CARY, N.C.--The 18U National Team Trials continued Thursday morning with a six inning game at the National Training Complex in Cary, N.C. The Red team rallied from a one-run deficit in the bottom of the fifth to force a, 2-2, tie.

Down, 2-1, in the bottom of the fifth, the Red team used situational offense to tie the game. After Eugene Vazquez drew a lead off walk, Christian Arroyo executed a perfect sacrifice bunt to move the runner up 90 feet. Ro Coleman followed up by hitting a well-placed ground ball to the right side to advance the runner. With the runner on third and two outs, Abreu worked the count before pulling a line drive to right field for a game-tying RBI-single.

The Blue team jumped up early in the top of the first inning when Cavan Biggio drove a 3-1 pitch over the right field fence for the first home run of the 2012 18U National Team Trials. The two-run shot was preceeded by Andy McGuire's walk. The homer gave pitcher Logan Shore a two-run advantage before even taking the mound.

Shore--pitching for the Blue team after collecting the game-winning RBI the previous night for the Red team--was steady on the mound. The righty from Coon Rapids, Minn., fired three innings of one-hit baseball, allowing just one unearned run. Shore, who left in line for the win, struck out two while walking just one.

On the other side, Kyle Serrano effectively pitched around jams throughout his four innings of work. Serrano allowed just the two-run home run to Biggio, while walking three and striking out one. He was relieved in the fifth by Connor Heady who tossed two shutout innings to keep the Red team in the game.

Nick Ciuffo and Drew Ward both got their bats going for their respective teams, each going 2-for-3 in the contest. The two hits give Ward five for the trials, pushing his batting average up to .455,

The game ended after six innings to keep players fresh for Friday's Prospect Classic at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park (DBAP). That game, starting at 3:05 p.m., will feature the Stripes vs. the Stars, with rosters being a mixture of Collegiate National Team players and 18U National Team Trials players.

Following the first two games of the Prospect Classic, the 18U National Team Trials roster will be trimmed to 28 players, and that group will take on the College National Team in the final two games of this year's Prospect Classic.