MÉRIDA, Mexico – The United States fell to Mexico, 7-1, in extra innings Friday night in the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-15 Baseball World Cup Super Round at Parque Kukulcán Alamo.
The United States moved to 3-1 in the Super Round and is tied with Japan for first place in the Super Round standings. All team records and standings can be found HERE.
Team USA took a lead three batters in but its offense was held in check for the following seven innings. The team once again rode a gem from its pitching staff, holding Mexico to one hit through the first six innings before Mexico tied the game down to its final strike in the seventh. Mexico then broke through with a late surge in extra innings.
Raylen Hunter once again paced the U.S. offense and provided half of the team’s hits in a 2-for-4 performance at the plate, while Tyler Early and Paris Head each picked up base knocks.
Nate Handley-White started for the United States and set the tone from the jump, turning in 2.1 innings while fanning four. Lathan Boddie single-handedly held Mexico’s bats at bay for a majority of the contest, as he worked 4.0 hitless innings and struck out six, including escaping a bases-loaded jam in the fifth. Early took over in the seventh and was saddled with the loss, while Head and Braylon Rogers each found some time on the bump in extras.
HOW IT HAPPENED
In the first, Matti Di Maggio reached base for the seventh consecutive game via walk and proceeded to jaunt his way to third after a delayed steal and a straight steal of third. Paxton Scoggin put a full-count offering in play to drive in the first run of the contest.
With runners on the corners in the third, Boddie got the call from the bullpen and pumped eight pitches–seven for strikes–to strike out the next two batters and strand a pair.
Zeroes dotted the scoreboard for the next three innings, as Boddie continued to navigate traffic on the basepaths and maneuvered a bases-loaded jam in the fifth to preserve the lead.
Down to its final strike in the seventh, Mexico’s Esteban Gallardo hit a game-tying double for Mexico’s first run of the contest, knotting the game at one apiece.
With runners automatically put on first and second per international tiebreaker rules, Mexico capitalized on the momentum shift, stringing together a trio of hits and four walks to take a 7-1 lead.
NOTABLES
Hunter tallied his fifth multi-hit game of the tournament.
Both Matti Di Maggio and Hunter reached base for the seventh consecutive game, while Hunter leads all players in batting average (.577) and hits (15).
The U.S. pitching staff leads the tournament with a 1.67 ERA while ranking second in strikeouts (72).
Across seven games played, the U.S. pitching staff has collected double digit strikeouts on four occasions.
ON DECK
The United States (6-1 overall, 3-1 Super Round) wraps up Super Round play against Japan tomorrow, October 3, at 3:00 p.m. local/5:00 p.m. ET at Parque Kukulcán Alamo in Mérida, Mexico.
To stay up to date with the USA Baseball 15U National Team, follow along with @USABaseball15U on Twitter/X, and @USABaseball on Instagram. For more information on the schedule including live statistics and streaming, visit HERE.
