BRADENTON, Fla. – Team USA scored eight runs in the second inning and Stone Russell (Bradenton, Fla.) threw a one-hitter en route to a 16-0 win over South Africa in World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-18 Baseball World Cup pool play on Wednesday morning at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Florida.
The victory – which came nearly 63 hours after the game began on Sunday before it was suspended due to weather – gives the U.S. a perfect 5-0 record to wrap up Group A play.
Already ahead by two runs entering the second frame, the U.S. offense added on in a big way with an eight-run inning. Aidan Miller (Trinity, Fla.) got the scoring started immediately, leading off the inning with a homer to straightaway center field. Then, after RBI hits by Camden Kozeal (Omaha, Neb.) and RJ Hamilton (Hoover, Ala.) and an error extended the inning, Gavin Grahovac (Orange, Calif.) delivered a mammoth homer to left field to put the U.S. on top by eight. Back-to-back triples by Miller and Colt Emerson (Cambridge, Ohio) put the lid on the eight-run frame to give Team USA a 10-0 lead it would only build on for the remainder of the contest.
Miller had a three-hit game in the victory, finishing a double shy of the cycle. He homered to lead off the second inning and tripled later in the same frame, finishing the day with two RBIs. Including the two-run blast, Grahovac drove in a game-high three runs in the victory, which saw nine U.S. hitters collect an RBI. Kendall George (Houston, Texas) had two RBIs and stole three bases for the United States, which won its second-straight game by the WBSC’s “run-difference rule.”
Russell tossed Team USA’s second-consecutive one-hitter. Pitching in his hometown, the righthander faced the minimum in the five-inning contest. After the first batter of the game reached via an error, Russell retired the next 12 batters he faced before allowing his only hit with one out in the fifth. He struck out four batters, including two in the third inning. South Africa’s Bryce McCleland gave up nine runs (five earned) in 1.2 innings of work to suffer the loss.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- RJ Hamilton opened the game with a walk, stole second and third, and scored on Kevin McGonigle’s RBI groundout as the U.S. grabbed an immediate 1-0 lead in the first.
- After walking and stealing a base, Kendall George came home on an RBI groundout by Gavin Grahovac in the first to put Team USA in front by two.
- Aidan Miller kickstarted the United States’ eight-run second inning and made the score 3-0 with a leadoff homer to straightaway center field.
- Camden Kozeal smacked an RBI single back up the middle to plate Colt Emerson and later scored on nifty baserunning to give the stars and stripes a 5-0 lead in the second.
- After Kendall George came home on an error to extend the second inning, Gavin Grahovac sent a deep home run over the left field wall, making the score 8-0 in favor of Team USA.
- The U.S. got back-to-back triples from Aidan Miller and Colt Emerson to add two runs and cap the eight-run second inning, putting the U.S. in front 10-0.
- A bases-loaded walk to Blake Mitchell and a sacrifice fly by Bryce Eldridge extended the United States’ lead to 12 in the third.
- With two runs already home in the fourth thanks to an error, Kendall George hit an opposite-field double to plate two more runs and give Team USA a 16-0 lead.
- Stone Russell allowed his only hit with one out in the bottom of the fifth, but the baserunner was erased on a caught stealing and the righthander struck out the final batter to lock down the win.
OF NOTE
- By hitting his third triple of the tournament, Aidan Miller became only the third player since 2010 to hit three triples in the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup.
- The stars and stripes stole five bases in the win to finish the Opening Round 16-for-17 on stolen bases. Kendall George and RJ Hamilton have both swiped four bags to lead the team.
- Blake Mitchell threw another baserunner out attempting to steal in the win and is now 3-for-3 catching runners stealing in the tournament.
- Six U.S. players scored multiple runs in the victory, led by RJ Hamilton's three.
- Team USA leads the entire tournament in numerous offensive statistical categories, including home runs (7) and runs scored (50).
- The U.S. pitching staff has allowed just four extra-base hits in 32.0 innings on the mound and has held opponents to a .159 batting average against.
- The United States remains unbeaten against South Africa at the U-18 level, improving to 4-0 all-time.
- Team USA finishes pool play atop the Group A standings at 5-0.
ON DECK
Team USA will begin WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup Super Round play on Thursday, September 15, against Chinese Taipei. The entire Super Round schedule is to be announced later this evening.
SOCIAL MEDIA
To follow along with all the action with the 18U National Team, be sure to follow @USABaseball18U on Twitter and @USABaseball on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter.
