GUATEMALA CITY — The USA Softball U-17 Men’s National Team (MNT) could not overcome an early deficit as the team dropped a 3-1 decision to host country, No. 15 Guatemala.   Guatemala got on the board early, taking advantage of a leadoff single in the bottom of the first inning. After a sac bunt and a passed ball allowed the runner to advance to third with one out, a single scored the first run of the game. A walk and RBI single added another run to the lead, putting Team USA down by two.  The U.S. looked to score in the top of the second after an error and walk put two on with one out, but a fielder’s choice and strikeout halted the rally.  Both sides put runners on but failed to get past second base until the bottom of the fourth when Guatemala added another run to their lead. A leadoff walk, single and sac bunt put two in scoring position and a sac fly drove in the runner at third.  Trailing by three runs, Team USA got on the board in the top of the sixth inning after Eli Rivas (Whittier, Calif.) led off with a single and stole second base. A strikeout kept Rivas at second, but a ground ball up the middle by Chase Thomson (Murray, Utah) scored the run.  Keeping Guatemala off the board in the bottom of the sixth, Team USA headed to their final at-bat of the contest trailing by two runs. A leadoff single by Matthew Armitage (Evansville, Wisc.) got the offense going, but three strikeouts ended the contest with the U.S. dropping a 3-1 loss.  Guatemala’s Juan Diego Morales stifled Team USA’s offense, striking out 14 batters while limiting the offense to just two hits. Cody Gibbons (St. Paul, Minn.) suffered the loss in the circle, allowing three runs in six innings.  The U.S., now 1-3 at the Pan American Championship, is back in action tomorrow, November 7 at 2 p.m. local time against No. 46 Belize. Live stats will be available through USASoftball.com.  Held November 2-9 in Guatemala City, Guatemala, a total of 30 games will be played across eight days as participating countries battle it out to qualify for the 2020 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-18 Men’s Softball World Cup. The  Red, White and Blue have one final round robin matchup against No. 25 Panama on Nov. 8 at 2 p.m. local time.  The top two teams from the Preliminary Round will compete for the Pan American Championship Final on Nov. 9 at 2 p.m. local time, while the third and fourth-place teams will compete for the Bronze Medal at 11:00 a.m. local time on the same day. Led by Bob Piddock (Castro Valley, Calif.), the roster was announced in September following selection by the Men’s National Team Selection Committee (MNTSC). Joining Piddock on the coaching staff are Tony Aresco (Stoneham, Mass.), Avon Meacham (Upper Marlboro, Md.), and Jerry Zimmerman (Ephrata, Pa.).  About USA Softball USA Softball (USAS) 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 & Paralympic Committee. One of the nation’s largest sports organizations, USAS sanctions competition through a network of Local Associations, which includes all 50 states and select metro associations. USAS 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. USAS annually conducts thousands of tournaments throughout the country including over 100 National Championships. The USAS 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, USAS 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 USAS, including its founding and history as the Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA), please visit, www.USASoftball.com. |
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