14U Carvalho Responds With Back-to-Back Wins in Lake Elsinore

Athletics Mercado Garcia – Carvalho 14U bounced back from an opening-game loss to finish the day with two consecutive victories Sunday at Summerly Community Park in Lake Elsinore.

The 14U Carvalho squad showed resilience throughout the three-game slate, responding to a difficult opener against Crush HT Howard/Tillery with a comeback victory over Team San Diego Senn before closing the day with a convincing 8–1 win over Crush RicRod.

Tough Start, Strong Response

AM Garcia – Carvalho opened the day against Crush HT Howard/Tillery. After a scoreless first inning, Crush HT put together an eight-run second inning and added six more in the third on the way to a 14–2 victory.

Despite the result, there were bright spots for AM Garcia-Carvalho. Julissa Lopez went 2-for-2 and drove in a run, while Avery DeRoads stole three bases. Defensively, AM Garcia-Carvalho played a clean game without committing an error, with Cali Scott recording a team-high three defensive plays.

The loss could have set the tone for the rest of the day. Instead, AM Garcia-Carvalho responded immediately.

Carvalho Erases Four-Run Deficit

Team San Diego Senn jumped ahead 4–0 in the first inning of the second game, but AM Garcia-Carvalho answered in the bottom half.

Avery DeRoads and Sydney McKinney delivered singles as Carvalho rallied to tie the game 4–4 before the inning was over. An error in the bottom of the second brought home another run and gave AM Garcia-Carvalho a 5–4 advantage. That lead held.

After Peyton Alexander worked the first two innings in the circle and recorded three strikeouts, Emma Holtkamp took over in relief and shut down Team San Diego's offense. Holtkamp tossed 1⅔ scoreless innings without allowing a hit while striking out four and walking just one.

Cali Scott, Holtkamp, Aliah Barrera, McKinney and DeRoads each recorded a hit. McKinney and Zion Lagunas each drove in a run, while Abrey Lyon added two stolen bases.

The 5–4 comeback victory evened AM Garcia-Carvalho's record on the day and gave the team momentum heading into its finale.

Pitching, Speed Lead the Way in 8–1 Win

AM Garcia-Carvalho carried that momentum into the final game against Crush RicRod and took control immediately.

AM Garcia-Carvalho scored twice in the first inning before adding four more in the second. Peyton Alexander delivered a run-producing single to left field and later stole home as AM Garcia-Carvalho built an early advantage.

The pitching staff made sure it stood up.

Zion Lagunas started in the circle and delivered two hitless, scoreless innings, striking out three while allowing just one walk. Alexander followed in relief as AM Garcia-Carvalho finished off an 8–1 victory.

Alexander went 1-for-1 and led the team with two RBIs. Cali Scott, Alexander, Aliah Barrera, Julissa Lopez, Avery DeRoads and Olivia Foulk each recorded a hit.

AM Garcia-Carvalho was also aggressive on the bases, finishing with seven stolen bases, including multiple steals from Alexander and Lopez.

A 2–1 Day Built on Resilience

The final record told only part of the story. After falling behind early in each of their first two games, the AM Garcia-Carvalho players continued to compete. They erased a four-run deficit to win Game 2 and then carried that energy into their most complete performance of the day in Game 3.

Across the final two games, AM Garcia – Carvalho outscored its opponents 13–5, while the pitching staff delivered several strong performances in the circle. The three-game day also highlighted contributions throughout the roster — from timely hitting and aggressive baserunning to strong relief pitching and solid defense. For a developing 14U team, the ability to respond after adversity can be just as important as the final score. On Sunday, Athletics Mercado Garcia – Carvalho showed it could do exactly that.

Game information and statistics used in this recap were provided by GameChanger.