JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - Team USA plated six runs between the third and fourth innings on the way to a 7-6 win over Appy League West Select at TVA Credit Union Park on Tuesday, led by three RBIs from Tre Phelps (Georgia).
AS IT HAPPENED:
- Dylan Loy (Tennessee) got the start for Team USA, going the first two innings. Loy was solid during his shift, striking out a trio of Appy League West Select batters while allowing a lone hit before his relief.
- After Team USA’s lineup took a pair of outs to begin the top of the third inning, the trio of Alex Sosa (NC State), Kyle Johnson (Duke), and Gavin Grahovac (Texas A&M) showed discipline at the plate to load the bases. Phelps delivered all three U.S. baserunners home with a perfectly placed triple down the right field line, then scored himself to make it 4-0 thanks to a defensive error on the throw to third base.
- Appy League West Select put two runs on the board in the bottom of the third inning when Gunner Boree roped an RBI double off the center field wall and Devin Zirwas added an RBI groundout.
- Zion Rose (Louisville) lasered a single in the fourth inning after both AJ Gracia (Duke) and Justin Lebron (Alabama) had put themselves on the basepaths to begin the top of the fourth inning, sending Gracia home for a 5-2 lead. Lebron then scored Team USA’s sixth run by reaching home during a double play.
- Appy League West Select put another two runs on the board in response during the fifth inning on an RBI groundout and another RBI from Zirwas, reducing the U.S. lead to 6-4.
- Pablo Torres (Bethune-Cookman) took the mound for Team USA in the sixth inning, successfully snuffing out any momentum that Appy League West Select’s hitters had after the fifth. Torres fanned three batters and forced the other three he faced into groundouts for a tidy two-inning shift.
- The U.S. added a seventh run in the eighth inning thanks to a defensive error that allowed Henry Ford (Virginia) to race home from third.
- Matthew Matthijs (UNC) entered in the ninth inning after Jacob Dudan (NC State) had preserved Team USA’s 7-4 lead. After allowing a pair of Appy League West Select runs that reduced the lead to one, Matthijs struck out the final two batters to preserve the win and earn the save.
NOTABLE STATS:
- Team USA’s trio of Gracia, Phelps, and Rose all tallied a pair of hits at the plate. It was Phelps’ second game on the Summer League Tour with two hits, and the first for both Gracia and Rose.
- For both Gracia and Jamal George (Alabama State), this was their second game with a hit.
- Phelps’ three RBIs were the most by a Team USA player in a game during the Summer League Tour.
- Eric Segura (Oregon State) was the third Team USA arm to throw two innings in the win, recording three strikeouts during his shift.
- Dudan and Torres combined to post four strikeouts and not allow a single baserunner during the pair’s 3.0 combined innings.
- Matthijs became the second Team USA player on the Summer League Tour to pick up a save, joining Dudan.
ON DECK:
- The Summer League Tour team returns home to Cary, N.C. and gears up to take on the International Friendship Series squad in a matchup on July 4th, set to be played in Fayetteville, N.C., at Segra Park. First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m. ET.
