CARY, N.C. – Bryson Stott’s (UNLV) walk-off RBI-single pushed the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team past Coastal Plain League Select, 3-2, in its opening game of the summer on Wednesday night at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina.
The two sides were scoreless through the first four innings before CPL Select hit a two-run home run in the top of the fifth to go up 2-0.
Team USA got on the board in the seventh when Stott led off the inning with a single up the middle and then advanced to third on a failed pickoff attempt by CPL Select pitcher Mason Green. In the next at-bat, Will Wilson (NC State) chopped an RBI-single up the middle to cut the deficit to 2-1.
In the final inning, Braden Shewmake (Texas A&M) started things with a walk, before Matt Wallner (Southern Mississippi) poked a single through the right side allowing Shewmake to advance to third. The U.S. tied up the game at 2-2, when Spencer Torkelson (Arizona State) hit a deep sacrifice fly to the warning track in center field to score one and Stott ended the game by slapping an RBI-single to left field.
Stott and Wilson each finished the night going 2-for-3 with an RBI apiece, while seven different U.S. players had hits in the game.
On the mound, starter Cody Bradford (Baylor) and reliever Tanner Burns (Auburn) combined for four innings of shutout baseball, while Ryan Zeferjahn (Kansas) threw two innings and gave up two runs and struck out four. C.J. Van Eyk (Florida State) earned the win for the U.S. by hurling two innings and only allowing one hit and no runs.
Prior to first pitch, both teams agreed to end the game after eight innings and play two innings of exhibition baseball that featured the international tie-breaker rule. During the exhibition innings, Wilson and Torkelson both launched two-run home runs for the red, white and blue.
Team USA will begin its five-game series against Chinese Taipei tomorrow at 6:05 p.m. ET at Coleman Field at the National Training Complex. The game will be streamed on USABaseball.com, Facebook Live and the USA Baseball YouTube page.
