Team USA Powers Past Dominican Republic in Heavyweight Clash

Paris Head delivered a four-hit, three-RBI performance and the United States downed the Dominican Republic, 8-6, in its first game of the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-15 Baseball World Cup Super Round on Thursday at Parque Kukulcán Alamo.

With the win, the United States secured its sixth consecutive victory and improved to 3-0 in the Super Round. All team records and standings can be found HERE.

Team USA outlasted one the tournament’s top offensive team in a back-and-forth affair. Team USA provided the first score of the contest in the second inning when Bryant Ju launched a solo home run and then piled on five more runs in the third to take a lead it would never relinquish. The Dominican Republic outscored the United States over the next three innings, but Team USA’s pitching staff came out on top and stranded six runners during that stretch to limit the damage. Head, Ju, and Chris Worrell Jr. each posted multi-hit performances and combined for six RBIs in an electric win.

The United States pitching staff used the combined efforts of five pitchers and provided a bend-but-don’t-break approach to maneuver a potent Dominican Republic lineup. Michael Ohman made his third start of the week and allowed two runs in 2.0 innings. Noah Vrzal made his fourth appearance of the week and provided an effective outing to earn the win, firing 2.0 innings of one-hit ball. He entered in the third with the bases loaded and no outs and immediately coaxed a double play, allowing just one run in the process. Lathan Boddie made his third appearance out of the bullpen before Jaxxon Hanen brought a spark to the U.S. dugout, striking out three batters while giving up just one earned run across 2.0 clutch innings. Jackson McAneely entered in the top of the seventh with a two-run lead and hurled a hitless inning to earn his second save.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Ohman got out of trouble early, inducing three straight putouts to strand a pair of Dominican runners in the top of the first.
• Ju gave the United States the lead in the second, drilling a 2-1 offering for a solo homer to make it 1-0.
• The Dominican Republic responded in the third, plating a pair in the third after stringing together a trio of hits while taking advantage of a defensive miscue.
• The United States quickly regained the lead and hung a five spot in the home half.
• After the first three batters reached on walks, Worrell Jr. found the left-center gap for an RBI to knot the score at 2-2.
• Back-to-back walks brought home two more runs before Head drilled the first pitch he saw for a two-RBI base knock, handing the U.S. a 6-2 advantage.
• The Dominican Republic trimmed the deficit to three in the fourth on a bases-loaded walk. In the fifth, Hanen induced a bases-loaded double play, allowing one run but escaping with the lead intact.
• Team USA got one back in the home half of the fifth when a bases-loaded walk issued to Paxton Scoggin made it 7-4.
• The D.R. rallied again in the sixth, as Ransiel Herrera singled up the middle to plate a pair of runs and bring his team within a run and make it 7-6. Hanen buckled down and struck the next two, stranding the game-tying run on third and go-ahead run on second.
• Ju tallied his second hit of the day in the seventh and came around to score on a bunt single laid down by Head, adding an insurance run and an 8-6 lead.

NOTABLES

• The 15U National Team is now 12-0 all-time against the Dominican Republic and has extended its winning streak against international competition to 24 games, dating back to 2022.
• The U.S. held the Dominican Republic to its second-fewest runs scored all week.
• Tonight’s two-run win was the narrowest margin of victory against the Dominican Republic in program history.
• Team USA has no shortage of depth on the bump. Across six games played, the team has used five pitchers in a game on three occasions.
• The U.S. pitching staff leads the tournament with a 1.11 ERA, holds opponents to a .178 batting average, and averages 10 strikeouts a game.
• Both Matti Di Maggio and Hunter reached base for the sixth consecutive game, while Hunter leads all players in batting average (.591) and hits (13).

ON DECK

The United States (6-0 overall, 3-0 Super Round) will face Mexico in its second Super Round contest tomorrow, October 2, at 7:30 p.m. local/9:30 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.