HAARLEM, Netherlands – Jacob Gonzalez (Ole Miss) had a home run, a walk-off double, and three RBIs as the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team claimed its third consecutive shutout win with a 10-0 mercy-rule victory over Team Kingdom of the Netherlands in front of a packed house at Pim Mulier Stadium on Tuesday night.
Gonzalez was one of nine different U.S. players with at least one hit in the win, while three pitchers combined to throw the team’s third consecutive shutout. After allowing an unearned run in an extra-inning tiebreaker loss to Japan in the tournament opener, Team USA has since fired 20.0 consecutive scoreless frames.
Paul Skenes started on Tuesday and gave the U.S. four innings of two-hit ball, striking out four and walking just one. A pair of Florida State products closed things out from there as Carson Montgomery and Wyatt Crowell fired a scoreless inning each before an eight-run outburst in the bottom of the sixth brought the game to an early end.
With the win, the Collegiate National Team is now 3-1 at Honkbalweek Haarlem and has clinched a spot in the medal rounds.
KEY MOMENTS
- Team USA got the scoring started in the bottom of the third when Enrique Bradfield (Vanderbilt) roped a leadoff double down the right-field line, advanced to third on a single by Dylan Crews (LSU), and scored on a double play.
- Jacob Gonzalez (Ole Miss) made it a 2-0 game the next inning when he crushed an 0-1 pitch over the wall in right for just the third home run of the entire tournament.
- The best scoring opportunity of the day for Team Kingdom of the Netherlands came in the top of the sixth when seven-year MLB veteran Roger Bernadina opened the frame with a leadoff double. Wyatt Crowell (Florida State) was unfazed, however, and left him stranded there after a pair of strikeouts and a high chopper to third.
- The U.S. offense exploded in the home half of the sixth, scoring eight runs on five hits and an error to close out the mercy rule victory.
- Yohandy Morales (Miami), Maui Ahuna, Tre’ Morgan (LSU), and Jack Hurley (Virginia Tech) each had an RBI single in the inning, while Dylan Crews (LSU) drew a bases-loaded walk, and Wyatt Langford (Florida) lifted a sacrifice fly to left before Jacob Gonzalez (Ole Miss) ended the game with a two-run double off the top of the wall in right.
NOTABLE INFORMATION
- The home run by Jacob Gonzalez (Ole Miss) was just the third of the tournament with Yohandy Morales (Miami) and former Major Leaguer and Nippon Professional League single-season home run record holder Wladimir Balentien of The Netherlands hitting the other two in previous games.
- Jack Hurley (Virginia Tech) also had a strong day despite not entering the game until late in the contest as he had an RBI single, a stolen base, and scored two runs.
- Enrique Bradfield (Vanderbilt) finished the contest with a double, two walks, and two runs scored. He leads all players in the tournament with three extra-base hits (two doubles and a triple) through the first four games.
- Nine different U.S. players had at least one hit and seven different players accounted for nine total RBIs.
- The U.S. has allowed just one unearned run through the first four games of Honkbalweek Haarlem, which came in an extra-inning tiebreaker situation in a 1-0 loss to Japan in the tournament opener. Team USA has fired 20.0 scoreless innings since with shutout wins over Italy (9-0), Cuba (2-0), and The Netherlands (10-0).
- In 27.2 total innings, the U.S. pitching staff has combined to strike out 37, walk only 12, and yield just a single extra-base hit.
- With a 3-1 record, the U.S. has clinched a spot in the medal rounds and currently sits second in the overall standings behind only Japan (4-0).
ON DECK
- The Collegiate National Team will close out the pool play portion of Honkbalweek Haarlem at 3:30 p.m. local/9:30 a.m. ET on Wednesday when it takes on Curacao at Pim Mulier Stadium.
SOCIAL MEDIA
- Stay tuned to @USABaseballCNT on Twitter for the most up-to-date news about the 2022 Collegiate National Team Training Camp.
