From Codi Warren, Managing Director of Communications, USA Softball
STEVENS, PA. — The 2017 USA Softball Men’s National Team (MNT) went undefeated to earn a No. 1 seed at the Rodney Fox Memorial Tournament in Stevens, Pa. Three shutout victories, including a no-hitter by BJ Hunhoff (Harrisburg, S.D.), highlighted the day for the Red, White and Blue, who will return to action tomorrow morning at 11 a.m. ET for the playoff rounds.
Click here for live stats, live streaming and more from the Rodney Fox Memorial Tournament
Game One: USA 8, PA Power 0 (five innings)
In their first contest of the 2017 season, the USA Softball MNT started the summer with a bang as the team combined for 10 hits in an 8-0 (five inning) win over PA Power. With a pair of home runs from Matt Ratliff (American Fork, Utah) and Erick Ochoa (Imperial, Calif.), the U.S. also had strong performances in the circle from first-time Team USA member Duane Weiler (Bedford, Pa.) and veteran Chris Heinlein (Columbia, Mo.).
Scoring six runs early in the bottom of the first inning and following with an additional two in the fourth inning, Ochoa finished the game with a 2-for-3 performance with three RBI, while Ratliff also went 2-for-3 with two RBI. Earning the win was Weiler, who threw four scoreless innings, allowing just one hit while fanning six batters in his debut with the Red, White and Blue. Heinlein pitched the final frame, issuing one strikeout.
Game Two: USA 16, Kelly’s 0 (three innings)
In Team USA’s second game of the day, Hunhoff was lights out in the circle as he led the U.S. to a 16-0 (three inning) win over Kelly’s. Picking up a no-hitter in the shutout win, Hunhoff fanned four batters while allowing just one walk through the three-inning contest.
Jonathan Lynch (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) was unstoppable at the plate, going a perfect 4-for-4 with three runs scored and three doubles. Ratliff continued with the hot bat, going 2-for-2 with a pair of runs scored and one RBI, while Cameron Schiller (Prescott, Ariz.) and Nick Mullins (Toms River, N.J.) picked up three RBI each.
Game Three: USA 8, Kurtz 1 (five innings)
The U.S. once again took an early lead in their third game of the day as Team USA claimed an 8-1 (five inning) win over Kurtz. With a pair of home runs from Tyler Dudley (Battle Creek, Mich.) and Ochoa, Weiler picked up his second win of the day in the circle.
Marcus Tan (Union City, Calif.) was perfect at the plate, going 2-for-2 with an RBI and one run scored, while Ochoa and Dudley each picked up two RBI. Weiler got the start, pitching three and two-third innings with one strikeout and one earned run before Hunhoff entered in relief in the fourth inning. Hunhoff pitched the final one and one-third frames, issuing four strikeouts while allowing zero hits.
Game Four: USA 6, Farmersville 0
Team USA picked up their third shutout win of the tournament in their final game of the day in a 6-0 outing over Farmersville. With the offense once again paving the way with 12 hits, Tony Mancha (Las Cruces, N.M.) earned the win after going the full seven innings in the circle.
Ochoa and Dudley had another strong outing at the plate, each sending out a home run and also picking up a double apiece. Mancha issued 21 strikeouts, allowing just three batters to reach base with two hits and a hit batter.
The U.S. returns to action tomorrow morning at 11 a.m. ET. Live stats and live streaming for all of Team USA’s games at the Rodney Fox Memorial Tournament, recaps and more will be available at USASoftball.com.
About USA Softball
USA Softball is a 501(c)(3) not-for profit organization headquartered in Oklahoma City, Okla., and is designated as the National Governing Body (NGB) of Softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. One of the nation’s largest sports organizations, USA Softball sanctions competition in every state through a network of 70 local associations and has grown from a few hundred teams in the early days to over 150,000 teams today, representing a membership of more than 2 million. USA Softball is dedicated to providing people of all ages the opportunity to play the game they love at a variety of levels by offering recreational, league, tournament and competitive play for fast pitch, slow pitch and modified pitch. USA Softball annually conducts thousands of tournaments throughout the country including over 100 National Championships. The USA Softball umpire program is among the nation’s largest and are widely known as the best trained umpires in the game.
As the NGB for the sport of softball, USA Softball is responsible for training, equipping and promoting the six USA Softball National Teams that compete in events such as the Olympics, Pan American Games, World Championships and other international and domestic events. For more information on USA Softball, including its founding and history as the Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA), please visit, www.USASoftball.com.
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