Box Score | Plays | Cumulative Stats

SARASOTA, Fla. – Down 3-2 heading into the bottom of the seventh, Team USA managed to earn a come-from-behind 4-3 victory over Japan in the Super Round finale to advance to the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-18 Baseball World Cup gold medal game at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Florida.

After the game was suspended in the top of the third inning due to inclement weather in the area on Saturday night, the teams resumed on Sunday morning with the bases loaded and no outs. Christian Rodriguez entered in relief and struck out the side to keep the game at 3-2, and then proceeded to toss four more scoreless innings while fanning a combined seven batters in the contest.

Facing its final three outs in the seventh, Colt Emerson and RJ Hamilton started the park as both reached on base hits and got into scoring position on a defensive miscue by Japan. A balk brought across the game-tying run, and then Dylan Cupp delivered the game-winning run batted in with a one-out single through the left side to bring home Hamilton.

With the victory, Team USA will compete in the gold medal game against Chinese Taipei later this morning. This will be the United States’ sixth consecutive world title game that the 18U team is playing in.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Japan’s Shogo Asano led off the first with a walk and scored on Yuta Utsumi’s RBI single to put the visitors in front 1-0.
• Despite loading the bases in the second, Japan came up empty when Jake Brown picked up a big strikeout to escape trouble and keep Team USA’s deficit at one.
• The U.S. evened the score in the second when Aidan Miller hit a leadoff single and came around to score on a Colt Emerson RBI double.
• Gavin Grahovac blooped a single into right field to give Team USA its first lead of the game in the second, bringing home Bryce Eldridge and making the score 2-1 in favor of the U.S.
• Two walks and an error filled the bases for Japan in the third before Kaito Ito hit a two-run double down the left-field line to put Japan in front 3-2.
• After the game was suspended on Saturday night with the bases loaded and nobody out for Japan in the third, Christian Rodriguez entered on Sunday morning and struck out the side to keep the U.S. within one run.
• A leadoff hit-by-pitch gave Japan a baserunner in the top of the sixth, but heads-up defense by Team USA led to a crucial double play to keep it a one-run game.
• Colt Emerson led off the seventh with a single and – after advancing on a bunt and error –  came around to score on a balk, tying the game at three.
• Dylan Cupp delivered the game-winning run batted in as his single through the left side scored RJ Hamilton from third.

OF NOTE

• With another hit in the contest, Aidan Miller has now collected a base knock in seven of the tournament’s eight games. Miller holds a .550 batting average entering the final game.
• Colt Emerson’s second inning double extended his hitting streak to four games.
• By coming home on Gavin Grahovac’s RBI single, Bryce Eldridge has now scored at least one run in every game he has played in.
• Christian Rodriguez was credited with the win after yielding just one hit and tallying seven strikeouts in five scoreless innings of relief. Likewise, Japan’s Yusefu Yoshimura was saddled with the loss after surrendering the final two USA runs of the game.
• With the win, Team USA has clinched its spot in the gold medal game against Chinese Taipei, as it will mark the sixth consecutive world title game that the 18U National Team has played in.

ON DECK

Team USA and Chinese Taipei will play in the gold medal game at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Florida, on Sunday, with first pitch set for 11:30 a.m.

SOCIAL MEDIA

To follow along with all the action with the 18U National Team, be sure to follow @USABaseball18U on Twitter and @USABaseball on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter.