April 26, 2022, 2:59 p.m. (ET)
PARANÁ, Argentina –– The bats were on fire today as the USA Softball Men’s National Team (MNT) downed No. 10 Puerto Rico in a four-inning 19-9 run-rule victory to remain undefeated at the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Men’s Pan American Championship in Paraná, Argentina. The U.S. offense combined for 15 hits in the win with nine U.S. batters recording a hit while the duo of Joel Cooley (St. Paul, Minn.) and Cody Gibbons (St. Paul, Minn.) took control in the circle.
Zac Shaw (Odessa, Mo.) and Yusef Davis (Long Beach, Calif.) led Team USA at the plate with three hits apiece followed by Matthew Ratliff (American Fork, Utah) and Nick Mullins (Toms River, N.J.) with two. Cooley got the start in the circle for the U.S. and managed to keep the Puerto Rico offense scoreless through three innings before handing over pitching duties to Gibbons who helped seal the win for the U.S.in the bottom of the fourth.
Team USA wasted no time in getting on the board in the top of the first as Mullins sent a leadoff double to right field followed by three-straight walks and a hit-by-pitch to put the Eagles on top, 2-0. Taking advantage of another walk with the bases loaded, the U.S.added another run to its lead before sending four-straight singles through the infield to put them on top, 8-0. A ground out from Cameron Schiller (Prescott, Ariz.) would record the first out of the inning but Erick Ochoa (Imperial, Calif.) would re-spark the flame with a sac-fly to score one. Jonathan Lynch (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) followed with a single to tack on another run before a fly out ended the at-bat with Team USA leading 10-0. The Puerto Rico offense managed to put two runners on in the bottom of the frame with a two-out walk and a single through the right side, but a strikeout from Cooley would send the U.S. back to the plate.
The Red, White and Blue added two more to its lead in the top of the second after Shaw took a pitch to the elbow to put a runner on with one out followed by singles from Davis and Schiller to give the U.S. a 12-0 lead. Two more batters would reach base for Puerto Rico in the bottom of the inning, but Cooley and the U.S. defense escaped the threat without any damage.
A leadoff triple from Ratliff would jumpstart the top of third followed by a hit-by-pitch and a pair of singles from Shaw and Blaine Milheim (Grand Rapids, Mich.) to push two more runs across for Team USA. The scoring continued in the top of the fourth after three walks and a single from Ratliff loaded the bases for Dusten Rutt (Ephrata, Penn.) who forced a walk to allow another run to score. Shaw and Davis followed suit with their third hit of the day to plate two before another walk and a fielder’s choice extended the U.S. lead, 19-0.
Gibbons took over pitching duties in the bottom of the fourth with the Puerto Rico offense coming alive for a nine-run inning. A leadoff walk would start the rally for Puerto Rico followed by four singles and a string of walks, but the rookie pitcher buckled down with two strikeouts and a fielder’s choice to seal the 19-9 run-rule win for Team USA.
The Red, White and Blue is back in action tomorrow at 3 p.m. ART against No. 6 Canada followed by the conclusion of the Argentina matchup at 6 p.m. ART. Live stats and streaming with be available through USASoftball.com.
Opening Round will conclude on tomorrow, April 27 with the top three finishers from each group advancing to the Playoff Round. The final two countries at the top of the leader board will then go head-to-head in the Men’s Pan American Championship Final on Saturday, April 30.
Line Score
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USMN | 10 | 2 | 2 | 5 | X | X | X | 19 | 15 | 0 |
| PRTC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | X | X | X | 7 | 7 | 0 |
From Game Changer:
Four RBI Day For Zac Shaw Brings In Win For USA Men’s National Team Over Puerto Rico
- Zac Shaw was bad news for opposing pitchers on Tuesday, driving in four on three hits to lead USA Men’s National Team past Puerto Rico 19-9 on Tuesday. Shaw drove in runs on a single in the first, a single in the third, and a single in the fourth.
- USA Men’s National Team earned the victory despite allowing Puerto Rico to score nine runs in the fourth inning. Puerto Rico’s big inning was driven by walks by L Munoz, N Marrero, and M Montalvo and singles by E Barbosa, T Santiago, and C Medina.
- USA Men’s National Team got things moving in the first inning. Erick Ochoa drew a walk, scoring one run.
- Joel Cooley got the win for USA Men’s National Team. The pitcher went three innings, allowing zero runs on four hits and striking out four. Cody Gibbons threw one inning in relief out of the bullpen.
- O Sanchez was in the circle for Puerto Rico. Sanchez lasted two-thirds of an inning, allowing six hits and ten runs. E Rosario and J Nieves entered the game from the bullpen, throwing one and two-thirds innings and one and two-thirds innings respectively.
- USA Men’s National Team tallied 15 hits in the game. Shaw, Yusef Davis, Nick Mullins, and Matthew Ratliff each had multiple hits for USA Men’s National Team. Davis and Shaw each collected three hits to lead USA Men’s National Team. USA Men’s National Team was sure-handed in the field and didn’t commit a single error. Mullins had the most chances in the field with three.
- Puerto Rico collected eight hits. Medina and Santiago all managed multiple hits for Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico didn’t commit a single error in the field. J Ponce had four chances in the field, the most on the team.
- “Powered by Narrative Science and GameChanger Media. Copyright 2022. All rights reserved.” Any reuse or republication of this story must include the preceding attribution.
Box Score
USA Men’s National Teammore stats
| Lineup | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nick Mullins | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Brandon Rutt | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Blaine Milheim | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| Cameron Schiller | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Owen Lukens | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Erick Ochoa | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Jonathan Lynch | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Matthew Ratliff | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tyler Bouley | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Tyler Albert | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Dusten Rutt | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Zac Shaw | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Yusef Davis | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Joel Cooley | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Cody Gibbons | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Totals | 25 | 19 | 15 | 18 | 11 | 3 |
Batting2B: Nick Mullins
3B: Matthew Ratliff
TB: Yusef Davis 3, Owen Lukens, Jonathan Lynch, Blaine Milheim, Nick Mullins 3, Matthew Ratliff 4, Dusten Rutt, Cameron Schiller, Zac Shaw 3
RBI: Tyler Bouley, Yusef Davis, Jonathan Lynch 2, Blaine Milheim 2, Nick Mullins, Erick Ochoa 2, Dusten Rutt 3, Brandon Rutt, Cameron Schiller, Zac Shaw 4
SF: Erick Ochoa
FC: Blaine Milheim, Cameron Schiller
HBP: Jonathan Lynch, Dusten Rutt, Zac Shaw
GIDP: Erick Ochoa
TotalsTeam QAB: 27 (67.50%)
Tyler Albert 2, Tyler Bouley, Yusef Davis 2, Blaine Milheim 3, Nick Mullins 2, Erick Ochoa 3, Matthew Ratliff 2, Dusten Rutt 4, Brandon Rutt 2, Cameron Schiller 3, Zac Shaw 3
Team LOB: 8
Puerto Ricomore stats
| Lineup | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C Medina | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| J Nieves | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| E Barbosa | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| E Mora | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| R Aponte | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| T Santiago | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| E Santana | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| T Suarez | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| L Munoz | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| N Marrero | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| J Ponce | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| M Montalvo | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| E Rosario | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| O Sanchez | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Totals | 19 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 6 |
BattingTB: J Nieves, C Medina 2, T Santiago 2, E Barbosa, J Ponce, R Aponte
RBI: C Medina 2, T Santiago 2, L Munoz, E Barbosa 2, M Montalvo, N Marrero
FC: C Medina, E Barbosa
HBP: J Ponce
TotalsTeam QAB: 16 (57.14%)
C Medina, T Santiago 2, L Munoz 2, E Barbosa 2, M Montalvo, J Ponce, E Santana 3, R Aponte 2, N Marrero 2
Team LOB: 6FieldingDP: T Santiago, E Barbosa, N Marrero
USA Men’s National Teammore stats
| Pitching | IP | #P | S% | H | R | ER | SO | BB | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joel Cooley | 3.0 | 49 | .694 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Cody Gibbons | 1.0 | 68 | .471 | 4 | 9 | 9 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
| Totals | 4.0 | 117 | .564 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 0 |
PitchingW: Joel Cooley
HBP: Cody Gibbons
WP: Cody Gibbons
Pitches-Strikes: Joel Cooley 49-34, Cody Gibbons 68-32
Groundouts-Flyouts: Joel Cooley 1-1, Cody Gibbons 0-0
First pitch strikes-Batters faced: Joel Cooley 11-15, Cody Gibbons 6-13
Puerto Ricomore stats
| Pitching | IP | #P | S% | H | R | ER | SO | BB | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| O Sanchez | 0.2 | 55 | .436 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| E Rosario | 1.2 | 36 | .528 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| J Nieves | 1.2 | 53 | .377 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| J Ponce | 0.0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 4.0 | 144 | .438 | 15 | 19 | 19 | 3 | 11 | 0 |
PitchingHBP: E Rosario 2, O Sanchez
WP: E Rosario 2
Pitches-Strikes: J Nieves 53-20, J Ponce 0-0, E Rosario 36-19, O Sanchez 55-24
Groundouts-Flyouts: J Nieves 2-0, J Ponce 0-0, E Rosario 2-1, O Sanchez 0-1
First pitch strikes-Batters faced: J Nieves 4-15, J Ponce 0-0, E Rosario 8-11, O Sanchez 8-14
 |