FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
(COLUMBIA, S.C.) – Ryan Bellamy (Miami-FL; Davie, Fla.) struck out Ryan Jackson (Miami-FL; Miami Springs, Fla.) with the bases loaded in the top of the eighth, preserving a 4-2, eight-inning victory for the USA Baseball National Trials White Team in the final intrasquad of the trials period Monday night at Capital City Stadium. This was the final competition before Tuesday’s announcement of the 2008 USA Baseball National Team roster.
The National Trials Blue Team was shutout on one hit through the first seven innings before plating two runs on four hits in the eighth. A walk and an infield single loaded the bases with two outs, but that was as close as the Blue Team could get.
White Team starter Brett Hunter (Pepperdine; Moorpark, Calif.) walked two with one wild pitch and seven strikeouts in a predetermined 3.0-inning start to earn the win. Kendal Volz (Baylor; Bulverde, Texas) worked the next 2.0 innings and struck out all six batters he faced. Kyle Gibson (Missouri; Greenfield, Ind.) allowed one hit with a strikeout in 1.0 scoreless inning.
Blue Team starter Chris Hernandez (Miami-FL; Miami, Fla.) suffered the tough-luck loss, allowing one run on one walk with four strikeouts in 3.0 no-hit innings.
Brian Fletcher (Alabama; Fayetteville, Ga.) walked with one out in the bottom of the third. He then stole second and third, and scored on a Ryan Ortiz (Oregon State; San Diego, Calif.) sacrifice fly. In the fourth, Kentrail Davis (Tennessee; Theodore, Ala.) walked, stole second, stolen third and scored on a Tommy Medica (Santa Clara; San Jose, Calif.) two-out single.
The White Team pushed its lead to 3-0 with an unearned run in the sixth as Davis walked, moved to second on a passed ball and scored on a Hunter Morris (Auburn; Huntsville, Ala.) single. Back-to-back two-out doubles from Ryan Ortiz (Oregon State; San Diego, Calif.) and Christian Colon (Cal State Fullerton; Corona, Calif.) capped the scoring for the White Team.
The Blue Team finally cracked the scoreboard in the eighth thanks to a Derek Dietrich (Georgia Tech; Parma, Ohio) RBI single and a Micah Gibbs (LSU; Pflugerville, Texas) RBI groundout.
Matt den Dekker (Florida; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) had two singles for the Blue Team and produced the only multiple-hit game of the night.
The 2008 USA Baseball National Team begins competition Wednesday, opening a six-game series against the Chinese Taipei National Team in Greenville, S.C. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. EDT at West End Field.
