SANTIAGO DE VERAGUAS, Panama - Team USA continued pool play at the COPABE U-18 Pan-American Championships on Saturday, November 24, with a dominating 26-0 victory over Peru at Estadio Omar Torrijos Herrera in Santiago de Veraguas, Panama.
The win marks the second consecutive shutout for Team USA. The team has outscored its opponents 38-0 in its opening two games.
The stars and stripes began the game by plating three runs in the first inning. Anthony Volpe (Watchung, N.J.) drove in the first run with a single as Corbin Carroll (Seattle, Wash.) came home to score. After Riley Greene (Oviedo, Fla.) was hit by a pitch in the next at-bat, Bobby Witt Jr. (Colleyville, Texas) hit a single to bring home Volpe. Team USA scored its final run of the inning when Greene scored on a wild pitch.
Avery Short (Indianapolis, Ind.) shut down Peru's offense in the bottom of the first with a one-two-three inning before the U.S. scored six runs in the top of the second. After the team extended its lead to 6-0 to start the inning, Witt Jr. continued the scoring with an RBI-triple to left field before Tyler Callihan (Neptune Beach, Fla.) hit the team's second home run of the tournament to give the U.S. a 9-0 advantage.
Team USA kept the momentum rolling into the third inning when its offense exploded for 12 runs in the inning on seven hits. Callihan's bat stayed hot as he came through with a triple that notched his second RBI of the game. Witt Jr., Volpe, Greene and Pete Crow-Armstrong (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) each recorded RBI doubles in the inning. The U.S. squad added five more runs in the fourth to extend its lead to 26-0.
Five pitchers combined for the shutout, allowing just two hits and striking out nine. Starting pitcher Short (1-0) picked up the win for the stars and stripes.
Offensively, the team amassed 18 hits on the day, led by Carroll, Volpe and Witt Jr. with three hits each. Witt Jr. led the team with five RBI while Carroll and Volpe led the team in runs scored after crossing the plate four times apiece.
Team USA will have an off day on Sunday, November 25, before continuing pool play at the COPABE U-18 Pan-American Championships against Brazil on Monday, November 26. First pitch against Brazil is set for 2 p.m. ET at Estadio Omar Torrijos Herrera in Santiago, Panama.
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