Tuesday marked the second day of action at the 15U National Team Championships in Cary, North Carolina, where teams continued to battle in pool play with hopes of securing their spot in the quarterfinals.

The Dirtbags have been a team to watch so far as they have rushed out to a 2-0 start behind two stellar pitching performances from Holt Gaston and Tristan Lange. The duo combined for 13 total strikeouts on the bump.

As a defense, the Dirtbags have consistently operated as a unit to back up their pitchers, allowing just one run throughout their first two games.

In their first game, it was Gaston who took center stage in their 3-1 win over the Cangelosi Sparks. He worked four scoreless innings on the bump while garnering seven strikeouts to register the Dirtbags win in their only game of the day.

After participating in only one contest on day one, the Dirtbags were eager to get back on the field to prove that they could continue their winning streak and secure a spot in bracket play.

The Dirtbags second game was much like the first time around, seeing pitching take the spotlight in their 4-0 victory over Team Elite. Lange was the one who answered the call to take charge on the mound this time, where he fanned six batters and kept Team Elite off of the board in his complete-game outing. His performance was the first complete game and the first complete-game shutout at 2024 15U Champs NC.

“I was just trying to go out there and make the game winnable for my team, be the last team to be ahead. I mean, I just wanted to throw strikes. I know my team has got my back with all the plays they made out there. I knew I needed to just throw strikes basically,” Lange stated.

Lange was sharp on the bump and worked efficiently by not allowing a single walk throughout the contest thanks in large part due to his baseball IQ. Lange caught onto opposing batter tendencies, helping him mow through the Team Elite lineup.

“I saw they were all sitting for the fastball. So I knew I needed to start going curveball first, and then they'd get behind, and then I started blowing the fastball by them when I had the chance.”

Lange knows that his defense has been a huge part to not only his key performance but his team's overall success in the opening days of pool play.

“Dude, they were amazing. That would not have been a shutout without their tremendous play every inning, I just want to thank them for what they did. That's what happens when we come together as a team.”

The Dirtbags will get the chance to extend their winning efforts as they will square off later in the day against PRD to round out pool play. Lange is confident in his crew's ability to progress further in the tournament and keeps his message to the team succinct.

“Let's keep winning. We need to get the bat on the ball more, but let's just keep winning and keep our momentum going forward.”