U.S. Offense Erupts in 23-0 Win Over Australia

Raylen Hunter tallied a program-record five hits and Team USA’s offense erupted for a 23-0 win over Australia on Sunday morning at Estadio Sherwin-Williams Beto Ávila in Cancún, Mexico, on day three of the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-15 Baseball World Cup.

The United States fired on all cylinders, racking up 19 hits while holding Australia to one hit. The offense settled in immediately, batting around the lineup in a five-run first inning highlighted by extra-base hits from Tyler Early and Bryant Ju. Hunter plated the lone run in the second frame with a solo home run before the offense poured it on with a 14-run third inning, sending 20 hitters to the plate in an offensive onslaught. Paxton Scoggin and Early added the finishing touches in the fourth with a pair of base knocks to give Team USA a 23-run advantage.

Max Kimbrell made his first start of the tournament and delivered a dominant performance on the mound to earn the win. After allowing a two-out single in the first, the right-hander shut down Australia’s offense for the remainder of the contest, striking out six in 3.0 innings of work while allowing just the one hit. Braylon Rogers entered in relief in the fourth and struck out the side, while Early shut the door in the fifth with a 10-pitch inning.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Hunter kicked things off in the first with a leadoff base knock. After a hit-by-pitch put Matti Di Maggio aboard, Early doubled to left field, plating the first run of the game.

• A free pass immediately after put Greyson Wuis on base, while designated hitter Chris Worrell Jr. singled through the left side and gave the U.S. a quick 3-0 lead.

• A two-out double from Ju drove in two more runs and capped the five-run first for the red, white, and blue.

• Hunter came out swinging in the second, mashing the first pitch he saw for a 344-foot solo home run for his second hit of the day.

• Team USA pulled away in the third, stringing together 10 hits as part of a 14-run inning. Five consecutive hits followed a leadoff walk, with Ju, Paris Head, Hunter, and Noah Osterman each recording an RBI to give the U.S. a double-digit lead.

• A fielding error plated Team USA’s 11th run, while two-RBI base hits from Wuis and Calvin Madenspacher made it 15-0 in favor of the U.S.

• Brandon Sweeney tacked on a run with a base hit, and Hunter recorded his fourth hit with an RBI single to extend the lead to 17-0.

• The damage continued with a fielding error, a bases-loaded walk issued to Wuis, and a wild pitch, pushing the U.S. advantage to 20-0.

• Hunter’s tear continued in the fourth, as he singled through the right side for his fifth hit of the day. Scoggin followed with a base hit to plate another run, while Early plated a pair with his second double of the day to make it 23-0.

NOTABLES

• The 15U National Team is now 6-0 all-time against Australia and has extended its winning streak against international competition to 21 games, dating back to 2022.

• Team USA’s 23 runs are the most since 2022, when the U.S. defeated South Africa, 29-0, in World Cup group play.

• Ten players for the United States recorded a hit, while Early, Hunter, Ju, Madenspacher, and Sweeney each recorded multi-hit performances.

• Hunter set a new program record for most hits in a game with five, surpassing Masyn Winn’s previous mark of four hits against Nicaragua in 2017. Hunter also tied Coy James’ program record set in 2022 for most runs scored in a game with four.

• Team USA’s 14-run third inning is the second-highest scoring inning in program history, trailing only a 15-run first inning set by the 2015 squad against Argentina.

• The U.S. has scored at least one run in 13 of the 15 innings it has played on offense.

• As of Sunday afternoon, the U.S. leads all teams in batting average (.463), runs (42), and extra-base hits (15).

ON DECK

Team USA will compete in its first evening game tomorrow, September 28, against Chinese Taipei (2-0) at 6:30 p.m. local/7:30 p.m. ET at Estadio Sherwin-Williams Beto Ávila in Cancún, 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.