USA Men’s National Team Concludes 3 Nations Challenge with loss to Japan
July 7, 2008
Saskatoon, SK
USA Men’s National Team Concludes 3 Nations Challenge with loss to Japan
SASKATOON, Saskatchewan --- The USA Men's National Team closed the 3 Nations Challenge in Saskatoon, SK on Sunday afternoon with a 9-3 loss to Japan. Team USA played well holding a lead for the first four innings of the game. The game was played in cool rainy conditions and included two rain delays of over one hour. Team USA finished the tournament at 0-5.
“Even though our won loss record does not show it, this was a highly successful trip for the team,” said USA head coach Pete Turner. “We brought a developmental team to Canada with a lot of young hitters and pitchers. We were competitive with the Japanese and Canadian teams that will be participating in next years World Championships."
The U.S. opened the game with three runs in the first on walks to Chase Turner Stockton, Calif.) and Kyle Magnusson (Salt Lake City, Utah), and then a three-run line drive off the scoreboard by Frank DeGroat, Jr. (Ringwood, N.J.).
Starting pitcher Travis Price (Corona, Calif.) held the Japanese through the first three innings giving up only a solo home run in the bottom of the third. The Japanese tied the game in the fourth on two singles and a walk combined with a throwing error by the Americans.
Price gave up two more runs in the fifth before giving way to relief pitcher Cody Thomson (Herriman, Utah). Team USA had great scoring chances in the third and sixth inning, but a lack of timely hitting and great defense by the Japanese held the Americans scoreless. Magnusson led the Americans again going 2-for-2 and ended the tournament hitting ..510. Catcher DeGroat Jr. also went 2-for-3 with all three USA RBI.
The Americans will conduct a try out camp this fall for the 2009 National Team that will compete in next years ISF Men's World Championships to be held in Saskatoon, SK..
Team Canada won the 3 Nations Challenge with a 1-0 win over Japan on Sunday evening.
United States 300 000 0 3 5 4
Japan 001 224 x 9 10 0
Winning Pitcher Kazutaka Muros Losing Pitcher Travis Price
About ASA
The Amateur Softball Association, founded in 1933, is the National Governing Body of softball in the United Statesand a member of the United States Olympic Committee. The ASA has become one of the nation’s largest sports organizations and now sanctions competition in every state through a network of 83 local associations. The ASA has grown from a few hundred teams in the early days to over 240,000 teams today, representing a membership of more than three million. For more information on the ASA, visit http://www.asasoftball.com/.
About USA Softball
USA Softball is the brand created, operated and owned by the ASA that links the USA Men’s, Women’s, Junior Boys’ and Junior Girls’ National Team programs together. USA Softball is responsible for training, equipping and promoting these four National Teams to compete in international and domestic competitions. The USA Softball Women’s National Team is one of the only two women’s sports involved in the Olympic movement to capture three consecutive gold medals at the Olympic Games since 1996. The U.S. women have also won eight World Championship titles including the last six consecutive as well as claimed two World Cup of Softball titles. For more information about USA Softball, please visit http://www.usasoftball.com/.
Julie Bartel
ASA/USA Softball
Director of Communications
405-425-3463 - work
405-203-4645 - cell
