Lima, Peru – Six men’s fast pitch teams opened up the 2019 Pan American Games at the Campo de Softball, Complejo Deportivo Villa Maria del Triunfo, including the U.S. Men’s National Team who claimed a 8-3 victory over world ranked No. 8 Venezuela. Having earned two wins against the Venezuelans at the recent World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Men’s Softball World Championship (MSWC) in June, it was no different this time as the Red, White and Blue got off to a hot start and held on for the Game 1 victory.
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Click here to view the Pan American Games schedule for the U.S. Men’s National Team
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Erick Ochoa (Imperial, Calif.) drove in the first run for the U.S. after doubling on a 2-2 count in the first inning, before Matt Palazzo (Pleasant Hill, Iowa) blasted a two-run shot to centerfield for an early 3-0 lead. It was no easy battle as Venezuela responded with a two-run home run of their own in the bottom half of the frame to make it 3-2.
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With the U.S. unable to get on base in the second, Venezuela tallied another run after a leadoff walk advanced to second on a sac bunt and crossed home on an error to make it a tie ballgame after two innings of play.
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Venezuela’s Urbaneja got the best of the U.S. in the third, dealing another two strikeouts and inducing a groundout to keep the U.S. at bay. Despite a one-out single from Venezuela, a strikeout by U.S. starter Tony Mancha (Las Cruces, N.M.) and line out to Ochoa at third followed to force a zero on the board for Venezuela.
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The Red, White and Blue offense pulled away for good in the fourth as Jeff Nowaczyk (Midland, Mich.) singled to lead off while Marcus Tan (Union City, Calif.) followed suit two outs later to put runners on base. Jenner Christiansen (Hayward, Calif.) and Gil Saenz (El Paso, Texas) collected hits to drive the two runners home, allowing the U.S. to regain a 5-3 lead which resulted in a change in the circle for Venezuela. Venezuela threatened with runners on the corners, but a pop out to Ochoa at third closed out the fourth inning.
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The U.S. quickly loaded the bases in the fifth after a single from Ochoa, walk to Palazzo and single from Nowaczyk, while a sacrifice fly from Cam Schiller (Prescott, Ariz.) made it 6-3. After Palazzo was picked off at second for the second out, a strikeout ended the U.S. chances for scoring additional runs in the fifth frame while a 1-2-3 inning kept Venezuela off the board in the bottom half.
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Both sides were retired in order through the sixth, while fans saw the U.S. add to their lead in the seventh after Schiller doubled home Palazzo and Nowaczyk for an 8-3 ballgame. Capping off the victory was Mancha, who dealt back-to-back strikeouts for eight total, and induced a groundout to Palazzo at first for the shutdown inning.
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Mancha allowed just four hits and three runs over seven innings of work, while Ochoa and Nowaczyk collected two hits apiece to lead the team. Palazzo tallied two RBI with a home run, while Schiller plated three runs for the Red, White and Blue. The U.S. is back in action on Saturday, July 27 at 1 p.m. against No. 24 Cuba for Game 2 of the 2019 Pan American Games.
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Click here for the complete 2019 USA Softball Men’s National Team roster
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Held every four years, the U.S. has earned seven silver medals dating from 1979-2003, while falling just shy of the podium with a fourth-place finish at the 2015 Toronto Pan American Games. Of the 15 athletes named to the Pan American Games roster, Kevin Castillo (Long Beach, Calif.), Mancha, Nick Mullins (Toms River, N.J.), Palazzo and Tan return from the 2015 Pan American Games squad. The U.S. team is led by Head Coach Gregg Leather (Staten Island, N.Y.), along with assistant coaches Ron Guzman (Salinas, Calif.), Greg Hicks (Bakersfield, Calif.) and Gerald Muizelaar (Grand Forks, N.D.). Leather and Hicks served as assistant coaches at the 2015 Pan American Games, while Muizelaar competed for the Red, White and Blue. |
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