Team USA Advances to Semifinals with 11-0 Victory over China

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FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE

Tokyo, Japan – Team USA scored a combined 10 runs in the third and fourth innings and cruised to an 11-0, seven inning quarterfinal win over China Tuesday afternoon at the V FISU World University Championships inside Yokohama Stadium. With the win, USA (15-2) advances to the semi-finals and will play the winner of Chinese Taipei/Japan on Thursday with a scheduled start time yet to be determined.

For the third time in four games Team USA’s pitching staff held an opponent to one run or less. Tyler Anderson (Oregon) picked up his first win of the summer after keeping China off the board in five innings of work. The left-hander scattered two hits during his outing and struck out six. Texas Christian’s Kyle Winkler was equally impressive striking out four of the seven batters he faced in two innings of relief.

Offensively USA registered eight hits and scored double-digit runs for the third time this season and second in the World University Championships. It was also the second time they run-ruled an opponent in the eight-team tournament (Sri Lanka, 15-0 in 5 inn. on July 30).

Ryan Wright (Louisville) put USA up 1-0 when he reached on a fielder’s choice that scored Drew Maggi (Arizona State) in the first frame. Maggi led off with a single then stole second and third with one out before crossing home on Wright’s dribbler to short that forced Jackie Bradley, Jr. (South Carolina) out at second base.

Bradley, Jr. highlighted USA’s three-run third by taking a 2-0 fastball to right field for his first round tripper of the summer. Brad Miller’s (Clemson) single through the right side scored Mikie Mahtook (LSU) from third before Bradley, Jr.’s two-run blast cleared the bases and gave USA a 4-0 lead.

USA sent 11 batters to the plate in its seven-run fourth, putting the game out of reach at 11-0. Mahtook sent a first pitch offering over the left field wall scoring Nick Ramirez (Cal State Fullerton) and Peter O’Brien (Bethune-Cookman) ahead of him. With two-men down in the frame, Miller singled, Bradley, Jr. walked and Wright followed with an RBI single making the score 8-0. George Springer (Connecticut) reached on a fielding error which plated Bradley, Jr. before Nick Ramirez and Jason Esposito (Vanderbilt) laced back-to-back RBI hits capping USA’s run total at 11.

Jun Zhang was saddled with the loss after allowing all 11 runs (eight earned) during his four-inning afternoon. The right-hander walked five and allowed eight hits before Zhen Yang closed out the final two hitless frames.

Notes: Jason Esposito extended his current hit streak to nine games with his single in the fourth … Ryan Wright, who owns a five-game hit streak, extended his team lead with his fourth multi-RBI contest … Brad Miller’s 2-for-3 performance at the plate increased his batting average to a team-best .441 (15-for-34) … Nine different players have hit at least one home run during Team USA’s summer tour … Tuesday’s shutout is the fifth on the season and it is the 11^th time they have held an opponent to one or fewer runs this summer … Team USA’s pitching staff owns an impressive 1.19 ERA and has struck out 176 batters, while walking just 36 … Three members of the staff have not allowed a run and boast a 0.00 ERA, while five others have an ERA of 1.42 or better.