SARASOTA, Fla. - Led by a seven-run first inning and a three-run homer off the bat of Blake Mitchell (Sinton, Texas), the 18U National Team secured a dominant 16-2 victory over Canada in the first of a seven-game friendship series between the two countries on Friday, September 3, at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Florida.

Team USA broke the game wide open immediately with seven runs in the bottom of the first and never looked back. After Canada got one back in the top of the second, Mitchell’s three-run longball in the bottom of the third extended the lead back out to 10-1. Canada plated one more in the fourth to cut the U.S. lead to eight but Team USA wasn’t done as the squad capitalized on a few Canada miscues in the fifth and got a bases-clearing triple from Owen Murphy (Riverside, Ill.) in the eighth for the final 16-2 score.

Termarr Johnson (Atlanta, Ga.), who went 3-for-4, and Ryan Clifford (Raleigh, N.C.), who finished 2-for-3, collected Team USA’s multi-hit games on the night while Mitchell and Murphy were responsible for three RBIs each. Gavin Kilen (Milton, Wis.) also tallied a hit and two RBIs in the win and Paxton Kling (Roaring Spring, Pa.) scored three runs.

Andrew Dutkanych (Indianapolis, Ind.) got the start for Team USA and went four strong innings, allowing just one earned run on five hits and one walk while striking out two. Cade Fisher (Dalton, Ga.) was credited with the win following his four scoreless innings of relief in which he gave up just two hits and tallied five punchouts. Canada’s Micah Bucknam suffered the loss after allowing 10 runs on five hits and issuing five walks in his 2.1 innings of work.

Key Moments

• Johnson and Druw Jones (Suwanee, Ga.) got the offense rolling right off the bat in the top of the first inning when they drew back-to-back walks to lead things off. Clifford then launched an RBI double into left field that brought in Johnson and gave Team USA an early 1-0 lead..
• A walk to Walker Jenkins (Oak Island, N.C.) then loaded the bases for the U.S. before Jones scored on a wild pitch and Elijah Green (Windermere, Fla.) made it 3-0 with an RBI groundout that brought in Clifford.
• A Kling single and a Gavin Guidry (Lake Charles, La.) walk once again loaded the bases for the red, white, and blue, and Kilen took full advantage two batters later, crushing a ground-rule double to right field that made it 5-0 in Team USA’s favor.
• Two more runs would cross the plate before the frame ended to give the stars and stripes a 7-0 lead after one inning.
• Canada broke onto the scoreboard one frame later, using a one-out double and a stolen base to put a runner on third before an RBI groundout made it a 7-1 game.
• The U.S. responded in the bottom of the third inning though, scoring three runs with one swing as Mitchell launched Team USA’s first homer of the series for a three-run dinger over the right field wall that extended the lead to 10-1.
• One frame later, Canada cut the deficit to eight, making it a 10-2 game with an RBI double.
• In the bottom of the fifth, Kling took advantage of a couple errors by Canada to reach base and come around to score for an 11-2 advantage. Guidry, who walked, stole second, and made it to third on one of Canada’s errors, brought the lead back up to 10 when he scored on a wild pitch to make it 12-2.
• Four more runs came across in the bottom of the eighth for the U.S. courtesy of a balk and a bases-clearing triple by Murphy to make it 16-2 before Riley Stanford (Gainesville, Ga.) came on in relief and tossed a perfect top of the ninth to secure Team USA's win.

Notable Information

• With the victory, Team USA starts the seven-game friendship series against Canada 1-0.
• Dutkanych, Fisher, and Stanford combined to strike out eight batters in the win.
• Four of Team USA’s 11 hits in the contest went for extra bases, including doubles from Clifford and Kilen, a triple off the bat of Murphy, and Mitchell’s homer.
• TGuidry and Jenkins drew two walks apiece in the victory.

On Deck

• September 4: USA vs. Canada (4:00 p.m. EDT; Sarasota, Fla.; Ed Smith Stadium)
• 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)

Social

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