BOCA CHICA, Dominican Republic – The United States showcased a dominant performance by defeating the Dominican Republic 16-1 on Saturday at the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Americas U-18 Baseball Pan-American Championship. The game, held at the IPL Academy, marked the completion of Team USA’s Group A pool play sweep.
With this victory, Team USA secured the top spot in the Group A standings, earning the first overall seed for the upcoming Super Round, scheduled for October 25-28. Details on team standings can be found on the WBSC website.
Continuing their strong offensive display, the U.S. team struck first by posting five runs in the second inning. Team USA sent at least eight batters to the plate, tallying 16 runs over three innings. Malachi Butler contributed to the scoring with two hits and an RBI, while Sebastian Wilson hit a three-RBI triple, marking his second such hit in consecutive games. The United States also scored four runs in the third inning, highlighted by a seven-run fourth inning, which included a two-RBI double from Graham Houston. Houston led the team, going 3-for-4 at the plate with two RBIs and three runs scored.
Making his debut for Team USA, George Ferguson excelled on the mound, allowing only two hits and one walk while striking out eight batters over four innings. He did not give up an earned run during his outing. Isaac Vidal came in as a reliever in the fifth inning and completed the game with two strikeouts.
NOTABLES
- The 18U National Team remains undefeated at 6-0 all-time against the Dominican Republic, marking the third occasion that the team has scored 16 or more runs against this opponent.
- This game is the first time since 2018 that the 18U National Team has achieved 35 or more runs across back-to-back games.
- Eight players recorded hits, with Butler, Houston, and Rincon achieving multiple hits.
- Butler, Castillo, Houston, and Wilson each finished with two or more RBIs.
- In their three games so far, Team USA’s pitching staff has given up only six hits, while the next best team, Panama, has allowed 17.
- The U.S. team has struck out just four times in 70 at-bats during the tournament.
- Players Hawpe, Rincon, and Seward are each on three-game hitting streaks.
ON DECK
Team USA, with a record of 3-0, is set to face Nicaragua (2-1) in the Super Round on October 25 at 10:00 a.m. ET at the IPL Academy in Boca Chica.
For updates on the USA Baseball 18U National Team, follow @USABaseball18U on Twitter/X and @USABaseball on Instagram. Additional information on the schedule, live statistics, and streaming can be found on the USA Baseball website.
