Box Score & Plays | Cumulative Stats

BOCA CHICA, Dominican Republic – George Ferguson fired 4.0 innings of two-hit ball and the United States downed the Dominican Republic, 16-1, on Saturday afternoon at the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Americas U-18 Baseball Pan-American Championship at the IPL Academy, completing a sweep of Group A pool play.

With the win, Team USA finished atop the Group A standings and secured the first overall seed heading into the Super Round, which is set for October 25-28. All team standings can be found HERE.

The United States struck first for the third time in as many days, posting a five-run second inning to set the tone early. After the first, Team USA sent no fewer than eight batters to the plate and scored 16 runs across three innings. Malachi Butler drove in the first run of the contest on his first of two hits on the day, while Sebastian Wilson swatted a three-RBI triple for his second three-bagger in as many days. The U.S. plated four runs with two-outs in the third, before a seven-run fourth inning was highlighted by a two-RBI double from Graham Houston. Houston paced the team with a 3-for-4, two RBI, three runs scored performance at the plate.

Ferguson shined in his Team USA debut, working around early traffic before shutting down the Dominican Republic’s offense. The right-hander allowed two hits and one walk while striking out eight over 4.0 innings without surrendering an earned run to earn the win. Isaac Vidal entered in relief in the fifth and closed out the game with a pair of punchouts.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Ferguson worked out of an early jam in the first, striking out three straight batters after the Dominican Republic put its first two runners aboard to keep the game scoreless.
• Drake Hawpe kicked off the five-run rally in the second with a leadoff single. A walk issued to Broder Katke and a bunt single from Houston spelled trouble for the D.R.
• With the bases loaded, Butler opened the scoring with a base knock to right. Wilson picked up right where he left off and barreled a 2-2 offering to the right-center wall for a bases-clearing triple.
• Lubin Rincon capped the rally with an RBI double, before being thrown out at third after oversliding the bag.
• The Dominican Republic scored its lone run in the third, capitalizing on a defensive miscue to put the leadoff runner aboard before a wild pitch and sacrifice fly brought him home.
• Team USA responded with a two-out rally in the home half. Katke drew a walk, while a single from Houston provided some momentum. Back-to-back wild pitches scored Katke before an RBI single from Dylan Seward made it 7-1.
• Sebastian Castillo added to the advantage with a jam shot into shallow right field, extending the U.S. advantage to 9-1.
• Team USA kept piling it on in the fourth, as Chase Fuller reached on a leadoff single and back-to-back walks loaded the bases. Houston then golfed the first pitch he saw off the right-field wall for a two-RBI double, making it 11-1.
• Butler followed with an RBI single and a balk extended the lead to 13-1. A hit-by-pitch scored Butler, Fuller lifted a sacrifice fly to right, and a wild pitch capped the seven-run fourth, giving the U.S. a 16-1 lead.

NOTABLES

• The 18U National Team is now 6-0 all-time against the Dominican Republic, while this is the third time the program has scored 16 or more runs against the nation.
• Today marks the first time since 2018 the 18U National Team has scored a combined 35 or more runs in back-to-back games.
• Eight players recorded a hit, while Butler, Houston, and Rincon each collected multi-hit outings.
• Butler, Castillo, Houston, and Wilson each registered two or more RBIs.
• Team USA’s pitching staff has given up six hits across three games. Panama has allowed the next-fewest hits among competing nations with 17.
• The U.S. has struck out just four times in 70 at-bats.
• Hawpe, Rincon, and Seward are all riding three-game hit streaks.

ON DECK

The United States (3-0) will open Super Round play against Nicaragua (2-1) tomorrow, October 25, at 10:00 a.m. ET at the IPL Academy in Boca Chica, Dominican Republic.

To stay up to date with the USA Baseball 18U National Team, follow along with @USABaseball18U on Twitter/X, and @USABaseball on Instagram. For more information on the schedule including live statistics and streaming, visit HERE.