PANAMA CITY – Carlo Rivero punched out 11 batters in a one-hit outing and blasted a two-run home run to beat Cuba, 6-0 and send Team USA to the 2024 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-12 Baseball World Cup Americas Qualifier Championship. The U.S. won its sixth consecutive game and tossed its fourth shutout in a row Friday morning at Estadio Nacional Rod Carew, sailing past Cuba to send the 12U National Team to its ninth gold medal game in eleven years.
Team USA will face the Dominican Republic (6-0) in the World Cup Americas Qualifier title on Saturday afternoon, with first pitch slated for 12:00 p.m. local/1:00 p.m. ET at Estadio Nacional Rod Carew. Team USA has been designated as the visiting team. The 12U National Team is now 6-0 in this year’s tournament and has already secured a spot in the 2025 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup.
Despite some traffic on the basepaths, Rivero managed to successfully navigate the Cuban lineup without surrendering a run while picking up his second win of the week. After stranding two runners in the first, Rivero needed only 45 pitches to get through the next three frames. With a runner in scoring position, Rivero stayed in the fight and won a nine-pitch battle to collect strikeout number 11 before the bullpen took over. After a two-homer day less than 24 hours ago, Jayden Portes was assigned pitching duties in the fifth and did not allow a hit to close out the contest.
Two-way player Rivero did it all Friday morning; after his first inning of work on the bump, Rivero shifted his focus and gave the U.S. an early advantage after he blasted a two-run home run for his second long ball of the week. Adam Gonzalez started at second base for Team USA and notched his third RBI of the week in the second inning to extend the lead. A three-run third saw unselfish ball as back-to-back sacrifice hits widened the U.S. advantage.
Rivero hurled 4.2 innings of one-hit ball, striking out 11 Cuban batters and allowing only three players to reach via walk. He also went 2-for-3 at the plate with a pair of runs scored and a pair of RBIs apiece. Jack Mattingly and Josh Pierre each swiped a bag today and went 1-for-3 at the plate.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- For the sixth straight game, Team USA acquired a first inning lead. Pierre led off the game with a single and proceeded to score after Rivero belted a two-run home run over the right field wall.
- Back-to-back two-out base knocks by Christian Cicero and Gonzalez handed the U.S. a 3-0 lead after two frames.
- In the third inning, Mattingly delivered an RBI shot through the right side to score Joshua Park, who reached on a leadoff walk.
- The damage continued as Portes lifted a sacrifice fly to score Rivero followed by a squeeze bunt executed to perfection off the bat of Clayton Ratliff, making it 6-0 in favor of Team USA.
NOTABLES
- Today marks the first time since 2018 the 12U National Team has tossed four consecutive shutouts in a single tournament.
- The pitching staff's combined 13 strikeouts are the most a 12U National Team has collected since 2014.
- Rivero has shattered the 12U National Team single-game strikeout record, surpassing Tyler Early and Carson Schoener who each punched out nine batters in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
- The U.S. has conceded only six hits over its past four games, two runs over the past six contests, and the pitching staff now boasts a 0.17 ERA.
- Offensively, Rivero leads all players in hits (9) and RBIs (10) while he also sits atop the pitching leaderboard in strikeouts (14).
- Pierre ranks first in runs scored (12) and has swiped nine bags to lead all players in stolen bases.
- A single by Cuba in the first inning was the lone hit surrendered by Team USA’s starter.
- The U.S. has yet to make a defensive error in the past five contests.
QUOTABLES
- “The team played really well today, they capitalized when they needed to, especially with their two-out approaches,” Assistant coach Josh Ellison said. “The togetherness of this team has impressed me the most, these players fight for one another and don’t let up.”
- “We played great today, we’ve been grinding all week and won’t stop until we win gold,” Rivero said. “I feel blessed to be able to compete in the championship game tomorrow, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I’m super excited to play for a gold medal.”
SOCIAL MEDIA
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