It was a lighter weekend of Top Gun games because of the Mother’s Day holiday. Nevertheless, there were still a number of top 20 teams in action including 3 top 20 games going head-to-head in the 1ou division in Goldsboro. Check out our recap of the latest Top Gun games.
Charlotte
One-day
8u
Kings Mountain Storm went 2-0 in pool play with a 16-12 win over the Copperheads and an 18-1 win over Spartans – Nichols. The Belmont Bandits were also 2-0 on Saturday with a 24-9 win over the Copperheads and an 11-8 win over the Union County Crush – Gadd. In the finals, the Storm scored a 16-5 win over the Bandits.
9u
The OTK Saints went 2-0 in pool play with a 13-6 win over Copperheads – Moffitt and a 14-2 win over Union County Crush – Allen. The SBA Canes – Callahan were also 2-0 in pool play with a 13-3 win over Copperheads – Moffitt and a 12-6 win over the Concord Athletics. In the finals, OTK completed a 3-0 day with an 8-2 win over the Canes – Callahan.
10u
#8 Rawlings Stars went 2-0 in pool play with a 21-0 win over Power Cross and a 16-9 win over #15 Aces – Edwards. The Aces scored an 11-2 win over the Bulldogs in their other pool play game, but it wasn’t enough to earn them a spot in the finals. The Kannapolis Cannons went 1-1 in pool play with a 9-8 loss to the Bulldogs and a 15-5 win over the Lake Norman Hammerheads, and earned the second spot in the finals by runs allowed (Cannons: 14 runs allowed, Aces: 18 runs allowed, Hammerheads: 18 runs allowed, Bulldogs: 19 runs allowed). In the finals, the Cannons out-slugged the Stars to notch a 17-13 win and take home the 10u title.
11u
The MCOC Miners went 2-0 in pool play with an 8-7 win over Elite Baseball EBC and an 11-1 win over Stars Baseball. The Davidson Force topped Elite Baseball 12-10 and fell 9-4 to Stars Baseball in their two pool play games.
12u
Elite Baseball EBC went 2-0 in pool play with a 10-2 win over the Kingsmen and a 15-0 win over Power Cross. Power Cross topped the Kingsmen 12-6 in their other pool play game. In the finals, Elite Baseball EBC beat Power Cross 15-2 to complete a 3-0 day.
13u
Elite Baseball EBC went 2-0 on the day with a 13-4 win over Mayhem Baseball and a 9-8 win over SBA Canes LKN. Mayhem Baseball topped SBA Canes LKN 13-6 in the other pool play game in this division.
Two-day
9u
#13 Piedmont Panthers went 2-0 on Saturday with a 12-2 win over Elite 9 (SC) and an 11-3 win over SBA LKN Canes – Rinaman, and earned the top seed for pool play. SBA Canes Red earned the #2 seed with a 10-2 win over the Mount Holly Lightning and a 6-5 win over the Stealth Elite Eagles. Stealth Elite topped Elite 9 7-6 in their other pool play game. In the play-in games, Stealth Elite topped the Mount Holly Lightning 4-2 while SBA Canes LKN – Rinaman beat Elite 9 7-6. In the semifinals, Stealth Elite beat the Panthers 5-2 while SBA Canes Red topped SBA LKN Canes – Rinaman 16-6. In the finals, Stealth Elite rolled to an 18-4 win over the SBA Canes.
10u
#2 SBA Canes – Simmons once again proved they belong among the elites of the 9u division with a 15-0 win over the Belmont Bandits – McCarn and a 14-1 win over the Belmont Bombers, and earned the top seed for bracket play. Rivals Baseball (SC) earned the #2 seed with 6-5 win over the Belmont Bandits – McCarn and an 18-3 win over Team Carolina. In the play-in game, Team Carolina beat Bandits – McCarn 10-6. In the semifinals, Canes – Simmons topped Team Carolina 16-1 and the Bombers beat Rivals Baseball 11-9. In the finals, Canes – Simmons fell behind 7-4 before scoring 5 runs in the bottom of the 5th inning and held on for a 9-8 win over the Bombers.
11u
#8 SBA Canes – Erwin went 2-o in pool play with a 15-3 win over Team USA Diamond Kings – Blue and an 8-7 win over the SBA Canes – Barrett and earned the #3 seed for bracket play. Rivals Baseball earned the top seed with a 22-3 win over the Carolina Heat and a 20-0 win over the GSB Grizzlies. Dirtbags Gold received the #2 seed after a 15-4 win over Team USA Diamond Kings – Blue and a 10-0 win over Copperheads – Herkey. Grand Slam USA Stars also went 2-0 in pool play with a 13-3 win over Stealth Elite Thunderbirds and a 14-10 win over the Lake Wylie Warriors, and earned the 4th seed for bracket play. In Gold bracket play, Canes – Erwin topped Dirtbags Gold 6-1 while the Grand Slam USA Stars beat Rivals Baseball 12-2. In the finals, Canes – Erwin edged out the Grand Slam USA Stars 7-6 to take the 11u championship.
12u
#20 Canes Baseball Charlotte – Whitted went 2-0 in pool play with a 16-9 win over the Pro-Fit Spartans and an 11-0 win over Carolina Prime 2024, and earned the #3 seed for bracket play. Team 24 Gamecocks – Brown (SC) earned the top seed after a 16-3 win over the Columbia Lookouts (SC) and a 9-5 win over the SBA Canes. The Carolina Tide received the #2 seed for bracket play after a 10-1 win over SBA North Ashe and an 8-7 win over Copperheads – Sumner. In the play-in game, Copperheads – Sumner beat the SBA Canes 11-10. In the semifinals, Canes – Whitted beat the Tide 11-3 while Team 24 beat the Copperheads 11-1. In the finals, Team 24 took a 9-3 win over Canes – Whitted.
13u
Copperheads – Barozzino went 2-0 in pool play with a 13-1 win over Elite 9 (SC) and a 12-5 win over Rivals Baseball (SC). Bluechip Athletes went 2-0 on Saturday with a 14-3 win over Stewards of the Game and a 10-6 win over Team 24 Gamecocks – Douglas (SC). In the play-in games, Rivals topped the NC Arsenal 8-5 while the Park Sharon Nationals beat Fury Baseball 9-1. In the semifinals, Copperheads beat Rivals Baseball 7-5 and Park Sharon beat Bluechip 6-0. The finals saw a wild finish, with the Copperheads scoring 8 runs in the bottom of the 5th inning to take an 11-5 lead, only to give up 6 runs in the top of the 6th inning. They were able score 1 run in the bottom of the 6th to take a 12-11 win over Park Sharon and finish out a 4-0 weekend.
Goldsboro
8u
#8 Dirtbags East went 1-1 in pool play on Saturday, scoring a 17-8 win over the Carolina Freedom and suffering a 22-9 loss to the #12 NCDB Rivercats. The Rivercats also defeated the Garner Generals 22-7 to earn a spot in the finals. The East Carolina Bombers went 1-1 in pool play with a 14-13 loss to the Carolina Freedom and a 19-6 win over the Garner Generals and earned a spot in the finals based on runs allowed (Bombers: 20 runs allowed, Dirtbags East: 30 runs allowed, Freedom: 30 runs allowed). In the finals, the Rivercats smashed their way to a 20-1 win. In total, the Rivercats outscored their 3 opponents 64-17, scoring 20 or more runs in each of their games.
9u
The Cleveland Wildcats went 2-0 in pool play with a 16-3 win over the Wayne County Arsenal – Futures and a 13-12 win over Bomberz Baseball. Bomberz topped the Futures 9-7 to reach the finals. In the finals, the Wildcats were able to edge out the Bomberz again for a 12-10 win.
10u
D1/D2
The 10u age group featured 3 top 20 teams in #5 Dirtbags East, #14 Youngsville Heat, and #17 NCDB Rivercats. In game 1, Dirtbags East overcame a 4-0 deficit to take a 6-4 win over the Heat. In game 2, the Rivercats rode excellent pitching and defense to a 7-2 win over the Heat. In the final pool play game between the Dirtbags and the Rivercats, the Dirtbags faced a 5-2 deficit in the bottom of the 6th inning, but were able to knock out 4 runs to take a 6-5 win over the Rivercats. In the championship game, however, the Rivercats were able to enact some revenge and score a 9-2 win over the Dirtbags to take home the title. This was the 5th match up this spring between the Dirtbags and Rivercats, with the Dirtbags holding a 3-2 advantage, although their series stands at 3-3 dating back to the fall.
D3
The Wayne County Bombers earned a spot in the finals with a 9-3 win over the Wayne County Ripperz and a 12-2 win over the Apex Destroyers in pool play. They faced off against the Carolina Wood Ducks who scored a 13-2 win over the Garner Generals and a 9-3 win over the Ripperz in pool play. In the finals, the Bomberz edged out the Wood Ducks 5-4 to complete an undefeated day.
11u
The Hope Mills Kings went 2-0 in pool play with an 8-2 win over the DC Boys and a 5-3 win over Dirtbags East. Crystal Coast Surge also went 2-0 in pool play with a 9-5 win over the DC Boys and an 11-8 win over the Carolina Armor. In the finals, the Kings scored 14 runs in the first inning and rolled to an 18-2 win over the Surge.
12u
D1/D2
The Walkoff Wildcards went 2-0 in pool play, notching an 11-1 win over the Washington River Rats and a 10-8 win over the Sandhills Stingrays. They were met in the finals by the Carolina Titans, who went 1-1 in pool play with a 9-5 win over the Youngsville Punishers and a 2-1 loss to the River Rats. They reached the finals on runs allowed (Titans: 7 runs allowed, Pirate Baseball: 10 runs allowed, Punishers: 12 runs allowed, River Rats: 12 runs allowed). In the finals, the Wildcards completed their 3-0 weekend with a 10-8 win over the Titans.
D3
The Bandits went 2-0 in pool play with a 13-5 win over the Greene County Rams and a 5-3 win over the Carolina Stars. The #2 seed went to the Carolina Stars who went 1-1 in pool play with a 7-1 win over the Orange County Crushers in addition to their loss to the Bandits. In their rematch in the finals, the Bandits topped the Stars 12-6. Of note, the Crushers received the #4 seed for the consolation final, where they met the Titans, who went 1-1 in pool play with a 5-2 loss to the Carolina Rage and a 10-2 win over Garner. In the consolation final, the Crushers topped the Titans 13-2.
13u
54/80
The NSA/Cepeda Bulls went 2-0 in pool play with a 10-2 win over the Raleigh Fury and a 15-0 win over the Wayne County Thunder. The Fury topped the Thunder 10-3 in the other pool play game. In the finals, the NSA/Cepeda Bulls scored a 10-5 win over the Fury to finish the day 3-0.
Of note, #11 Carolina Naturals went 0-2 in the 14u BBCOR division, falling 4-2 to the Diamond Dreams Hitmen Orange and 15-6 to Rawlings Prospects 2022.
Greensboro
9u
#10 Five Star Carolina – Hilton went 2-0 in pool play with an 8-4 win over the Carolina Red Sox and a 7-3 win over Dirtbags Gold, which earned the #3 seed. The HYAA Hawks also went 2-0 in pool play with a 19-3 win over GRIT and an 8-2 win over the Diamond Deacons, and earned the #1 seed for bracket play. The #2 seed went to the Carolina Impact who defeated the DC Destroyers 12-2 and GRIT 11-3. In the finals, the HYAA Hawks topped the Impact 11-4 to finish 3-0 for the day. Five Star Carolina beat the Kannapolis Krushers 18-0 in the consolation final to also finish 3-0 for the day.
10u
The Diamond Deacons went 2-o in pool play with a 6-2 win over Luckies – Taylor and a 7-2 win over the Carolina Patriots. Luckies topped the Patriots 7-3 in their other pool play game. In the finals, the Luckies got their revenge on the Deacons, scoring a 13-2 win to take the 10u title in Greensboro.
Laurinburg
8u
The Sandhills Steam went 2-1 against the Little Scots on Saturday with a 8-6 win, a 12-8 loss, and a 9-1 win.
9u
The NSA Braves went 2-0 on Saturday with a 9-0 win over the Carolina Diamondbacks and a 7-1 win over Anson Baseball. Anson Baseball also scored a 13-6 win over the Carolina Diamondbacks in their other pool play game.
12u
Lumberton Baseball went 2-0 on Saturday with a 10-9 win over CB Venom and a 9-5 win over the OC Sluggers. The Sluggers topped the Venom 14-2 in their other pool play game.