u age group was decided on a tie breaker, as two teams finished the weekend with 3-1 records. The 12u #12 Carolina Rattlers lost their first game 11-3 to the Riptide, but then scored three straight wins over the Holly Springs Rage (11-3), South Wake Storm Red (8-0), and the Carolina Makos (11-5). The Riptide also went 3-1 with a 6-5 win over the Makos, a 7-5 win over the Storm Red, and a 8-2 loss to the Rage to go along with their win over the Rattlers. By tie-breaker criteria, the Riptide took home the championship because of their head-to-head win over the Rattlers.
Of note, 13u #16 Carolina Naturals went 4-1 playing up in the 14u division. On Saturday, they beat the Knightdale Knights 6-5 and lost 2-0 to the Wilmington Sting and earned the #3 seed. On Sunday, they topped the Knights again, this time by the score of 10-9 to earn a spot in the semifinal. In the semifinal the Naturals took out the Pirates Elite 6-3 to reach the final. In the final, the Naturals avenged their loss on Saturday with a 3-2 win over the sting to take home the 14u championship.
Charlotte
9u
The 9u age group was extremely competitive this weekend. The LKN Hurricanes – Mann opened up the weekend with a 15-2 win over the Storm and an 11-2 win over the OTK Saints to earn the #1 seed for Sunday. The OTK Saints scored a 17-4 win over the LKN Hurricanes – Phillips in their other pool play game, which was good enough to earn the #2 seed for Sunday. On Sunday, the LKN Hurricanes – Phillips topped the Storm 14-10 in the play-in game to reach the semifinals. It was the Saints over Rinaman 9u 9-7 in one semifinal, and the Hurricanes – Mann over the Hurricanes – Phillips by the score of 13-10 in the other semifinal. In the final, the Saints got some revenge over the Hurricanes – Mann with an 11-10 victory.
10u
The Belmont Bandits rolled this weekend, going 2-0 on Saturday with a 10-0 win over the LKN Hurricanes and a 19-10 win over Aces – Hartsell to secure the #1 seed for bracket play. The Lake Norman Hammerheads also went 2-0 on Saturday with a 7-0 win over the Belmont Bandits – McCarn and a 12-11 win over the Carolina Bullfrogs, which was enough to earn the #2 seed for Sunday. On Sunday, the LKN Hurricanes topped Aces – Hartsell 4-3 in one play-in game to reach the semifinal, while the Bullfrogs blasted the Bandits – McCarn 14-0 in the other play-in game to reach the semifinal. In the semifinals, it was the Belmont Bandits over the LKN Hurricanes 17-2 and the Bullfrogs over the Lake Norman Hurricanes 9-2. In the final, the Bandits continued their dominant run with an 11-1 win over the Bullfrogs.
11u
The 11u age group featured a large, 11-team field featuring 3 ranked teams in #13 Lake Norman Hurricanes, #14 Vision Bandits, and #15 Weddington Warriors. The Hurricanes lived up their ranking, going 2-0 on Saturday with a 12-o win over Team USA Diamond King and an 11-3 win over the Vision Bandits, which was enough to earn the #1 seed for bracket play. The Bandits scored a 10-6 win over the MCOC Miners in their other pool play game. The Warriors struggled on Saturday going 0-2 with a 10-9 loss to the On Deck O’s and a 10-2 loss to the SBA Canes – Walker. The Canes also beat Elite Baseball EBC 21-3 in pool play to earn the #2 seed. On Sunday, the On Deck O’s topped the MCOC Miners 5-3 in the first play-in game, while the Carolina Rams beat Team USA Diamond Kings 11-3 in the other play-in game to earn their way into the semifinals. In the semifinals, the Hurricanes rolled over the On Deck O’s 16-1 while the Rams blasted the Canes 17-0. In the finals, the Hurricanes edged out the Rams 4-2 to finish 4-0 for the weekend and take home the 11u title.
12u
On Saturday, the Piedmont Pirates scored an 11-3 win over the Mooresville Biscuits and a 10-0 win over the Belmont Bandits to earn the #1 seed for Sunday. Team 24 Gamecocks – Miller (SC) also went 2-0 on Saturday with a 17-8 win over Elite Baseball EBC and a 8-4 win over the Lake Norman Hurricanes and earned the #2 seed for Sunday. Carolina Prime 2024 went 1-1 in pool play with a 7-4 win over Copperheads – Shabosky and a 9-5 loss to Team 24 Gamecocks – Wilson, and earned the #5 seed. On Sunday, Prime 2024 again topped the Copperheads, this time by the score of 15-5 in the play-in game. In the semifinals, Team 24 Gamecocks – Miller rolled over the Bandits 15-2 to reach the finals, while Prime 2024 edged the Pirates 6-5 to secure their trip to the finals. In the finals, Prime 2024 took control and won 10-4 over Gamecocks – Miller.
13u
Elite Baseball EBC went 4-0 to win the title in this three team, double-round robin tournament. On Saturday, they beat the Lake Wylie Warriors 23-5 and the Cyclones 16-3. On Sunday, they again rolled over the competition, this time it was 12-4 over the Lake Wylie Warriors and 21-2 over the Cyclones.
Fayetteville
9u
Cape Fear Elite EPJ went 4-0 in this 3-team, double round-robin tournament this weekend. They defeated the Carolina Armor 22-5 and the Robeson Eliminators 15-4 on Saturday. They followed that up with a 15-7 win over the Armor and a 17-1 win over the Eliminators on Sunday to take home the 9u title.
10u
The Carolina Titans (SC) went 2-0 on Saturday with a 25-2 win over Rock Solid Blue and a 7-0 win over Carolina Elite. On Sunday, it was the Carolina Elite over Rock Solid Blue 8-7 in the play-in game. In the semifinals, the Area Stars – Stanton scored a 12-2 win over the Carolina Raiders, while the Titans again defeated Carolina Elite, this time by the score of 14-8. In the finals, it was all Titans as they secured a 15-2 win over the Area Stars to win the championship.
11u
#10 Team Ghost got their season started off right with a 2-0 Saturday, scoring a 13-0 win over the NSA Knights, and a 16-1 win over the Area Stars – Derick. #19 NSA Thunder earned the #2 seed for bracket play with a 13-1 win over the Raptors and a 4-2 win over the Diamond Dawgs. On Sunday, the Area Stars topped the Raptors 11-5 in the play-in game to reach the semifinals. In the semifinals, it was Team Ghost over the Area Stars again, this time by the score of 12-2, and the Diamond Dawgs edging out the NSA Thunder 11-10. In the finals, Team Ghost continued their dominant play with a 12-3 win over the Diamond Dawgs.
12u
The Carolina Wildcards earned the #1 seed for bracket play with a 11-2 win over the NSA Phantoms and a 9-1 win over the Burgaw Nationals. The OC Sluggers earned the #2 seed with a 6-5 win over the Cary Wildcats and a 2-0 win over the Carolina Sluggers on Saturday. In bracket play, it was the Nationals over the Wildcats 3-2 in the first play-in game and the Carolina Sluggers with an 11-9 win over the Phantoms. In the semifinals, the Wildcards blanked the Nationals 5-0 and the Carolina Sluggers topped the OC Sluggers 15-3. In the finals, it was all Wildcards as they rolled to a 19-1 win over the Carolina Sluggers.
Kernersville
8u
The Carolina Young Guns went 3-0 this weekend against the Alamance Dirtbagz scoring 17-0, 19-0, and 16-1 wins.
Winterville
8u
It was an excellent 8u division in Winterville this weekend, with some outstanding games. On Saturday, Greenville Athletics came out swinging with a 19-4 win over the Carolina Crushers and a 14-10 win over #3 Dirtbags Black which was good enough to secure the #1 seed for bracket play. Dirtbags Black bounced back from their loss on Saturday to score an 18-0 win over the East Carolina Bombers. The Carolina Stingers also went 2-0 on Saturday with a 15-13 win over Dirtbags East and a 20-8 win over the Carolina Freedom and earned the #2 seed for Sunday. Dirtbags east scored a 10-8 win over the Carolina Freedom in their other game on Saturday to earn the #4 seed for Sunday. On Sunday, Dirtbags Black topped the Carolina Stingers 14-6 and Dirtbags rolled over Greenville Athletics 12-2 to set up and all-Dirtbags final. In the final, it was Dirtbags Black over Dirtbags East by the score of 14-6. Greenville Athletics did secure a 13-9 win over the Stingers in the consolation final to finish 3-1 for the weekend.
9u
The 9u age group featured 4 teams, 3 of whom were ranked in our top 20. On Saturday, #7 Greenville Athletics – Scott took out Dirtbags East by the score of 11-7 and scored a 11-8 win over #17 Rock Solid Red. Dirtbags East topped #18 Smash Baseball by the score of 16-14 in their other Saturday game, while Smash was able to defeat to beat Rock Solid 15-4. On Sunday, Greenville Athletics outlasted Rock Solid 8-6 in one semifinal, while Dirtbags East again beat Smash, this time by the score of 5-2. In the final, it was Greenville Athletics all over Dirtbags East 15-5, while Rock Solid topped Smash in the consolation final by the score of 9-5.
11u
#18 Carolina Pilots started their weekend with a 9-2 win over the SP Vipers, but followed that up with surprise 18-6 loss to Carolina Titans Blue. #20 Rock Solid Red went 2-0 on Saturday with a 18-9 win over Dirtbags East and a 14-5 win over Greenville Athletics to earn the #2 seed for Sunday. The Titans earned the #1 seed in bracket play, with a 7-3 win over the Carolina Rage, in addition to their win over the Pilots. On Sunday, Rock Solid topped the rage 7-6 in their semifinal, while the Pilots got revenge on the Titans with a 12-5 win. In the final, the Pilots edged Rock Solid 9-7 to take home the 11u title. Dirtbags East was able to score an 11-7 win over Greenville Athletics and a 3-2 win over the SP Vipers on Sunday to finish 3-1 for the weekend and take home the Silver bracket title. Of note, 10u #6 Dirtbags East went 3-1 in the 11u D3 tournament with a 12-8 win over the Carolina Storm, an 11-5 loss to eventual champion Carolina Stingers, a 12-10 win over the Carolina Armor, and a 19-1 win over the Washington River Rats.
13u
#6 Diamond Thieves lived up to their lofty ranking, going 4-0 this weekend and winning the Gold bracket title. They scored a 9-6 win over PITT413 and an 8-7 win over the Clayton Cyclones. Heat Baseball went 2-0 on Saturday with a 13-0 win over Carolina Titans Blue and a 20-0 win over the Pitt County Diamond Dawgs. On Sunday, the Thieves rolled over the Pamlico River Rats 11-0 in the semifinal and outlasted Heat Baseball 6-4 in the final.