TAICHUNG CITY, Taiwan – Highlighted by four hitless innings out of the bullpen by Easton Hawk, the Collegiate National Team (2-0) defeated Japan (1-1) 3-2 on Monday afternoon at Intercontinental Stadium at the World Collegiate Baseball Championship.
The U.S. plated all three of its runs in the second and third innings, but Japan slowly chipped away by scoring in the fourth and sixth innings to make it a one-run game. Hawk was backed by the timely hitting early on and strong defense through the final frames. He took over in relief in the sixth inning with runners at the corners and no outs, and managed to retire all 16 batters he faced while picking up the save.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Team USA plated a pair of runs in the second to get ahead early in the contest. Nico Partida and Kolby Branch led off with back-to-back outfield singles, and started the threat when Anthony Pack Jr.’s sacrifice bunt moved them into scoring position. Ryker Waite delivered with an infield single to bring home Partida, and Derrick Pitts followed up with another run-scoring single to plate Branch.
- The stars and stripes extended their lead to 3-0 in the third thanks to Pack Jr.’s sacrifice fly to left field. Pack Jr. scored Hogan Denny after he reached on a fielder’s choice, advanced to second on Partida’s single, and to third on Branch’s walk to load the bases.
- Japan got on the board in the fourth thanks to Takara Yamasoto’s RBI single to eft field with runners in scoring position. With the bases loaded on one out, Waite caught a line drive and doubled up the runner at second to end the side.
- Japan made it a one-run game in the sixth. Back-to-back singles by Kai Watabe and Yoshinobu Kuroda started the side, and Yamasoto tallied his second RBI of the game with a sacrifice fly to center field to score Watabe.
- Hawk kept Japan at bay after it scored its second run of the game with his dominant performance of four hitless innings, allowing the U.S. to come away victorious.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- The win snapped a seven-game loss streak against Japan.
- Pitts turned in a three-hit game to lead all players, while Partida tallied two hits in the contest.
- Five other players contributed to the 10 hits Team USA had in the game, marking the second consecutive game with double-digit hits.
- Jackson Sanders was credited with the win after surrendering one run on three hits in 1.2 innings pitched, while Hawk picked up the save.
ON DECK
- The Collegiate National Team will continue action at the World Collegiate Baseball Championship on Tuesday, July 14, when it faces Korea at Intercontinental Stadium. First pitch is 12:30 a.m. ET/12:30 p.m. local and will be streamed on MLB.com.
FOLLOW ALONG
- For the most up-to-date information on the Collegiate National Team, follow @USABaseballCNT on Twitter/X and @USABaseball on Instagram, or visit USABaseball.com.
