TOKYO – Japan ace Masato Morishita threw five scoreless innings to lead Japan to a 6-1 win at Meiji Jingu Stadium in Game 5 of the 43rd USA vs. Japan Collegiate All-Star Series and clinch the series 3-2. Japan won the series for the 16th straight time on its home soil over the last 40 years.
“We lost to a really good team and a great baseball country,” said Collegiate National Team manager Dan McDonnell (Louisville). “But we came here expecting to win. So it hurts.”
Morishita started for the third time in the series and allowed only one hit in the five scoreless innings to claim MVP honors. The right-hander started Game 1, Game 3, and Game 5, allowing only two runs in 15 innings for a 1.20 ERA and .151 batting average against. Morishita threw 195 pitches in the series.
Japan gave Team USA a big blow in the fourth inning, scoring three times with two outs to take a 4-0 lead. Takashi Umino had a two-out, two-RBI double and Kazuya Maruyama tripled on the next pitch to bring him home.
“Obviously, that wasn’t the way we wanted the series to go,” said Alika Williams. “I had the time of a lifetime over here but we came here to do something and we didn’t do it.”
Williams led Team USA with a .313 batting average and five hits in the series.
The Collegiate National Team completed its season with an 8-6 record, including series wins over Cuba and Chinese Taipei.
“We live in a great country,” said McDonnell. “It was an honor to coach the 24 best players in our country.”
Key Moments
• Japan scored one in the first inning on a pair of singles, including an RBI from Tatsuru Yanagimachi.
• Japan gave Team USA a big blow in the fourth, scoring three times with two outs. Takashi Umino had a two-out, two-RBI double and Kazuya Maruyama tripled on the next pitch to bring him home.
• Spencer Torkelson (Arizona State) got the Collegiate National Team on the board in the sixth with a line-drive RBI single to left field.
• Koki Ugusa singled up the middle for an RBI and Shugo Maki lifted a sac fly in the seventh to give Japan a 6-1 lead.
Notable Information
• Tonight was the 14th winner-take-all final game in the history of the event. The Collegiate National Team is 7-7 against Japan in winner-take-all games.
• The Collegiate National Team is 4-7 all-time at Jingu Stadium.
• Japan threw a shutout in Game 1 behind an excellent outing from ace Masato Morishita.
• Alec Burleson (East Carolina) hit a walk-off homer to lead off the bottom of the ninth in Game 2 and tie the series 1-1.
• Three Team USA pitchers combined on a one-hitter as the Collegiate National Team shutout Japan to win Game 3.
• Japan homered in four straight innings to rout Team USA in Game 4 and tie the series.
• Masato Morishita threw five scoreless innings to earn series MVP honors and lead Japan to a 6-1 win in Game 5.
• All-Star series: USA leads, 24-19
• Series in Japan: Japan leads, 18-3
• Japan has won 16 straight series in Japan dating back 40 years.
• All-Star series games: Collegiate National Team leads, 133-107-2
• Overall games: Collegiate National Team leads, 156-126-2
• The last five series (2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019) have all finished 3-2. Japan won in 2013, 2016, and 2019 in Japan, while the Collegiate National Team won in 2017 and 2018 in the United States.
• Team USA snapped a two-series winning streak against Japan (2017, 2018).
On Deck
• The Collegiate National Team flies back to the United States on Tuesday. Team USA finished the summer with a record of 8-6, including series wins over Chinese Taipei and Cuba.
