TAINAN, Taiwan - Fresh off the most lopsided win in 12U National Team history yesterday, Team USA prevailed in a nailbiter on Sunday at the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-12 Baseball World Cup, using a two-out rally in the fifth inning to edge past Panama by a final score of 6-4.

After going back and forth throughout the entirety of the contest, the stars and stripes finally broke through for the knockout blow late in the game. With runners on the corners and two outs in the fifth, Zaylon Johnson came through with the biggest hit of the afternoon, poking a base hit through the right side to break a 3-3 tie and give the team a lead it would not relinquish.

Panama threatened to even things back up in the sixth and final frame, bringing the tying run into scoring position with two outs, but reliever Gavin Gomez slammed the door shut with a clutch strikeout to secure Team USA's second victory in as many games.

How It Happened

• The Team USA bats picked up right where they left off yesterday, jumping on the board in the first inning and leveling the score at one thanks to a sacrifice fly off the bat of Leyland Henry.
• They kept things rolling from here, scratching across two more the very next frame. Back-to-back doubles by Johnson and Michael Ohman brought home the first, and a bases-loaded walk by Tyler Early scored the second.
• Panama got its comeback effort going shortly thereafter, using a two-RBI base hit in the top of the third to even things up at three.
• Each team held serve until the bottom of the fifth, when Johnson's single gave the red, white, and blue a 4-3 lead.
• Following this, two straight balks with a runner on third brought home a pair of much-needed insurance runs.
• A two-out throwing error in the top of the sixth helped Panama push across one more run and put two runners in scoring position, but Gomez came through in the big moment to seal the deal for Team USA.

Of Note

• Johnson was the star performer on the offensive side of things for Team USA, going 2-2 with a double, a walk, and the go-ahead base hit.
• Gomez also had a standout performance, pitching the last three innings and picking up the win in relief while allowing just a lone unearned run and striking out four. In addition to this, he also went 2-2 at the plate, keeping his perfect 1.000 average on the tournament intact.
• Ohman got the ball to start the game on the mound, finishing three innings while giving up three earned runs while punching out three. In the box, he went 1-3 with a double and an RBI.
• The win extended the 12U National Team's winning streak in international competition to 23 games, dating back to 2019.

On Deck

Team USA will continue its run through pool play on Monday, squaring off against the Dominican Republic at 6:30 P.M. local time/6:30 A.M. ET.