GIJANG CITY, South Korea - In Team USA's opening game of the 2019 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-18 Baseball World Cup, Kyle Harrison (Danville, Calif.) and AJ Vukovich (Mukwonago, Wisc.) combined for 13 strikeouts while holding South Africa scoreless to lead the U.S. to an 11-0 victory on Friday, August 30, at Gijang-Hyundai Dream Park in Gijang City, South Korea.

Tyler Soderstrom (Turlock, Calif.) led the offensive effort for the U.S., going 3-for-4 with a run scored and a game-high three RBIs. Additionally, Robert Hassell (Franklin, Tenn.) finished with two hits, two RBIs and four runs scored, while Drew Romo (The Woodlands, Texas) and Hunter Haas (Phoenix, Ariz.) also recorded multiple hits in the contest.
Harrison tossed 5.1 scoreless innings to open the tournament for Team USA, tallying nine strikeouts and allowing just two hits and one walk to earn the win.
KEY MOMENTS

• Team USA scored its first run of the tournament early courtesy of a Soderstrom RBI-single in the bottom of the first inning that brought home Hassell for a 1-0 advantage.
• An RBI-groundout by AJ Vukovich (Mukwonago, Wisc.) and an RBI-single from Soderstrom added to the lead in the bottom of the second inning.
• The U.S. put up five runs in the bottom of the third on five hits, including a Colby Halter (Jacksonville, Fla.) RBI-double, RBI-singles from Milan Tolentino (Mission Viejo, Calif.) and Soderstrom and a two-RBI knock from Hassell to make it 8-0 in Team USA's favor.
• Hassell led off the bottom of the fifth with a double and came around to score on an error before Romo pushed Soderstrom across the plate with an RBI-single to put Team USA up 10-0.
• The final run of the game came when Haas singled and scored on an error to give the stars and stripes an 11-0 lead in the bottom of the sixth.

• The win marks the U.S.'s seventh consecutive victory in a World Cup opener.
• Harrison and Vukovich combined for 13 strikeouts in the win.
• Harrison (1-0) recorded the win in the contest after allowing just two hits and striking out nine batters in 5.1 innings of work.

• August 31: USA vs. Chinese Taipei (12:00 p.m. local [11 p.m. ET on 8/30]; Gijang City, South Korea; Gijang-Hyundai Dream Park)
• September 1: USA vs. Japan (6:00 p.m. local [5 a.m. ET]; Gijang City, South Korea; Gijang-Hyundai Dream Park)
• September 2: USA vs. Panama (12:00 p.m. local [11 p.m. ET on 9/1]; Gijang City, South Korea; Gijang-Hyundai Dream Park)
• September 3: USA vs. Spain (12:00 p.m. local [11 p.m. ET on 9/2]; Gijang City, South Korea; Gijang-Hyundai Dream Park)

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