I attended this game and Live Blogged about it. You can check out my Chat Recap by clicking here. I will also be writing a large article profiling the USA team in the coming days.
FROM USA BASEBALL
(HOLYOKE, MASS.) – Bryce Brentz’s two RBI hits pushed Team USA (11-0) passed the Holyoke Blue Sox, 5-2, Monday evening at MacKenzie Stadium in front of a lively, record-breaking, pro-Holyoke crowd of 4,811.
The U.S. put runners on second and third base with one out early in the first inning and Christian Colon (Cal State Fullerton) scored the first run of the game when his fake steal forced a balk on Holyoke starter Max Catapano. Bryce Brentz then hit a double to right-center to score Blake Forsythe (Tennessee) from third base and Team USA held an early 2-0 lead on the Blue Sox.
But the Holyoke Blue Sox got on the board in the first inning as well. Jake Rosenbeck connected on a 0-1 pitch and sailed it over the right field fence on USA starter T.J. Walz (Kansas) to put a single run on the board. The home run was just the second allowed by Team USA this summer.
Holyoke tied the game at two in the bottom of the third inning after Walz gave up a lead-off walk to Marcus Beltran. He walked Rosenbeck two batters later to put two runners on base and Murray Watts sent the first pitch he saw to left-centerfield to bring the tying run around for a 2-2 score.
For the next few innings both respective pitcher kept the offenses at bay as neither team threatened until the U.S. got on board again in the top of the sixth.
Forsythe drew a one out walk to start things off for the U.S. in the sixth inning before Brad Miller (Clemson) took over as his pitch runner. Miller advanced to second base on a passed ball and Brentz tallied his second RBI of the day when his single scored Miller from second base and put Team USA ahead again, 3-2.
USA starting pitcher T.J. Walz finished his day after the sixth inning. Walz gave up two runs on six hits and struck out six batters. Nick Pepitone (Tulane) came on in relief and pitched two solid innings of hitless baseball. Pepitone has not surrendered a hit in his six and two-third innings of relief this summer.
Casey McGrew (Wright State) reached on an error to begin the top of the ninth and immediately went to third after a stolen base and a balk on pitcher Casey Shepherd. Tyler Holt (Florida State) earned a walk to put runners on the corners and then began a double steal to second that scored McGrew from third base for a 4-2 lead.
Holt scored the final run of the game on another balk by Shepherd for the final tally of 5-2.
Walz (2-0) picked up his second win over the summer and Chad Bettis (Texas Tech) received his second save in as many games. Nick Noblit was tagged with the loss.
Christian Colon (Cal State Fullerton) is the new USA Baseball National Team (Collegiate) record holder for stolen bases in a game after he tallied four on Monday’s game. The National Team broke the team record for stolen bases in a single game with 11 after its win.
The USA Baseball National Team (Collegiate) will play the North Shore Navigators, Tuesday, July 7, at Fraser Field in Lynn, Mass. The game will begin at 7:00 PM.
Game notes:
- Attendance was counted at 4,811, the largest crowd at a Holyoke Blue Sox game ever.
- With the win, the USA Baseball National Team (Collegiate) has won 35 consecutive games dating back to last summer.
- Christian Colon (Cal State Fullerton) stole four bases in the 5-2 victory, breaking the record for stolen bases in a single game.
- The National Team broke the record for the most stolen bases in a single game with 11.
