15U’s best put it all on the line in hopes of booking a reservation to Surprise Stadium for the gold medal game. Let’s break down all the action on Sunday’s road to the championship round.
Click here to view scores from every game throughout the tournament.
Quarterfinals
Zona Boys 2028 5, Trosky National 4
The Zona Boys and Trosky National kicked off Sunday's slate with a bang. The two sides duked it out all morning, leading to an eventual 4-4 tie heading into the sixth inning. The visiting squad Trosky went down in order, where Zona had a chance to break through. A one-out double from Chase Fillman opened the door for his team. Zona would work back-to-back walks to load the bases with just one away. Reid Holtorf then delivered a line-drive single to plate Fillman and give Zona the late lead. Trosky didn’t hear the bell just yet, as it loaded the bases with one out. That’s when Zona pitcher PJ Brush stepped up big time, recording back-to-back strikeouts to leave Trosky on the field and push Zona into the final four.
Pono Baseball 6, Ghost National 5
Pono Baseball’s third-inning explosion proved to be just enough on its way to a narrow 6-5 win over Ghost National. Pono sent 11 batters to the plate in the third, which included seven walks and a hit-by-pitch to eventually plate all six runs Pono would score. Ghost continued to scratch and claw, as it eventually led to a seventh-inning scenario that saw the tying and go-ahead runs reside in scoring position with two-outs. Pono pitcher Micah Bennett dug in and got the groundball he was looking for. First baseman Isaiah Poloa smothered it, stepped onto the bag and secured a spot in the semis for Pono.
Stacked National 7, ZT Prospects 6
Nailbiter after nailbiter continued to take place on Sunday as Stacked National and the ZT Prospects became the first game of the day to conclude in walk-off fashion. While trailing 6-5 in the top of the seventh, ZT was on its last life with just a sliver of hope. With a man on second base, Jonathan Gonzales barreled up a line drive single to center which plated the tying run with two-outs. Stacked National didn’t flinch, as Luis Alonzo led off the bottom of the seventh by legging out a triple to the right-field corner. ZT took no chances by issuing two intentional walks to load the bases. An errand passed ball then allowed Alonzo to complete the heroic act and plate the winning run in walk-off fashion.
GBG National 5, SD Padres Scout Team 4
Of course the final game of the quarterfinals had to follow suit of Sunday’s belligerent endings all across the board. GBG National and the SD Padres Scout Team held things extremely close from first pitch to the last. While trailing 4-3 in the top of the seventh, the Padres just found a way to get the tying run on the board. A leadoff walk led to a fielder's choice that eventually put Braden Lawton on second base after an error. Some nifty base running would follow as Lawton stole third and then came around to score the tying-run on a sacrifice fly. A very mirrored ending to the Stacked-ZT game followed in the GBG-Padres game. With things tied in the bottom of the seventh, GBG National’s Aaron Garcia smoked a triple down the right-field line to set the table. Austin Rodriguez came to the plate locked in, attacking the first pitch he saw and driving it into right field for the walk-off win—putting the perfect cherry on top of an unforgettable quarterfinal round.
Semifinals
Zona Boys 2028 10, Pono Baseball 1
After the never-ending drama of the quarterfinals, the Zona Boys rode a hot start to go on cruise control and make its way to the gold medal game in a commanding 10-1 win over Pono Baseball. Zona landed a damaging blow in the second inning, as Chase Fillman ripped an RBI double to break open the scoring. Cooper LeRoy was next in the hit parade, as he turned around a fastball deep into the desert sun, crushing a two-run home run to send his teammates into a frenzy. Zona added four more runs in the third, with LeRoy nearly going deep again—this time settling for an RBI double off the fence to make it 8-0. Two more runs in the top of the fifth and a 1-2-3 bottom half sealed a run-rule win, moving Zona one step closer to gold in its home state.
Stacked National 23, GBG National 15
A four-hour, two-minute offensive marathon closed out an incredibly eventful slate of games. In a contest that featured 38 runs, 33 hits, 28 walks and hit-by-pitches, 10 different pitchers and likely 200 bottles of water consumed, it was Stacked National out slugging GBG National to punch the final ticket to the championship round. At least six Stacked hitters recorded multi-hit efforts, including four with three or more hits. After falling behind 11-2, GBG showed remarkable fight, inching back to make it as close as 15-13 at one point. GBG’s never-say-die mentality nearly completed the improbable, but a six-run top of the seventh by Stacked proved to be the final blow in a one-of-a-kind battle that didn’t seem destined to end until the 42nd out in the bottom of the seventh.
On Deck
Surprise Stadium, the Spring Training home of the Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers will play host to the 15U bronze and gold medal games on Monday morning.
Pono Baseball and GBG National will square off in a battle for bronze, with things set to get underway at 8:00 a.m. MST.
The gold medal game between Stacked National and Zona Boys 2028 will follow, with first-pitch set for 11:00 a.m. MST.
The Zona Boys are in search of their first ever medal at Champs Arizona. Stacked National is looking for back-to-back gold medals in the 15U age division after last year's 15U team took home gold.
Stacked is also in search of the second gold medal in program history (Stacked National 15U, 2024), while already guaranteed its fifth medal in the event overall dating back to 2012.
Fans and players alike are encouraged to follow the action through social media on @USABaseEvents or with pitch-by-pitch updates on GameChanger
