-Press Release-
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL— The top of the American order reached base safely a combined 11 times as Team USA (13-5, 2-0 Pan Am Games) remained perfect at the Pan American Games following an 8-4 victory over Nicaragua (0-2 Pan Am).Number-three hitter Pedro Alvarez (Vanderbilt) drove in five runs, going 3-for-4, while No. 2 hitter Logan Forsythe walked three times and added two hits. Leadoff hitter Jordan Danks (Texas) added a hit and two walks, as the trio were a combined 6-for-10 with five walks, five runs and three steals.
Danny Espinosa (Long Beach State), Roger Kieschnick (Texas Tech) and Brett Wallace (Arizona State) added two hit days as well, part of the 14-hit attack.
Lance Lynn (1-0, Ole Miss) fought through seven innings, after giving up two runs in the first. Lynn gave up three runs (two earned) on five hits, walking two and striking out one for the win. Lynn had entered the Pan American Games as the team’s strikeout leader.
The Americans scored three runs in the first to chase Nicaraguan starter and loser Luz Portobanco from the game. An RBI single by Alvarez, followed by a double steal gave the Americans a 2-0 lead. A sacrifice fly by Brett Wallace then made it 3-0.
After the Nicaraguans scored two in the bottom of the first, Alvarez came right back with a sacrifice fly to make it 4-2. A two-run double by Alvarez in the fourth then made it 6-2. Alvarez’s final RBI came in the eighth, thanks to a two-out RBI single.
TEAM NOTES
A chance of rain threatened the game as a heavy fog blanketed the tops of the mountains… rain began sprinkling in the third inning and was off and on the rest of the game… Pedro Alvarez drove in a summer-best five and has seven RBIs over the last three games… the seventh inning stretch was actually provided by Dodgers Stadium’s organist via computer… the Dominican Republic beat Brazil 14-2 in eight innings in the first game, as both the Dominicans and the Brazilians enter the final day of pool play with a record of 1-1… DR will play Nicaragua at 10 a.m. on the other field…. Panama finished their pool play on the B side 3-0 with a 9-0 win over Mexico.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
The Americans continue pool play with host Brazil on Tuesday at 10 a.m. on field one. The games were pushed back a day for the Americans, due to lighting safety concerns for night games during the Pan American Games… Two more medal-round games follow on July 18 and 19.
