BOX SCORE & PLAYS | CUMULATIVE STATS

PANAMA CITY – Team USA scored five runs in the second inning en route to a 6-0 victory over Venezuela in group play at the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-18 Baseball World Cup Americas Qualifier on Monday afternoon.

The shutout victory was the second in three games for the U.S., who improves to 3-0 in Group B.

After Gavin Fien reached on an error and scored in the bottom of the first to open the scoring, the United States’ offense put together a relentless two-out rally in the second. A pair of walks put two runners on for Josh Owens, whose RBI single to left made it a 2-0 lead. That was followed immediately by a two-run double down the left field line by Eli Willits, chasing the Venezuelan starter from the game and making it a 4-0 score. Kayson Cunningham added on with an RBI infield single to plate the hustling Willits, and Fien followed with an RBI double to cap the five-run frame.

The six-run lead was plenty for the Team USA pitchers, who combined to allow just five hits and issue one walk in the shutout win. Aiden Stillman was the starter for the U.S. on Monday, and he went two innings before handing the ball to Jordan Martin, who turned in a scoreless frame. From there, Austin Weiss and Cooper Rummel each tossed two shutout innings with a combined seven strikeouts to seal the win.

HOW IT HAPPENED

With two outs and nobody on in the first, Fien reached on a throwing error, advanced to third, and then scored when the throw from the right fielder got past the third baseman as the U.S. went up 1-0.

Grady Emerson and Trent Grindlinger both drew two-out walks in the second to set the table for Owens, who plated a run with an opposite-field knock to give Team USA a 2-0 lead.

Willits snuck a double down the left field line to plate two runs and extend the United States’ advantage to 4-0 in the bottom of the second.

After Venezuela went to its bullpen, Cunningham welcomed the reliever with an infield single and Willits flew around third base to score and make it a 5-0 U.S. lead in the second.

Team USA’s second-inning rally continued when Fien mustered a broken-bat double to center to bring home Cunningham and make it a six-run game.

Venezuela put two runners on with one out in the top of the third but Martin–in his only inning of work–got a big strikeout and coaxed an inning-ending ground out to keep the shutout intact.

A single and error put runners on the corners with no outs for Venezuela against Weiss in the top of the fifth. But heads-up defense, including two highlight plays by Cunningham at shortstop, maintained the 6-0 Team USA lead.

Rummel took over on the mound and struck out the side in the sixth before working around a two-out hit in the seventh, locking down the 6-0 victory for the United States.

NOTABLES

• The top of the U.S. order was in the middle of most of the offense for Team USA, all picking up a hit, driving in at least one run, and scoring a run.
• Cunningham is tied for the tournament lead with six RBIs. He has driven in at least one run in all three games played.
• Fien’s double was his second in as many games; he sits second in the tournament with an .889 slugging percentage.
• The pitching staff of Martin, Rummel, Stillman, and Weiss combined for nine strikeouts and just one walk allowed. Rummel’s two innings of one-hit ball earned him the win.
• The United States now owns a 1.11 team ERA and is one of two teams with multiple shutouts in tournament play (also: Mexico).
• Team USA improves to 18-3 all-time at the U-18 level against Venezuela.

QUOTABLES

“We battled,” said Willits. “We got off to a slow start in the first and their starter was dealing, but we didn’t give up. We just came back and got some runs in the second inning. It was a good game.”

“We put the hammer on them in the second inning,” said Rummel. “It was basically 6-0 for the whole game, so when I came in to close, I had a pretty easy job: just don’t let anybody score, and that’s what I aimed to do.”

ON DECK

The U.S. returns to WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup Americas Qualifier action on Tuesday against Brazil. First pitch is set for 5:00 p.m. local/6**:**00 p.m. ET from Estadio Nacional Rod Carew.