Battle falls short for U-18 Men’s National Team with 8-6 walk-off loss to Canada

February 27, 2020

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Battle falls short for U-18 Men’s National Team with 8-6 walk-off loss to Canada
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 27, 2020
Web Release: Link

 

Palmerston North, New Zealand – In a back-and-forth battle with Canada, the USA Softball U-18 Men’s National Team (MNT) fell short as a walk-off two-run home run in the seventh inning ended the game. The U.S. collected 10 hits, their most in a single game at the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-18 Men’s Softball World Cup.
 
Chase Thomson (Herriman, Utah) opened up scoring in the first inning, singling on a 2-2 count to send William Ponce (Olathe, Kan.), who reached on an infield single, home. A hit-by-pitch in the bottom half of the frame would place a Canadian runner on base with one out, while a fly out and groundout kept the score in favor of the U.S.
 
Josh Pernetti (Ceres, Calif.) led off the top of the second with a triple to left center before a passed ball gave him room to score and extend the lead, 2-0. Tying up the game, Canada placed two on base after a walk and hit-by-pitch before a wild pitch and error allowed two runners to score.
 
The top of the U.S. lineup came up empty in the third inning after a fly out, strikeout and groundout, while Canada took the lead on an inside-the-park three-run home run. Down 5-2, Josh Eurich (Sebewaing, Mich.) entered the circle for the Red, White and Blue before Ian Winterhalder (Murray, Utah) caught the runner stealing second for the final out.
 
Taking back the lead in the fourth inning, the U.S. came out firing as Parker Hopkins (Decatur, Ill) tallied an RBI on a triple to right field. Pernetti drew a walk to put runners on the corners, while Klay Kilpatrick (Sydney, Australia) singled on a fly ball to right field to make it 5-4. Despite a change in the circle for Canada, Will Kirby (Millington, Mich.) singled to load the bases for the U-18 MNT and while Pernetti was called out advancing to third, Eli Rivas (Whittier, Calif.) tripled to give the U.S. a 6-5 lead.
 
Responding in the bottom half of the frame, Canada capitalized on an error on a fly ball hit to right field. Rounding the bags, the runner made it safely home to tie the game, 6-6.
 
With both sides continuing to battle, the game remained tied through the next two innings with Ponce, Eurich and Brennan DuCharme (Hudson, Wisc.), collecting singles. The U.S. defense held Canada to one hit, including a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom half of the sixth inning.
 
Fans saw the U.S. go down in order in the seventh inning before Canada locked up the win on a walk-off two-run home run. Eurich took the loss for the U.S., striking out two batters while allowing three hits and three runs over three and two-thirds innings of work. Thomson pitched two and two-thirds innings and allowed five runs on one hit, issuing one strikeout and walking two batters. Nine U.S. batters tallied a hit, while Ponce went 2-for-4 to lead the team.
 
Now competing in the Placement Round (Feb. 27-29) at the WBSC U-18 Men’s Softball World Cup, the U.S. will face Singapore tomorrow Feb. 28 at 3:30 p.m. before a matchup against South Africa Saturday, Feb. 29 at 3:30 p.m. local time.
 
The 12 participating countries have competed in a five-day Opening Round with the top three teams from each pool advancing to the Super Round, while the remaining six teams are set to compete in the Placement Round Feb. 27-29. The top two teams will then advance to the World Championship game on March 1 at 4 p.m. local time while the third and fourth-place teams will battle for the Bronze Medal at 1 p.m. local time.
   
All 50 games of the tournament are available globally and free to watch for U.S. residents through the WBSC Official OTT platform Game Time (Gametime.Sport) and the WBSC Official YouTube Channel, per the WBSC.
 
Follow along with the USA Softball National Team Programs at USASoftball.com

 

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.