GUADALAJARA, Mexico – Team USA collected 16 hits en route to a 12-2 run-rule victory over Mexico to secure its spot in the Super Round of the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier12 presented by RAXUS on Thursday night at Estadio Panamericano.
The United States (3-2) will now travel to Tokyo, Japan, to compete in the Premier12 Super Round. Team USA has reached the Super Round in all three iterations of the Premier12.
The stars and stripes scored in spurts in the victory, putting up two runs in three consecutive innings before a five-run fifth put the game away. Before that, however, Mexico (2-3) struck first on a throwing error by U.S. starter Rich Hill that allowed the opening run to score in the first inning.
But it was familiar territory for Team USA, which allowed its opponents to score first in all five group play games. In Thursday’s contest, it was Termarr Johnson who answered right back in the top of the second. With two outs and nobody on, Colby Thomas singled to right field and Johnson demolished a 2-1 pitch deep over the wall in right center to give the U.S. a 2-1 advantage.
Armed with a lead, Hill returned to the mound and ensured his team would stay in front. The veteran allowed a leadoff single in the second to get the Mexico crowd back into it, but a strikeout and a double play got him out of the inning unscathed.
It then took just one batter in the top of the third for Team USA to extend its lead to 3-1. Justin Crawford led off the frame and smoked a line drive home run to the opposite field, clearing the left field wall and igniting the United States’ dugout. Chandler Simpson followed with a single and then stole two bases to get to third, eventually scoring on Ryan Ward’s RBI fielder’s choice which made it 4-1 in favor of the red, white, and blue.
After Hill retired the side in order in the third, the U.S. bats got back to work quickly in the fourth. Johnson recorded his second hit of the night, the first of four straight singles leading to two runs. A throwing error let Johnson get to third base and Chris Okey brought him home with an RBI infield single to plate Team USA’s fifth run. Crawford served the next pitch into right field to advance Okey into scoring position, and the U.S. backstop scored on an RBI single by Simpson to put the stars and stripes in front by five.
Hill recorded the first out of the fourth and was then replaced by Antonio Menendez, who retired both batters he faced before Team USA’s bats exploded for five runs in the fifth. Ward got the outburst started with the first of his two home runs, socking a solo blast to right field. Carson Williams, Johnson, and Crawford all followed with singles to load the bases, and Simpson worked a full count before drawing a walk to force in Team USA’s eighth run.
The next three runs came on one swing of the bat by Matt Shaw. The third baseman came to the plate with the bases full and as he has all tournament, he delivered. Shaw smoked a triple into the gap in left center to score all three runners, extending his tournament lead in RBIs to 12 and growing Team USA’s lead to 11-1.
An inning later, Ward put the cherry on top with his second homer of the night and his tournament-leading fourth of the Premier12, sending a towering blast to the right field corner. It was the first multi-home run game for a U.S. hitter since Trea Turner hit two blasts against Cuba in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Ward has five hits through five games at the Premier12, with four of them landing over the fence.
With Team USA three outs away from a run-rule victory, Dan Altavilla took over on the mound in the seventh. Despite surrendering a two-out solo homer, Altavilla got Juan Perez to strike out on three pitchers to secure the victory and send the stars and stripes to Tokyo.
Five players had multiple hits in the contest, which saw the U.S. fall just two hits shy of the team record. Fresh off a four-hit day on Tuesday against Panama, Simpson went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored. He also stole three bases, giving him a tournament-most six.
Crawford and Johnson also collected three hits in the win. Crawford homered in the third and singled in the fourth and fifth innings, while Johnson hit the second-inning homer and followed with singles in the fourth and fifth. Ward (2-for-4, two HR) and Williams (2-for-4, R) rounded out the multi-hit efforts for Team USA.
Hill finished his day on the mound with 3.1 innings pitched, surrendering two hits and an unearned run while striking out six. Menendez (2-0) was credited with the win after throwing 1.2 scoreless frames with three punch outs, Anthony Gose tossed a scoreless sixth, and Altavilla retired the final three batters in the seventh. Starting pitcher Luis Miranda (0-1) suffered the loss for Mexico after allowing four hits and four runs in 2.1 innings.
Team USA will now travel to Tokyo, Japan, for the Premier12 Super Round beginning on November 20. The U.S. will be joined by Venezuela out of Group A and the top two seeds from Group B, which is currently in group play.
