The first USSSA Atlantic Coast World Series proved to be a huge success this past weekend with over a dozen top 10 and 20 teams in action, including 11u #1 Five Star Carolina - Neyra and 13u #1 Canes Baseball NC - Gallaher. 9u #2 SBA Canes - Simmons, 12u #2 Legends Baseball, and 13u #2 Knights Prime were also in action making this one of the top events in the state of North Carolina this past spring. Check out the recap of the weekend's games.
8u
#6 Reidsville Luckies went 2-0 in pool play on Friday, scoring a 10-7 win over the Lincoln County River Rats and a 12-3 win over the NRV Thunder, and earned the #1 seed for bracket play. The WNC Braves also went 2-0 in pool play with a 7-5 win over #12 Summerfield Stars and a 10-7 win over the River Rats. The Stars topped the Venom Stars 4-2 in their other pool play game on Friday to finish 1-1 in pool play. The Venom Stars also finished 1-1 in pool play with a 14-4 win over the GBC Prospects, in addition to their loss against the Summerfield Stars.
Bracket play consisted of double-elimination play. In the opening round of bracket play, the Summerfield Stars topped the Lincoln County River Rats 11-2, the Venom Stars rolled to a 13-2 win over the NRV Thunder, and the WNC Braves notched a 17-5 win over the GBC Prospects. In the second round of Winner's bracket play, the Luckies edged the Stars 9-8 while the Venom Stars beat the Braves 15-7. In the Winner's Bracket final, the Luckies scored an 8-4 win over the Venom Stars to reach the tournament final. In the opening round of Loser's bracket play, the GBC Prospects beat the NRV Thunder 17-9. They fell 22-7 against the Summerfield Stars in the next round the Loser's Bracket. In that same round, the WNC Braves topped the River Rats 8-2. In the third round of the Loser's Bracket, the Braves notched a 1-run 10-9 win over the Summerfield Stars to set up a match up against the Venom Stars in the Loser's Bracket final. In that Loser's Bracket final, the Venom Stars scored a 1-run win of their own, holding on to an 8-7 win over the Braves to reach the tournament final. In the final, the Luckies completed an undefeated tournament run with a 14-2 win over the Venom Stars.
9u
Open
#2 SBA Canes - Simmons scored two wins in pool play with an 11-5 win over #18 Rock Solid Red and a 10-2 win over MVP Red and earned the top seed for bracket play. #5 SBA Canes - Pitts went 1-1 in pool play with an 11-5 win over Rock Solid Red and a 12-4 loss to MVP Red. Copperheads - Sigler went 2-0 in pool play with an 11-4 win over #8 Five Star Carolina - Hilton and a 14-6 win over Heat Baseball Red. Five Star Carolina - Hilton tied Heat Baseball Red 8-8 in their other pool play game to leave both teams at 0-1-1 in pool play.
In the Opening round of play in the Winner's Bracket, SBA Canes - Pitts topped Five Star Carolina - Hilton 12-7, Heat Baseball Red rolled to a 14-4 win over MVP Red, and Rock Solid Red beat Copperheads - Sigler 11-1. In the second round of Winner's Bracket games, SBA Canes - Simmons topped Canes - Pitts 5-2 and Rock Solid Red scored a 13-10 win over Heat Baseball Red to reach the Winner's Bracket final. In the Winner's Bracket final, Canes - Simmons notched a 9-1 win over Rock Solid Red to reach the tournament finals. In the Loser's Bracket first round, MVP Red edged Copperheads - Sigler 12-11. In the second round of Loser's Bracket play, Canes - Pitts scored a 9-6 win over MVP Red and Heat Baseball Red edged Five Star Carolina - Hilton 9-8. In the Loser's Bracket final, Canes - Pitts was able to secure a 13-9 win over Heat Baseball Red to set up a rematch against Canes - Simmons in the tournament final. In the finals, SBA Canes - Simmons again came out on top with a 15-7 win over SBA Canes - Pitts.
AA
#17 Haywood Havoc was the highest rated team in the 9u AA field. They went 2-0 in pool play with a 10-9 win over Ironbridge Xtreme (VA) and a 4-1 win over the AC Sluggers to finish with the top seed for bracket play. The Pioneer Pack (VA) also went 2-0 in pool play with a 14-8 over the Reidsville Luckies and a 13-12 win over the Dirtbags (VA). The Summerfield Stars went 1-1 in their pool play games with a 6-5 loss to the Xtreme and a 10-6 win over the AC Sluggers.
In bracket play, the Luckies topped the Sluggers 15-10 in the Winner's Bracket play-in game. In the Winner's bracket round-of-8 games, Athlete's Lab Crushers edged out the Xtreme 7-6, Pioneer Pack notched a 13-11 win over Heat Black, the Haywood Havoc scored a 15-7 win over the Luckies, and the Summerfield Stars edged the Dirtbags 6-5. In the Winner's Bracket round-of-4 games, Athlete's Lab scored a 16-3 win over Pioneer Pack while the Summerfield Stars notched a 10-5 win over the Haywood Havoc. In the Winner's Bracket final, the Stars rolled to an 11-4 win to reach the tournament final. In the opening round in the Loser's Bracket, the Xtreme edged the AC Sluggers 9-8. In the next round in the Loser's Bracket, Heat Black scored an 8-6 win over the Xtreme to set up a match up against the Haywood Havoc, while the Luckies topped the Dirtbags 11-8 and advanced to face Pioneer Pack. In the next games, the Havoc scored a 13-5 win over Heat Black and Pioneer Pack escaped with a 13-12 win over the Luckies to set up a match up against one another with a chance to reach the Loser's Bracket final. It was the Havoc who came away with the win, scoring a 9-5 win over the Pioneer Pack to reach the Loser's Bracket final against Athlete's Lab. With a trip to the tournament finals on the line, Athlete's Lab Crushers secured a 5-3 win over the Havoc to set up a rematch against the Summerfield Stars. In the final, Athlete's Lab took game 1 with a 7-4 victory to set up a winner-take-all final game. In the final game, the Stars were able to rebound from their game 1 loss and score a 13-3 win to take home the 9u AA title.
10u
Open
#3 Port City Rebels went 1-2 in pool play, starting with a 9-8 loss against the Rawlings Prospects on Thursday. They bounced back with an 11-8 win over the Youngsville Heat on Friday, but fell 11-3 against the WV Gamers in their final pool play game. The Prospects finished 3-0 in pool play and earned the #1 seed for bracket play with a 3-1 win over the Youngsville Heat and a 10-4 win over #6 Dirtbags Platinum in their other pool play games. Dirtbags Platinum finished with the #3 seed for bracket play after going 1-1-1 in pool play with a 9-4 win over the WV Gamers and a 5-5 tie against West Raleigh Red. West Raleigh earned the #1 seed going 1-0-2 in pool play with a 12-8 win over the WV Gamers and a 8-8 tie against the Heat in their other pool play games.
The 10u Open bracket was a single elimination bracket. In the play-in games, Dirtbags Platinum rolled to a 14-2 win over the Youngsville Heat while the Port City Rebels scored a 12-5 win over the WV Gamers. In the semifinals, Dirtbags Platinum banged out a 15-3 win over West Raleigh Red and the Port City Rebels notched an 11-7 win over the Rawlings Prospects. In the finals, Port City completed an impressive Sunday run with a 10-6 win over Dirtbags Platinum.
AA
13 teams battled it out in the 10u AA division in Cary this past weekend. The Summerfield Stars finished 2-0 and earned the #1 seed for bracket play with a 13-1 win over the Rattlers and a 21-1 win over the Floyd County Buffaloes. The Carolina Patriots also went 2-0 and finished with the #2 seed after a 16-5 win over the Triad Thunder and a 13-2 win over Team VA. Proehlific Power was also 2-0 in pool play with a 13-6 win over Elite Baseball and a 10-1 win over the GBC Prospects. The Calvert Tide was the 4th team to finish 2-0 in pool play. They notched a 10-4 win over Wildthings Baseball and a 9-3 win over the NSA Prospects.
In the opening round of play in the Winner's Bracket, the Calvert Tide edged the Venom Stars 5-4, Proehlific Power scored a 1-run 6-5 win over the Wildthings, and Elite Baseball rolled to a 17-6 win over the Carolina Patriots. In the round-of-4 in the Winner's Bracket, the Calvert Tide topped #1 seed Summerfield Stars 13-2 and Proehlific Power blanked Elite Baseball 8-0. In the Winner's Bracket final, the Tide topped the Power 11-2 to reach the tournament final. In the opening game of the Loser's Bracket, the Wildthings topped the Patriots 8-6. In the second round of Loser's Bracket games, the Wildthings rolled to a 16-5 win over the Summerfield Stars and the Venom Stars edged out Elite Baseball 7-6. In the 3rd round of Loser's Bracket play, the Wildthings notched a 14-8 win over the Venom Stars. In the Loser's Bracket final, Proehlific Power scored a 5-4 win over the Wildthings to set up a rematch against the Calvert Tide in the tournament final. In the final, the Tide completed an undefeated tournament run with a 10-3 win over Proehlific Power.
11u
Open
#1 Five Star Carolina - Neyra was the only NC team in the 11u field this weekend, and they impressed all weekend. Five Star went 4-0 in pool play, scoring an 8-1 win over the VA Canes on Thursday, a 12-3 win over TailorMade Mizuno (VA) and a 16-5 win over the WV Gamers on Friday, and a 20-3 win over the Hill City Sliders (VA) on Saturday. They were the only undefeated team in pool play.
In the bracket play play-in game, the Hill City Sliders scored a 12-4 win over the VA Canes. In the semifinals, TailorMade Mizuno edged the WV Gamers 10-9 and Five Star Carolina - Neyra notched a 1-run 7-6 win over the Hill City Sliders. In the finals, Five Star - Neyra completed a 6-0 weekend with a 9-1 win over TailorMade Mizuno.
AA
10 teams were in the AA division this past weekend, including 6 teams from North Carolina. WCW Black earned the top seed for bracket play after going 2-1 in pool play with a 2-1 loss to the CS Heat (VA) and a 14-3 win over Star City Slugger (VA) and an 8-6 win over Rock Solid Blue. The CS Heat finished with the #2 seed with a 2-1 record in pool play including a 15-0 win over Star City and a 14-4 loss to Rock Solid Blue in addition to their win over WCW Black. The Kernersville Bulldogs finished with the #3 seed for bracket play with a 2-1 record in pool play. They notched a 10-1 win over NC Swat on Thursday, a 9-7 win over the Southern Maryland Sting on Friday, and a 9-5 loss to Rise White (NC) on Saturday.
In the bracket play play-in games, the Sandhills Stingrays beat NC Swat 12-9 while Star City notched a 9-7 win over Rock Solid Blue. In the quarterfinals, the Kernersville Bulldogs topped the NCBA Tar Heels 13-5, the CS Heat edged the Stingrays 5-3, WCW Black rolled to a 10-2 win over Star City, and the Southern Maryland Sting edged Rise White 10-9. In the semifinals, the Bulldogs scored a 1-run 5-4 win over the CS Heat and a the Southern Maryland Sting notched a 10-7 win over WCW Black. In the finals, the Bulldogs completed an impressive Sunday run with a 8-0 win over the Sting.
12u
Open
#2 Legends Baseball went 3-0 in pool play and earned the #2 seed for bracket play after a 17-4 win over #7 Carolina Rockies on Thursday, a 16-1 win over Carolina Prime 2024 on Friday, and an 18-1 win over #15 Five Star Carolina - Smith on Saturday. The Rockies finished with the #5 seed after going 1-1-1 in pool play with a 5-3 win over Five Star - Smith and a 3-3 tie against Carolina Prime 2024, in addition to their loss to Legends. #14 SBA Canes - Mendez finished with the #1 seed for bracket play after finishing 3-0 in pool play with an 8-0 win over #12 Canes Baseball NC - Harland, a 7-4 win over the WV Gamers, and a 10-0 win over the Blue Ridge Outlaws (VA). Canes - Harland finished 1-2 in pool play with a 9-2 win over Rock Solid Blue and a 14-3 loss to the WV Gamers, in addition to their loss to the SBA Canes. This earned them the #7 seed for bracket play. #9 Majestic Greensboro ended pool play 2-1 and earned the #3 seed for bracket play after a 6-4 loss to Five Star Carolina - Smith, a 10-2 win over Carolina Prime, and a 9-2 win over Rock Solid Blue.
In the bracket play play-in games, Canes - Harland topped Rock Solid Blue 2-1, and Five Star Carolina - Smith edged Carolina Prime 2024 12-11. In the quarterfinals, the WV Gamers topped Majestic Greensboro 10-7, Legends topped Canes - Harland 8-4, Canes - Mendez notched a 10-2 win over Five Star - Smith, and the Rockies edged the Blue Ridge Outlaws 4-2. In the semifinals, Legends Baseball rolled to a 10-2 win over the WV Gamers and the Rockies scored a 9-2 win over SBA Canes - Mendez. In the finals, Legends Baseball completed an impressive 6-0 run with an 11-3 win over the Carolina Rockies.
AA
The Reidsville Luckies topped pool A after going 2-1 with a 6-4 win over DSB Kentucky Rebels, a 7-6 loss to WNCYSA Steam Green, and a 6-0 win over Cape Fear Mayhem. DSB Kentucky also went 2-1 in pool play and earned the #2 seed with a 6-0 win over Cape Fear Mayhem and an 11-3 win over WNCYSA. The Cape Fear Mayhem also notched a 21-9 win over WNCYSA in pool play to finish 1-2 in pool play.
In pool B, the NC Young Guns earned the top seed after going 2-1 with a 15-3 win over Rock Solid White, a 3-1 loss to the NCBA Royals, and an 11-4 win over the WNCYSA Steam Blue. WNCYSA Steam Blue scored a 19-6 win over the NCBA Royals and an 8-5 win over Rock Solid White. The Royals also finished 2-1 in pool play and earned the #3 seed after topping Rock Solid White 10-9 in their other pool play game.
In the quarterfinals, the NCBA Royals topped WNCYSA Steam Blue 12-2, the NC Young Guns topped WNCYSA Steam Green 10-2, and DSB Kentucky Rebels beat Rock Solid White 13-7. In the semifinals, the Royals scored a 6-3 win over Reidsville Luckies and the Young Guns topped the Kentucky Rebels 6-2. In the finals, the NC Young Guns scored a 9-1 win over the NCBA Royals.
13u
Open
In Pool A, #2 Knights Prime went 3-0 with a 10-2 win over #4 Canes Baseball NC - Haire, a 9-8 win over the Richmond Braves - Hinton (VA), and a 14-3 win over #13 Dirtbags Charlotte. Canes - Haire finished 2-1 in pool play with a 14-4 win over the Richmond Braves and an 11-4 win over Dirtbags Charlotte. The Dirtbags scored a 17-1 win over the Braves in their other pool play game to finish in the 3rd position in Pool A.
In Pool B, #1 Canes Baseball NC - Gallaher went 3-0 with a 10-1 win over the South Charlotte Braves - Oliver, a 17-0 win over Heat Baseball Black, and a 10-1 win over SBA Marucci. SBA Marucci finished 1-1-1 with a 4-0 win over the Braves and a 9-9 tie against Heat Black. Heat Black scored a 12-0 win over the Braves in their other pool play game.
In the quarterfinals, Canes - Haire scored a 12-0 win over Heat Black, Canes - Gallaher notched a 7-3 win over the Richmond Braves, SBA Marucci blasted their way to a 12-4 win over Dirtbags Charlotte, and Knights Prime edged the South Charlotte Braves 6-5. In the semifinals, both #1 and #2 went down with #1 Canes - Gallaher falling 12-6 against Canes - Haire, and #2 Knights Prime falling 7-6 to SBA Marucci. In the finals, Canes Baseball NC - Haire finished an impressive run through bracket play with a 15-7 win over SBA Marucci.