Team USA Defeats Japan, Punches Ticket to World Cup Championship

The United States defeated Japan, 4-1, Saturday afternoon at Parque Kukulcán Alamo to punch its ticket to the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-15 Baseball World Cup Championship.

With the win, the United States took sole possession of first place in the Super Round standings and will face the Dominican Republic in the gold medal game Sunday, October 4, at 5:00 p.m. local/7:00 p.m. ET.

Team USA executed on every front, highlighted by a quality start from Noah Osterman while using timely two-out hitting. After two scoreless innings, the U.S. took a two-run lead in the third on two-out RBI hits from Raylen Hunter and Paxton Scoggin. Japan halved the deficit in the fifth, but two-out RBI hits from Greyson Wuis and Paris Head in the sixth provided the insurance the U.S. needed to solidify the win.

Osterman embraced the moment in the biggest game of the week for the United States, turning in 4.1 innings while allowing four hits and one run to earn the win against one of the most offensively consistent teams in the tournament. Noah Vrzal was lights out in relief, as the 6-foot-5 righty struck out four and allowed just one walk in 2.1 hitless innings. Jackson McAneely shut the door and got the last out of the inning, inducing a foul out to the first base side to notch his third save.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Pitching took center stage until the third, when Head led off the inning with a five-pitch walk. After back-to-back outs, Hunter slapped a 1-0 pitch down the left field line for a two-out RBI double to give the U.S. a 1-0 lead.

• After a hit-by-pitch put Matti Di Maggio on base for the eighth consecutive game, Scoggin dropped a single into left field to drive in Di Maggio and extend the U.S. lead to 2-0.

• Back-to-back walks issued by the U.S. in the fifth came back to bite, as Juri Koike singled through the right side to cut the deficit in half with only one out on the board. Vrzal limited the damage, however, needing just three pitches to record the next two outs.

• Team USA tacked on two insurance runs in the home half of the sixth. Wuis delivered the first and slapped a 2-2 pitch through the right side to score Tyler Early, who reached on a fielder’s choice and advanced to second on a stolen base.

• Head’s bat stayed hot, as he followed with a double to deep center field to extend the U.S. advantage to 4-1.

NOTABLES

• This marks the first win for the 15U National Team against Japan since the 2018 World Cup.

• The U.S. pitching staff held Japan to four hits and one run, tying Japan’s fewest hits and runs recorded in a game this week.

• The 15U National Team has never lost back-to-back games. Additionally, the U.S. has responded well after losses, holding opponents to three or fewer runs in seven of its nine games following a loss.

• Osterman’s 4.1 innings pitched marked the longest outing by a Team USA starter in the tournament.

• Both Di Maggio and Hunter reached base for the eighth consecutive game, while Hunter leads all players in batting average (.552) and hits (16).

ON DECK

The United States (7-1 overall, 4-1 Super Round) will compete for the World Cup Championship in a rematch against the Dominican Republic tomorrow, October 4, at 5:00 p.m. local/7:00 p.m. ET at Parque Kukulcán Alamo in Mérida, Mexico.

To stay up to date with the USA Baseball 15U National Team, follow along with @USABaseball15U on Twitter/X, and @USABaseball on Instagram. For more information on the schedule including live statistics and streaming, visit HERE.