Team USA Surges Past Puerto Rico, 16-1

Samir Mohammed tossed a complete game and the United States overpowered Puerto Rico on all fronts in a 16-1 victory in the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Americas U-18 Baseball Pan-American Championship Super Round on Wednesday at the IPL Academy.

With the win, Team USA improved to 5-0 overall and 3-0 in the Super Round, taking sole possession of first place in the Super Round standings. All team standings can be found HERE.

Despite facing its first deficit of the tournament, Team USA remained poised and responded with a dominant performance against Puerto Rico. The U.S. offense scored 16 runs on 10 hits across four innings, batting around the order in three of those frames. A four-run first inning was highlighted by a two-RBI single from Chase Fuller, while five walks and a double by Broder Katke in the third gave the U.S. a sizable advantage it would only add onto. Team USA put the game out of reach with a seven-run fourth inning, with RBI hits from Katke, Dylan Seward, and Jack Swanson. Katke paced the U.S. offense with a 2-for-3, three-RBI showing while Malachi Butler accounted for the other multi-hit effort.

After allowing one run in a rocky first inning, Mohammed settled in and shut down Puerto Rico’s offense, facing four batters or fewer in three of the next four innings. The right-hander was backed by his defense throughout, including a highlight-worthy play at third base by Sebastian Castillo in the fourth to retire the leadoff man. Mohammed went the distance in a 5.0 inning performance, allowing only one run with six punchouts.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Puerto Rico grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the first after an RBI single from Dariel Carrion scored Valentin Carrasquillo de Jesus, who reached on a leadoff walk.

• After a base hit from Sebastian Wilson and an eight-pitch walk drawn by Castillo, Lubin Rincon lined one to left to even the score at 1-1.

• Back-to-back hits followed, including a two-RBI hit off the bat of Fuller to hand Team USA a 3-1 lead.

• Katke capped the scoring after punching a ball past the shortstop for an RBI, making it 4-1 after one.

• A walk followed by a fielding error put a pair on for the U.S. early in the third. After a fielder’s choice scored Team USA’s fifth run, a deep double from Katke pushed the lead to 6-1.

• Graham Houston won an eight-pitch at-bat, singling through the right side to plate a run, while a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch made it 8-1.

• A wild pitch scored Drake Hawpe, who reached on a walk, capped a five-run third and handed the U.S. a 9-1 advantage.

• After the first three batters for Team USA reached base in the fourth, a bases-loaded walk issued to Houston gave the U.S. 10 runs. A single from Seward tacked on a run, while a wild pitch followed and made it 12-1.

• A wild pitch in the at-bat after brought home Hawpe, Wilson added on with an RBI, and another wild pitch scored Seward to push the lead to 14-1.

• Three free passes followed and back-to-back RBI singles from Katke and Swanson ballooned the lead to 16-1.

NOTABLES

• The 18U National Team is now 9-1 all-time against Puerto Rico, recording its largest margin of victory. The win also marked the seventh time its pitching staff has held the nation to three runs or fewer.

• Eight players recorded at least one base hit in today’s win, while Butler and Katke each collected multi-hit performances.

• Rincon and Seward each extended their hitting streaks to five games.

• Mohammed leads all pitchers in strikeouts (11), and has thrown only the third complete-game of the tournament.

• Team USA has scored 62 or more runs across four consecutive contests on only one other occasion in program history, doing so at the 2018 COPABE Pan Am Championships.

• The 18U National Team has not allowed more than four runs in a game since the 2022 World Cup Americas Qualifier.

ON DECK

The United States (5-0 overall, 3-0 Super Round) will play a doubleheader tomorrow, October 29, on the final day of competition. Team USA will face Panama (4-3 overall, 1-3 Super Round) at 8:45 a.m. ET, before turning around and playing Venezuela (4-2 overall, 3-1 Super Round) at 11:30 a.m. ET. The team with the best record in the Super Round at the conclusion of the tournament will be crowned champion. Both games will be played at the IPL Academy in Boca Chica, Dominican Republic.

To stay up to date with the USA Baseball 18U National Team, follow along with @USABaseball18U on Twitter/X, and @USABaseball on Instagram. For more information on the schedule including live statistics and streaming, visit HERE.