Team USA 18U rallied to defeat Puerto Rico 8-2 and finished undefeated in group play at the COPABE Junior AAA/18U Pan American Championships in Cartagena, Colombia on Thursday.
With a 6-0 record, Team USA is the No. 1 seed from Group B and will take on Panama today.
Team USA trailed Puerto Rico 2-0 through three and a half innings when the game was stopped early last week due to rain. The game resumed in the bottom of the fourth inning when the U.S. had the bases loaded prior to the suspension of play.
The U.S. scored four runs in the frame, getting the first on wild pitch that allowed Joey Gallo to score from third. Addison Russell followed with an RBI base hit to score Jeremy Martinez and Alex Bregman grounded out to shortstop to drive home Gavin Cecchini. After a balk put Russell on third base, David Dahl singled to drive in the fourth run of the inning.
Team USA added another run in the sixth on an RBI single by Bregman. In the seventh, Cecchini drove home a run with a hit, Albert Almora scored on a wild pitch and Russell walked with the bases loaded to cap a three-run rally.
Mikey White finished 3-for-5 in the game while Dahl, Cecchini and Russell all had two hits. Bregman and Russell had two RBIs apiece.
Thanks to the four-run rally in the bottom of the fourth, starting pitcher Troy Conyers, who didn't pitch Thursday, got the win. He gave up two runs on two hits and struck out three. Jesse Winker went the next 3 1/3 innings scoreless and gave up four hits with four strikeouts.
On Wednesday, Cole Irvin and Hunter Virant combined to pitch a five-inning, one-hitter against Bahamas. Irvin gave up one hit in two innings of work while striking out three. Virant threw three hitless innings with five strikeouts. Neither pitcher gave up a walk.
Meanwhile the Team USA offense banged out 15 hits, including five for extra bases. Nelson Rodriguez and Russell each had triples with Russell, Nick Travieso and Bregman also getting one double apiece.
Cecchini had the best day at the plate as he went 3-for-3 with two runs scored and three RBIs. Albert Almora continues to impress as he was 2-for-2 with two RBIs. Bregman was 2-for-3 with an RBI and three runs scored while Russell was 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored and Dahl had a pair of RBIs.
