USA Softball: Men’s National Team earns 8-2 win over Bar Buzz; Championship Game ends in tie against No. 1 New Zealand

June 3, 2019

---

Men’s National Team earns 8-2 win over Bar Buzz; Championship Game ends in tie against No. 1 New Zealand at Jack Grafmeier Memorial Fastpitch Tournament

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 2, 2019 Web Release: Link

Kimberly, Wisc. – The USA Softball Men’s National Team claimed an 8-2 (five innings) win over Bar Buzz to earn a spot in the Championship Game against world-ranked No. 1 New Zealand, which ended in a tie due to time restrictions on Sunday at the Jack Grafmeier Memorial Fastpitch Tournament. The Red, White and Blue finished the tournament 3-0-1 and will now set their sights on the BBL Invitational Tournament in Stevens, Pa. this weekend.   Game 1: Team USA 8, Bar Buzz 2   Jonathan Lynch (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) led off with a single to start the game, and Matt Palazzo (Pleasant Hill, Iowa) drew a walk to put runners on the corners two outs later. Though a strikeout kept runners from scoring, a 1-2-3 inning from Tony Mancha (Las Cruces, N.M.) and the defense followed to bring Team USA back to the plate.   Matt Ratliff (American Fork, Utah) singled and Nick Mullins (Toms River, N.J.) drew a walk but the two were stranded and the game was kept scoreless. For the first time this tournament, Team USA fell behind as Bar Buzz plated two runs to go up, 2-0, in the second.   Despite Bar Buzz retiring the U.S. side in the third, the defense kept them from scoring additional runs in the bottom half of the frame. The Red, White and Blue went on to make it a tie ballgame, when Jeff Nowaczyk (Midland, Mich.) hit a two-run shot past the centerfield fence with one out. Mullins tripled to right field but a groundout and fielder’s choice stranded him at third.   A groundout and back-to-back strikeouts from Mancha retired the side in the bottom of the fourth, sending the U.S. back to the plate. The Red, White and Blue continued the momentum from the previous inning and took the lead when Erick Ochoa (Imperial, Calif.) singled and was brought home after a two-run shot by Palazzo. Ahead 4-2, Gil Saenz (El Paso, Texas) sent a solo shot past centerfield to make it 5-2. Ratliff tripled and was brought home by an RBI double from Nowaczyk. A double from Mullins scored Nowaczyk from second, and Yusef Davis (Long Beach, Calif.) singled to plate Mullins and extend the score to 8-2 in favor of the U.S.   With a six-run rule in effect, Mancha completed the game for the U.S., pitching the final fifth inning and delivering another two strikeouts to bring his total count to nine. Nowaczyk, Mullins, and Ratliff were 2-for-3, while Nowaczyk led the team with 3 RBI.   Game 2: Team USA 4, New Zealand 4   Due to time restrictions, the Championship Game lasted until the fourth inning when both teams agreed to a tie. However, the game was a glimpse of what fans could potentially see at the WBSC Men’s World Championship. Facing world-ranked No. 1 New Zealand proved to be a battle and good preparation for not only the upcoming World Championship but the Pan American Games.   A one-out single from Cam Schiller (Prescott, Ariz.) got things started for Team USA in the top of the first inning, but a fielder’s choice and strikeout brought the defense out. Despite New Zealand loading the bases in the bottom half of the inning with two outs, a fly out to Ratliff in right field kept the game scoreless.   The U.S. was kept off the board in the second, while New Zealand took a 2-0 lead in the bottom half of the frame after a one-out, two RBI single up the middle. The Red, White and Blue turned a double play to close out the inning.   It was a 1-2-3 inning in the third as the U.S. was retired in order, unable to plate a run against the Black Sox. Joel Cooley (St. Paul, Minn.) entered the circle to replace Duane Weiler (Richland, Pa.) in the bottom half but New Zealand extended their lead after a pair of walks, a single and a fielder’s choice allowed runs to score.    Trailing 4-0, the U.S. was not going down without a fight. The MNT quickly loaded the bases after Ochoa walked, Palazzo singled and Dudley walked. Matt Ratliff (American Fork, Utah) came through for the U.S. and plated two to cut into the deficit, 4-2. Jenner Christiansen (Hayward, Calif.) entered as a pinch-runner for Dudley and moved to second after Nowaczyk was issued a walk. Mullins was walked to plate a run, making it 4-3. Saenz grounded into a fielder’s choice, catching Ratliff at home for the first out. A sacrifice fly from Lynch then made it a tie ballgame prior the game’s end.    Through three innings, Weiler and Cooley combined to issue three strikeouts and walk six batters, while Palazzo, Ratliff and Schiller were the only three to get a hit off of New Zealand’s pitching staff.   The team will now break briefly before meeting up in Stevens, Pa. for exhibition games June 8-9 prior to the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Men’s Softball World Championship in Prague, Czech Republic June 13-23.    The U.S. will finish out the 2019 season in Lima, Peru for the Pan American Games set for July 25-August 1. In eight Pan American Games participated in, the U.S. has claimed the Silver Medal in all but one event, falling just short the podium in 2015 with a fourth-place finish.   Announced earlier this year was the coaching staff for the 2019 team, including Head Coach Gregg Leather, in addition to Assistant Coaches Ron Guzman (Salinas, Calif.), Ron Hackett (Richmond, Va.), Greg Hicks (Bakersfield, Calif.), Nick McCurry (Ashland, Ohio) and Gerald Muizelaar (Grand Forks, N.D.).  Fans at home can follow along all summer long with the USA Softball National Teams at USASoftball.com.   About USA Softball USA Softball is a 501(c)(3) not-for profit organization headquartered in Oklahoma City, Okla., and is designated as the National Governing Body (NGB) of Softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. One of the nation’s largest sports organizations, USA Softball sanctions competition through a network of Local Associations, which includes all 50 states and select metro associations.  USA Softball is dedicated to providing people of all ages the opportunity to play the game they love at a variety of levels by offering recreational, league, tournament and competitive play for fast pitch, slow pitch and modified pitch.  USA Softball annually conducts thousands of tournaments throughout the country including over 100 National Championships.  The USA Softball umpire program is among the nation’s largest and are widely known as the best trained umpires in the game.    As the NGB for the sport of softball, USA Softball is responsible for training, equipping and promoting the six USA Softball National Teams that compete in events such as the Olympics, Pan American Games, World Championships and other international and domestic events. For more information on USA Softball, including its founding and history as the Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA), please visit, www.USASoftball.com.

Copyright © 2019 USA Softball, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you have registered with USA Softball or have requested to be added to USA Softball's mailing list.

Our mailing address is:
USA Softball