SARASOTA, Fla. - Behind a Termarr Johnson (Atlanta, Ga.) grand slam and a Paxton Kling (Roaring Spring, Pa.) two-run homer, the 18U National Team put together another offensive show to take down Canada, 10-2, in game two of a seven-game friendship series on Saturday at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Florida.

Canada got on the board first with two runs in the bottom of the first but Team USA didn’t stay down long, using clutch hitting and Johnson’s go-ahead grand slam to plate six runs in the top of the second for a 6-2 advantage. A pair of runs in both the third and fourth innings put the game out of reach and secured the 10-2 victory and a 2-0 series lead for the U.S.

Multi-hit games from Jackson Holliday (Stillwater, Okla.) and Jayden Hylton (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.), as well as Johnson’s four RBIs, paced Team USA at the plate. Kling added two runs scored to his two RBIs in the contest while Holliday also crossed the plate twice.

Louis Rodriguez (Long Beach, Calif.) was credited with the win in the contest after five stellar innings of relief. The right-hander did not allow a hit or a walk in his scoreless outing while striking out 10 batters. Canada’s Turner Spoljaric (0-1) was tagged with the loss after allowing eight runs on eight hits and one walk in his three-inning start.

Key Moments

• Canada opened the scoring in the contest, plating one run with an RBI double and another on a wild pitch to take an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first.
• Team USA responded immediately in the top of the second with a run of its own. The red, white, and blue loaded the bases with clutch two-out hits from Holliday and Hylton and a walk to Karson Bowen (Anaheim Hills, Calif.) before RJ Austin (Atlanta, Ga.) was hit by a pitch to bring in a run and make it a 2-1 game.
• The clutch hitting continued one batter later as Johnson launched a two-out grand slam to left that gave the U.S. a 5-2 lead.
• Walker Jenkins (Oak Island, N.C.) then followed with a two-out triple to left-center and Druw Jones (Suwanee, Ga.) brought him in with an infield single.
• One inning later, the stars and stripes added to their lead with an RBI single from Hylton and a wild pitch that scored Holliday to make it 8-3 in Team USA’s favor.
• Another two-out home run, this one a 401-foot no-doubter off the bat of Kling, brought in a pair in the top of the fourth to extend the U.S. lead to 10-2.
• Rodriguez (1-0) then came on in relief and shut down the Canadian offense with five scoreless innings to protect Team USA’s lead before Gavin Guidry (Lake Charles, La.) secured the 10-2 win with a scoreless ninth.

Notable Information

• Jackson Ferris (Mount Airy, N.C.) got the start for Team USA on the mound in game two. He allowed two runs on five hits and walked one while striking out six batters in three innings of work.
• Johnson and Kling’s home runs marked the second and third dingers of the series after Blake Mitchell (Sinton, Texas) hit a three-run longball in game one on Friday.
• Rodriguez’s 10 punchouts lead both teams in the series.
• Ferris, Guidry, and Rodriguez combined to record 17 strikeouts for Team USA in the win.
• The red, white, and blue scored eight of its 10 runs in the contest with two outs.

On Deck

• September 5: USA vs. Canada (6:00 p.m. EDT; Sarasota, Fla.; Ed Smith Stadium)
• September 6: USA vs. Canada (4:00 p.m. EDT; St. Petersburg, Fla.; Tropicana Field)
• September 7: USA vs. Canada (2:00 p.m. EDT; Bradenton, Fla.; LECOM Park)
• September 8: USA vs. Canada (1:00 p.m. EDT; Bradenton, Fla.; Pirate City)
• September 9: USA vs. Canada (2:00 p.m. EDT; Bradenton, Fla.; LECOM Park)

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