Prepping for Tokyo: USA baseball wins tune-up game at DBAP
Posted July 20, 2021 12:23 a.m. EDT
Durham, N.C. — The U.S. Olympic Team's patience paid off in a 1-0 win over the Collegiate National Team on Monday night at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park in the second game of a three-game exhibition series. Nick Martinez (Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks) led the Olympic Team on the mound in the pitcher’s duel, tossing five shutout innings while striking out nine batters.
After neither offense could get anything going in the first, the Collegiate National Team were the first to get the bats going in the second inning when Gavin Cross (Virginia Tech) hit a leadoff-single into left. Cross moved over to third on a one-out single from Logan Tanner (Mississippi State), but a strikeout and pop out got Martinez out of the jam.
After a couple of walks in the first three frames, the Olympic Team got its first hit of the game in the fourth inning on a double from Patrick Kivlehan (San Diego Padres AAA) down the left field line. One batter later, Eric Filia (Seattle Mariners AAA) drew a walk to put runners on first and second with one out, but southpaw Chris Villaman (NC State) got out of the jam with a flyout and a strikeout.
The Olympic Team threatened once again in the fifth, loading the bases with a pair of walks and an error, but the Collegiate National Team was able to escape unscathed, after Jaxon Wiggins got a flyout to end the inning.
Using defense as momentum, the Collegiate National Team got back-to-back singles off the bats of Robert Moore (Arkansas) and Jacob Gonzalez (Ole Miss). Martinez then got the next two batters to strike out swinging to strand the runners.
The Olympic Team finally broke through to bring its first and only run across in the sixth, rallying with two outs when Tim Federowicz (Los Angeles Dodgers AAA) and Nick Allen (Oakland Athletics AA) got consecutive singles and Jack Lopez (Boston Red Sox AAA) drew a walk to load the bases before Eddy Alvarez (Miami Marlins AA) drew a bases-loaded walk to bring in the go-ahead run.
That was all the Olympic Team bullpen would need as they did not allow a hit in the final four frames. Anthony Carter (Saraperos de Saltillo) pitched scoreless sixth and seventh innings, while Ryder Ryan (Texas Rangers AAA) and David Robertson each tossed scoreless innings. Ryder struck out the side in the eighth while Robertson collected a lineout and two punchouts of his own to earn the save.
Martinez got the win in the contest and collected nine of the Olympic Team’s 17 strikeouts. Nick Allen led the way for the Olympic Team offense with two hits while Filia, Alvarez, and Lopez all drew two walks. Collectively, Team USA tallied eight walks in the game. Gavin Cross was the Collegiate National Team’s offensive leader, collecting two of the team’s five hits in the game. Wiggins suffered the loss, but the Collegiate National Team pitching staff combined for eight strikeouts in the contest.
The three-game series will conclude tomorrow with an afternoon contest at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina. First pitch is set for 1:00 p.m.
