BOCA CHICA, Dominican Republic – Team USA swept a doubleheader and George Ferguson threw a complete-game shutout in a 1-0 victory over Venezuela in the gold medal game at the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Americas U-18 Baseball Pan-American Championship on Thursday at the IPL Academy, claiming the program’s third straight gold medal in international competition.
With the win, the 18U National Team captured its 19th gold medal in program history and eighth Pan-American Championship/World Cup Qualifier title. Additionally, the United States clinched a berth to the 2027 WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup in China, where the stars and stripes will defend its title and pursue its 12th World Cup championship.
Inclement weather postponed Team USA’s Super Round games against Panama and Venezuela earlier in the week, forcing the United States to play a doubleheader on the final day of competition. With no traditional gold medal game, the team with the best Super Round record would be crowned champion. After defeating Panama, 6-0, Team USA faced Venezuela, which entered the day with the second-best Super Round record. Team USA went on to earn a 1-0 victory behind a complete-game shutout from Ferguson to claim the U-18 Pan-American Championship title.
GAME ONE - Team USA 6, Panama 0
Box Score & Plays | Cumulative Stats
Team USA opened the doubleheader with a 6-0 win over Panama, combining timely hitting with dominant pitching to earn its sixth straight win and move one step closer to the gold medal.
As it had throughout the tournament, Team USA struck first and overwhelmed its opponent with quality at-bats. After Panama recorded two quick outs on just seven pitches, Sebastian Castillo turned on a 1-0 offering deep over the left field wall for Team USA’s only homer of the tournament.
Team USA added to its lead in the home half of the inning. After leading off with a single, Graham Houston advanced to third on a stolen base and an error before scoring on a passed ball just four pitches later.
Ethan Gustus kept Panama’s offense in check, finishing his outing with 3.0 innings of two-hit ball. The right-hander fanned five batters and issued just one walk.
The U.S. offense added another run in the fourth when Dylan Seward delivered a two-out RBI base knock to score Collins, who reached on his second walk of the day.
Team USA put the game out of reach in the fifth with a three-run frame. Three walks loaded the bases and set the table for Houston, who lifted a sacrifice fly to extend the lead. Collins provided two more insurance runs with a two-out double to make it 6-0. Collins reached base three times in the win, while Lubin Rincon reached four times, going 2-for-2 with a pair of walks and a run scored.
Connor Salerno took over for Gustus in the fourth and continued to shut down Panama’s offense, hurling 3.0 hitless innings with six strikeouts. Salerno held opposing hitters to a .063 batting average, the best mark among all pitchers tournament wide. Isaac Vidal shut the door in the seventh, needing just 12 pitches to retire the side in order.
GAME TWO - Team USA 1, Venezuela 0
A complete-game shutout from Ferguson powered the United States to a 1-0 victory over Venezuela, securing the U-18 Pan-American Championship title and Team USA’s berth to the 2027 WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup.
Team USA and Venezuela exchanged zeroes over the first two frames, with both pitchers facing the minimum. Ferguson needed just 31 pitches to navigate the first three innings.
After two quick outs in the bottom of the third, Houston drew a walk to give Team USA its first baserunner of the game. Seward followed with a clutch two-out base knock through the four-hole, scoring Houston from second for the game's only run. The hit extended Seward’s hitting streak to seven games, making him the only Team USA player to record a base knock in all seven contests.
Ferguson surrendered his first hit of the game in the fourth but quickly escaped the inning, firing three straight strikes to retire the side.
Team USA recorded hits in each of the next three innings, but Venezuela’s defense kept the U.S. off the board.
With runners on the corners and one away in the sixth, Ferguson kept his composure, recording a strikeout on three pitches before inducing a fly out to escape the inning unscathed and preserve Team USA’s lead.
The seventh inning brought a dramatic finish. After recording the first out, Ferguson faced a potential rally after a dropped third strike allowed Misael Sanchez to reach. After a single put runners on the corners, Venezuela lifted a would–be sacrifice fly into right to tie the game. However, Team USA appealed the baserunner’s failure to tag up at third base to record an inning-ending double play and end the week in a dogpile on Dominican soil.
Ferguson notched 10 strikeouts while allowing just two hits and one walk in his seven-inning performance. The Abilene, Texas, native was one of two players in the tournament to throw a complete-game shutout. Additionally, Ferguson threw for 76 percent (61-80) strikes in the performance. At the plate, Malachi Butler, Chase Fuller, Houston, Seward, and Sebastian Wilson each recorded a base hit.
NOTABLES
Team USA had five representatives on the All-Tournament team. Seward earned All-Tournament honors at shortstop after batting .417 with 10 hits, seven RBIs, and two stolen bases. The Eastvale, California, native also received the Best Defensive Player award, starting every game at shortstop and posting a perfect fielding percentage. Fuller earned All-Tournament honors at designated hitter and was named Most Outstanding Player after hitting .455 with 10 base knocks, seven RBIs, and eight runs scored. Butler was named All-Tournament at third base, batting .462 while leading all players with a .632 on-base percentage.
Rincon and Wilson were named All-Tournament outfielders. Wilson led all players at the event with 11 RBIs while batting .348 and pacing Team USA with three extra-base hits. Rincon led the team in batting average (.471) and OPS (1.181), while playing perfect defense across seven starts in right field.
Following his performance on the bump in the final game, Ferguson earned Most Valuable Player honors. Ferguson led all qualified pitchers with a 0.00 ERA across 11.0 innings pitched and paced the tournament with 18 strikeouts. Ferguson co-led all pitchers with two wins.
The United States hit .396 as a team, the fourth-highest mark in program history. Team USA struck out just 16 times across 169 at-bats, led all teams in walks, and co-led the tournament in stolen bases with 12. Despite hitting just one home run, Team USA outscored opponents by a 73-5 margin. Six players hit .400 or above, while five players tallied seven or more hits.
The pitching staff set a program record by allowing just 23 hits, surpassing the previous mark of 25 set by the 2025 team. The staff also tied a program record for fewest runs allowed with five, matching the 2017 team’s mark, while its 0.67 ERA ranked third in program history. The staff limited opposing hitters to a .159 batting average, led all nations with 64 strikeouts, and did not allow an extra-base hit. Defensively, Team USA posted a .976 fielding percentage and committed just four errors across 42.0 innings, tying the program record for fewest errors in a tournament.
ON DECK
The United States will turn its attention to the 2027 WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup, which is set for September 17-26, 2027, in Pingtan, China. There, the U.S. will defend its World Cup title and pursue its 12th world title in program history.
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