Team USA Shuts Out Brazil in U-18 Pan-American Championship Opener

The United States rode a dominant performance from its pitching staff to beat Brazil, 4-0, on the first day of the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Americas U-18 Baseball Pan-American Championship Thursday at the IPL Academy.

Team USA struck first, scoring three runs over the first two innings to establish an early lead over Brazil. Lubin Rincon drove in the first run of the tournament with a sacrifice fly in the first inning, and the U.S. capitalized on defensive miscues in the second to extend its advantage. Jack Swanson added an insurance run in the sixth with a pinch-hit RBI to support the pitching staff and provide the final margin.

Dylan Seward and Drake Hawpe paced the U.S. offense with two hits apiece, combining to score three of the team’s four runs. Rincon went 1-for-2 with an RBI and accounted for the squad’s fifth hit.

Four pitchers saw action and carried a no-hit bid into the seventh. Starter Samir Mohammed set the tone from the outset, retiring Brazil in order in the first inning behind a 4-6-3 double play turned by the U.S. defense. The right-hander stranded a pair in the second and tossed a clean third, finishing his outing with 3.0 hitless innings and five strikeouts. Ethan Gustus followed with two innings of relief and struck out three in two innings of no-hit ball to earn the win. Jake Ivey tallied a strikeout in an inning of work while Brogan Witcher tossed the final frame to secure the win.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Seward opened the game with an infield single, while a four-pitch walk issued to Sebastian Wilson put a pair on early. Rincon followed with a sacrifice fly to give Team USA a 1-0 advantage.

• Hawpe led off the second inning with a hard-hit single to center and advanced after a hit-by-pitch put Chase Fuller on base. Graham Houston laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance the runners before Seward hit a hard chopper to second base, plating the pair to make it 3-0.

• Hawpe sparked another scoring opportunity in the sixth, leading off with a line-drive double to left-center field. Swanson later entered as a pinch hitter and delivered an RBI to push the lead to 4-0.

NOTABLES

• The 18U National Team is now 18-1 all-time against Brazil, recording its fifth shutout against the nation.

• Dating back to 2018, the U.S. has now opened four consecutive WBSC Americas Pan-American Championship/World Cup Qualifier tournaments with a shutout.

• Team USA has recorded at least two players with multi-hit performances in a WBSC Americas Pan-American Championship/World Cup Qualifier tournament opener on eight straight occasions, dating back to 2007.

• With today’s shutout, the 18U National Team program has now thrown four straight shutouts, dating back to last year’s World Cup.

• Team USA’s five hits were the fewest needed to score four runs since last year’s second game of the World Cup, when the team recorded just four hits in a 4-0 win over Chinese Taipei.

ON DECK

The United States (1-0 overall) will face Curaçao (0-0) on the second day of pool play tomorrow, October 23, at 12:00 p.m. ET 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.