Game 1
RINDGE, N.H. – Brady Rodgers (Arizona State) scattered three hits over six innings and the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team opened its slate with a 7-0 victory over Keene Friday morning at Martha Pappas Field.
“I think then most impressive thing for me is how this team performed after getting rained out yesterday,” said Manager Tim Jamieson (Missouri). They came together as a team and played very well. This is one down.”
Rodgers allowed consecutive no-out singles in the second inning, but settled down to retire the next seven batters before allowing a one-out single in the fourth. However, he induced the next batter into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.
The righty, making his Team USA debut, ended the game with 68 pitches, of which 50 went for strikes. He picked up the win after striking out two and is 1-0.
His teammate, Deven Marrero (Arizona State), led Team USA offensively, collecting three hits and three RBIs in the win. He tripled home two in the sixth to cap off his day. He started at short and also singled in the second and fifth innings.
LJ Mazzilli (Connecticut) went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, a double, a hit by pitch and two stolen bases in getting the start at second base.
Ronnie Freeman (Kennesaw State) also had two hits on the day.
Overall, the Collegiate National Team picked up nine hits off three Keene pitchers.
Team USA took an early 3-0 lead after two innings. Mazzilli led off the game and scored the first run after stealing second and third, coming in after a groundout by Dominic Ficociello (Arkansas).
The club took the 3-0 lead in the second when both Michael Lorenzen (Cal State Fullerton) and Marrero singled home runs.
Mazzilli drove in his lone run of the game with a double down the left field line in the fourth, bringing in Freeman from second.
A wild pitch and two-run double by Marrero in the sixth finished Team USA’s day offensively.
TJ Ferguson started for Keene and allowed four hits and three runs – just one earned – in two innings, but he took the loss.
The club now travels south to play at Mystic on Friday night at Fitch High School. First pitch is slated for 6:30 p.m. ET. Make sure and check usabaseball.com for live stats and a full box and recap from the game.
Game 2
GROTON, Conn. – The USA Baseball Collegiate National Team took advantage of four Mystic errors, including three in the eighth, for a come-from-behind 5-2 victory Friday night at Fitch High School.
Team USA found itself down 2-0 entering the eighth due to a two-run home run by Mystic in the fifth, but scored four of its five runs in the eighth.
Team USA took the lead for good when Josh Elander (Texas Christian) reached on a fielding error, enabling Michael Lorenzen (Cal State Fullerton) and Deven Marrero (Arizona State) to score. Lorenzen had reached on a wild pitch after a strikeout that allowed Marcus Stroman (Duke) to come in from third for the club’s first run.
Dominic Ficociello (Arkansas) drove in the game-tying run earlier when he walked on a 3-0 pitch from Mystic reliever Matt Doyle. None of the four runs credited to Doyle were earned; however, he took the loss after going 2/3 of an inning.
Andrew Mitchell (Texas Christian) was the recipient of the late run support and picked up the win to improve the 1-0. He was the pitcher of record in the eighth and worked 1 2/3 innings, striking out three and walking three.
Mark Appel (Stanford) came on with the bases loaded and two outs in the eighth to get out of the jam. He worked a scoreless ninth for the save.
DJ Baxendale (Arkansas) started and worked five innings for Team USA. His lone blemish on the night was an 0-1 pitch to David Perkins in the fifth that the left fielder connected on for a two-run home run over the left field fence. It sent Mystic to a 2-0 lead.
Baxendale struck out six and issued just one walk – immediately before Perkins’ home run – but did not figure in the decision.
Team USA opened the day with a 7-0 victory over Keene in a seven-inning affair in Rindge, N.H.
Team USA next heads to Holyoke, Mass., for a 6:30 p.m. ET game Saturday night. Make sure and check usabaseball.com for a link to live stats and a full box and recap after the contest.
