TAICHUNG CITY, TAIWAN – Thanks to multi-hit performances by four different players, as well as a solid start from Luke Harrison on the bump, the Collegiate National Team (1-0) secured a 10-6 win over Chinese Taipei (0-1) in its World Collegiate Baseball Championship opener on Sunday evening at Intercontinental Stadium.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Team USA got on the board early with a run in the first inning. Derrick Pitts and Landon Hairston led off the game with walks, and after a double play moved Pitts to third, he scored on Chase Fralick’s RBI single to left field.
- Chinese Taipei responded with pair of runs to take the lead in the bottom frame. With runners at the corners and one out, a wild pitch and single to right field by Chao-Hung Chang gave his team a 2-1 advantage.
- Nico Partida knotted the score at 2-2 in the third, driving in Gavin Kelly on a sacrifice fly after he reached on a base hit and moved to third on Fralick’s single to right field.
- In the fourth, the stars and stripes plated three runs to take a 5-2 lead. Kolby Branch led off the frame with a home run to center field to bring the go-ahead run across. Anthony Pack Jr. followed up with an outfield single, and later scored on a double to center field by Pitts. Kelly tallied his second hit of the night to bring Pitts across home plate and cap off the three-run inning.
- The U.S. tacked on three more runs in the fifth to extend its lead to 8-2. Pack Jr. reached on a double to center field, stole third, and scored on a wild pitch to bring the first run across. With the bases loaded following a hit-by-pitch and pair of walks, Kelly once again delivered with a two-RBI single to right field.
- Kelly tallied his fourth hit and fourth RBI of the night in the seventh inning when he hit a solo home run to center field, making the score 9-2 in favor of the red, white, and blue.
- Chinese Taipei cut into its deficit in the bottom half of the inning, scoring four runs on as many hits to make it 9-6. Cheng-Hao Wu and Chia-Yi Wang led off the side with back-to-back walks, and Tung-Hao Lu and Jun-Wei Zheng proceeded to tally run-scoring doubles to bring home the first three runs. Ting-Lun Hsu rounded out the scoring with an RBI single to center field, allowing Zheng to cross home plate.
- The U.S. added one final run in the ninth thanks to Hogan Denny’s pinch-hit single to center field, scoring Kelly after he led off with his fifth hit of the game and moved to third a sacrifice bunt and groundout, respectively.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Kelly went a game-best 5-for-6 with four RBIs and three runs scored, contributing to Team USA’s 16 hits in the contest.
- Kelly's five hits ties the program's single-game hit record, as he is the first player to accomplish the feat since Heston Kjerstad in 2019 and 11th all-time to do so.
- Pitts also scored a game-high three runs, while Pack Jr. tallied two on the night.
- Fralick and Pack Jr. turned in three-hit outings, while Branch had a 2-for-4 performance at the plate with two walks, an RBI, and a run scored.
- Harrison was credited with the win after tossing five complete innings and surrendering two runs on three hits with one walk. He fanned six batters and threw his final four innings in shutout fashion.
- Walker Hooks closed out the game with 2.2 innings of shutout baseball, not giving up a run while tallying a pair of strikeouts. He ended his outing with a 1-2-3 inning to close out the game.
ON DECK
- The Collegiate National Team will continue action at the World Collegiate Baseball Championship on Monday, July 13, when it faces Japan at Intercontinental Stadium. First pitch is 12:30 a.m. ET/12:30 p.m. local and will be streamed on MLB Network.
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.
