LA PAZ, Mexico – Team USA finished World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-18 Baseball World Cup Americas Qualifier Super Round play with an 8-4 win over Nicaragua on Saturday afternoon at Estadio Arturo C. Nahl in La Paz, Mexico.
After completing a sweep of the Super Round, the United States is now 7-0 in tournament play entering Sunday’s gold medal game against Panama.
Scoring at least one run in all but two innings at the plate, Team USA’s offense kept its foot on the gas all afternoon. Back-to-back doubles by Campbell Smithwick (Conway, S.C.) and Casey Borba (Santa Ana, Calif.) got the U.S. on the board quickly in the first, and after Nicaragua tied it in the top half of the third, Team USA took the lead for good on a two-run single by Daniel Arambula (Yucaipa, Calif.) in the bottom of the frame. A three-run fourth helped the stars and stripes pull away before they added two in the fifth on a Nazzan Zanetello (Florissant, Mo.) homer, eventually picking up the 8-4 win.
Borba had a big day at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a pair of RBIs. After delivering the opening run with his RBI double in the first, Borba notched a pair of singles to left, including an RBI knock in Team USA’s three-run fourth. Ty Southisene (Henderson, Nev.) and Michael Torres (Miami, Fla.) each had two-hit days for the stars and stripes, with Southisene also picking up an RBI. Zanetello hit a two-run blast in the fifth to continue his hot streak at the plate.
In addition to their strong days with the bat, Torres and Southisene did most of the pitching for Team USA. Torres started on the mound and threw four strong innings to earn the win, scattering four hits and permitting just one run. Southisene allowed a run in two innings of relief work, and Noah Franco (Downey, Calif.) surrendered two runs in the seventh but got the final three outs. Nicaragua starter Joshua Quezada allowed six runs in 3.1 innings pitched to suffer the loss.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Campbell Smithwick and Casey Borba hit back-to-back doubles in the bottom of the first to give Team USA a quick 1-0 lead.
- A leadoff walk and a double put two runners in scoring position for Nicaragua with no outs in the top of the third, but Michael Torres limited the damage to just an RBI groundout as the game became tied.
- After a sacrifice bunt by Noah Franco put a pair of runners in scoring position in the bottom of the third, Daniel Arambula snuck a two-run single inside the first-base bag to put the U.S. back in front at 3-1.
- Ty Southisene legged out an infield single that brought Nazzan Zanetello home from third, extending the United States’ lead to three in the bottom of the fourth.
- Team USA’s advantage continued growing in the bottom of the fourth when Casey Borba blooped an RBI single into left field to make it 5-1 and Roman Martin hit an RBI infield single to put the U.S. in front by five.
- Derek Loaisiga hit an RBI single to left field to plate a run for Nicaragua and trim the U.S. lead to 6-2 in the top of the fifth.
- The red, white, and blue’s lead became 8-2 in the bottom of the fifth when Nazzan Zanetello cranked a mammoth two-run homer to bring home Michael Torres, who led off the inning with a single.
- Nicaragua scratched two runs across on an RBI single and a run-scoring fielder’s choice in the top of the seventh before Noah Franco got the final batter to ground out to finalize the 8-4 win.
OF NOTE
- Ty Southisene had a hit and walk in the win and has reached base multiple times in five of the six games he has played in.
- By driving in two runs in the win, Casey Borba is now tied for eighth-most RBIs by a U.S. player at the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup Americas Qualifier with 12 (also: Bryce Harper, Denard Span, Mikey White).
- With a hit in Saturday’s victory, Macon Winslow raised his team-best batting average to .455 (5-for-11).
- Team USA’s 12 hits against Nicaragua are the most it has had in a game so far in tournament play.
- With two doubles in the win, the United States has now hit a tournament-best 16 two-baggers at the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup Americas Qualifier.
- Every player with at least 10 at-bats on the U.S. roster has collected three or more hits.
- The U.S. is atop the tournament leaderboard in runs scored with 68.
- The 18U National Team now owns a 5-1 all-time record against Nicaragua.
ON DECK
Team USA will take on Panama in the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup Americas Qualifier gold medal game on Sunday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. MT/5:00 p.m. ET at Estadio Arturo C. Nahl in La Paz, Mexico.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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