FROM TEAM USA RELEASE
Drew Pomeranz (Courtesy: Ole Miss/Bruce Newman)
(KANNAPOLIS, N.C.) – Drew Pomeranz (Ole Miss) broke the USA Baseball National Team (Collegiate) record for strikeouts in a game with 17 and pitched six solid innings to lead the National Team to a 15-1 victory at Fieldcrest Cannon Stadium in the opening game of a four-game friendship series against Guatemala. The U.S. improved to 6-0 on its 2009 summer tour with the win.
Rick Hague (Rice) and Christian Colon (Cal State Fullerton) provided all of the offense in the first inning for Team USA. Hague led things off with a single up the middle and Colon reached on a botched potential inning-ending double play by the shortstop. A wild pitch put runners on second and third before Hague scored on a routine grounder to second for the first run of the game and Colon forced a balk on starting pitcher Christian Fernandez for a 2-0 lead.
Yasmani Grandal (Miami) stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded and no outs in the second inning and hit a broken-bat single to left field to score the third run for Team USA. After Tyler Holt re-loaded the bases with a bunt single to third, Colon hit a two-RBI single to left field to extend the U.S. lead to five.
The U.S. continued its offensive outpouring and scored another two runs in the third inning when Matt Newman (Arizona State) laced a ball up the middle. It tagged another run in the fourth on an RBI by Colon for a commanding 8-0 lead.
The Guatemalan National Team broke the shut out in the fourth inning on Pomeranz when Jorge Gutierrez scored on an RBI groundout to second after hitting a double down the right field line to begin the inning. Before Gutierrez’s hit, Pomeranz had struck out eight consecutive batters.
Team USA pushed four more runs across the plate after Guatemala got on the board highlighted by RBI from Hague, Colon, Andy Wilkins (Arkansas), and Blake Forsythe (Tennessee). The U.S. finished its scoring in the eighth inning when Kolten Wong (Hawaii) and Bryce Brentz (Middle Tennessee State) hit RBI doubles and Casey McGrew (Wright State) hit an RBI single passed the third baseman.
Starting pitcher Pomeranz finished the game with 17 strikeouts in six innings pitched. His 17 strikeouts broke the USA Baseball National Team (Collegiate) record for strikeouts in a game, previously held by Jason Jennings and B.J. Wallace with 14. He surrendered one run on two hits and no walks.
Tony Zych (Louisville) and T.J. Walz (Kansas) closed the game for Team USA and tallied five and two strikeouts, respectively. On the day, Team USA struck out 24 batters.
The second game of the four game series with Guatemala will continue, Thursday, July 2, at Coleman Field at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, N.C.
Team USA will hit batting practice at 5:00 PM at the USA Baseball National Training Complex before its game, Thursday. Gerrit Cole (UCLA) is slated to take the mound for the United States.
Game notes:
- Attendance for Saturday’s game was counted at 1,540
- With the win, the USA Baseball National Team (Collegiate) has won 30 consecutive games dating back to last summer.
- Drew Pomeranz broke the USA Baseball National Team (Collegiate) record for strikeouts in a game with 17. Pomeranz passed Jason Jennings and B.J. Wallace who each struck out 14 in appearances in 1998 and 1992, respectively.
- · Team USA’s pitching staff struck out 24 batters on the evening, tying the team record for most strikeouts in a game.
