(Home Run Club: Omar Moraga, Tim Hunt and Frank De Groat, Jr.- his 3rd)
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(18 yr old BJ Hunhoff notches win, big games for the Miller boys, Blake (3-5, 5 RBI and Daryn, 3-5)
USA Men Push Record to 4-0 With Easy Win Over Spain
PRAGUE, CZ – The USA Softball Men’s National Team won its fourth game in a row and second run-rule in the ISF Men’s World Cup, routing Halcones Tenerife of Spain, 21-2, in five innings Wednesday morning. It was the third loss in as many games for Halcones Tenerife.
Left-hander B.J. Hunhoff (Harrisburg, SD), the youngest player on the USA team at just 18, made his first start in the pitching circle and allowed just two runs on three hits to collect his first win. He gave up a solo homer in the second inning to Oropeza Merentes over the right center field fence with one out and an RBI single in the third inning by Pena Garcia, scoring Arteaga Matei who had walked to open the inning and went to second on a wild pitch. Hunhoff fanned five batters and walked only one.
The USA scored once in the second inning on a solo homer by catcher Frank DeGroat, Jr., (Ringwood, N.J.) off losing pitcher Escalona Zambrano, who was rocked for 18 hits, including 11 hits in a 14-run fifth inning.
The homer was DeGroat’s third of the World Cup and leads the USA team. DeGroat’s homer was the first of three launched by the USA in the game. Omara Moraga (Agoura Hills, Calif.) hit a solo homer and Tim Hunt (LaHabra, Calif.) also contributed a two-run round-tripper in the 14-run fifth inning.
Daryn Miller (Creve Coeur, Ill.) had three singles in five trips to the plate, driving in three runs, while Blake Miller (Albany, Ga.) drove in five runs with a double and two singles in five at-bats. Hunt also had a pair of singles to go along with his homer to lead the USA offensive attack.
The Red, White and Blue will look to keep their unbeaten streak alive as they take on Santa Isabel Zaragoza of Spain later today.