PANAMA CITY – The 12U National Team hurled a no-hitter and tossed back-to-back shutouts in a doubleheader sweep on Wednesday at the 2024 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-12 Baseball World Cup Americas Qualifier. Team USA downed Colombia 5-0 in the first game of the day and later threw a combined no-hitter to beat Ecuador 7-0 while highlighting a full day of baseball at Estadio Municipal Andy Alonso.
Team USA improves to 4-0 in Group A pool play and is the first nation in the group to secure four victories. All team records and Group A standings can be found here.
GAME ONE VS. COLOMBIA: FIVE-RUN FIRST INNING, QUALITY PITCHING LIFTS TEAM USA OVER COLOMBIA
Defense was the story in the first contest of the day, as Team USA allowed only four of the opponent’s batters to reach base and had several moments in which hits were stolen from the Colombian bats. It began with Jack Mattingly, who got the start on the mound and picked up the win in the 5-0 shutout. A base hit in the third was all Colombia was able to muster against Mattingly, who allowed only one hit in his outing. Bronx Holbron made his debut on the bump and yielded only a pair of hits in 2.1 innings of work.
Team USA exploded for five runs in the first inning and relied on its arms to preserve the five-run difference. As in days past, the U.S. played heads-up ball and took advantage of a pair of first-inning defensive errors to put traffic on the basepaths. Base knocks by Mattingly and Ben Hamlin kept the initial energy levels high while a two-out base hit by Adam Gonzalez drove in two runs and brought the bench to its feet early in the going.
After homering against Mexico in yesterday’s 9-1 win, Joshua Park kept a hot bat and went 2-for-2 with a run scored. Daylon McCants earned the start in center field and was the only other Team USA player to register a multi-hit performance, going 2-for-2 with an RBI. Mattingly tossed 3.2 innings of one-hit ball, striking out three while permitting only one walk.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- For the third straight contest, Team USA took the lead in the first inning and never looked back. Leadoff man Josh Pierre took first base on a defensive miscue and proceeded to score after Mattingly found the right centerfield gap three batters later.
- Jayden Portes lifted a sac fly to left field immediately after, plating Park who reached on a base hit to make it 2-0 in favor of Team USA.
- With two outs, Hamlin kept the inning alive with a base knock to put two runners on the bases. After McCants drew a bases-loaded walk to notch an RBI, Gonzalez hammered the first pitch he saw to right field and drove in two more runs to give the U.S. a 5-0 advantage.
- Mattingly continued to dominate the bump in the second inning with help from his second baseman, Gonzalez, who made his World Cup Qualifier debut in today’s contest. In back-to-back plays, Gonzalez made nearly identical backhanded grabs while managing to throw out the runner at first on the run.
- Colombia picked up its first hit in the third inning, however, that was all Mattingly would allow. The starter secured two more outs in the fourth frame before passing duties to Holbron.
- Holbron, the utility player hailing from Hawaii, delivered in his debut on the mound and closed out the fourth frame in relief. Holbron tossed the final two frames and locked down the first game victory.
NOTABLES
- The 12U National Team is now 3-0 all-time against Colombia.
- 12 Team USA players saw action in today’s contest.
- The squad hit .300 as a team today, and its seven hits were spread amongst five players.
- 10 players have pitched one or more innings today, while the pitching staff boasts a combined 0.25 ERA.
QUOTABLES
- “Outstanding play all around; we knew we had the best defense behind us and that was evident in today’s win,” Pitching Coach Wes Brooks said. “The foot stays on the gas pedal, all that matters moving forward is staying focused and winning the moment.”
- “It felt amazing to get this win,” Holbron said. “Our defense came together and our offense did the job.”
- “I love playing with these guys,” Gonzalez mentioned. “We’re always 100% ready to go and I’m excited to keep playing with this team.”
GAME TWO VS. ECUADOR: RIVERO GOES DEEP, PALACIOS AND PORTES COMBINE FOR NO-HITTER
Team USA kept its foot on the gas in the second contest of the day and presented no opportunities for Ecuador to assemble a rally. Ethan Palacios got the nod in the afternoon slate and absolutely dominated. Palacios put away the first three batters he saw and continued to do so the next two innings, striking out four of those nine batters through the first three frames. Palacios punched out four more until the top of the fifth, when Jayden Portes made his first relief appearance and proceeded to take over on the bump. Portes polished off the no-hitter by striking out three of the next four batters.
The U.S. picked up an early 1-0 lead thanks to the bat of Park and speed of Pierre. The stars and stripes scored one more in the third before exploding for five runs in the fourth inning. Clayton Ratliff ignited the fire after reaching via walk and took advantage of wild pitches to score the team’s third run. Back-to-back two-out base knocks by Pierre and Park kept the fire roaring until Carlo Rivero set the stadium ablaze with a two-run jack, capping off the hectic inning.
Palacios’ final line included 4.2 innings pitched, highlighted by eight punchouts and only one free pass. At the plate, three U.S. players registered multi-hit days, as Park and Rivero each went 2-for-3. Park drove in two runs while Rivero collected three RBIs. Pierre scored three of Team USA’s seven runs and went 2-for-3 with the bat.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Palacios started off on the right foot and sat down the first three hitters for a quick first inning of work.
- Team USA kept the streak going and secured the lead in the first inning for the fourth time in three days. Once again reaching base in the opening frame, Pierre later came around to score after a wild pitch reached the backstop.
- Palacios continued to deal in the third, tallying another three up, three down inning and retiring the nine-batter Ecuadorian lineup.
- Offense continued in the third inning, as Pierre reached first and made his way home two batters later, scoring on Rivero’s single to center.
- With two outs early in the fourth, Team USA kept it simple and put bat to ball to post its second five-run inning of the day. Ratliff kicked off the scoring with heads-up baserunning to make it 3-0.
- Park took advantage of runners in scoring position and ripped a 1-0 offering to center field for a two-RBI base knock.
- Just an at-bat later, Rivero locked in on a hanging breaking ball and proceeded to belt a two-run home run deep over the left field wall.
- After registering two quick outs in the fifth frame, Palacio’s day was done and the Texan received a well-deserved standing ovation from the fans donning red, white, and blue.
- Portes entered the fifth in fashion and collected his first strikeout to flip the frame. Portes remained cool, calm, and collected in the sixth and closed out the contest to secure the combined no-hitter.
NOTABLES
- This contest marks the first time since 2016 these nations have competed while the 12U National Team is now 3-0 all-time against Ecuador.
- Team USA hurled its first no-hitter in over five years, as the 12U National Team last threw a no-no against South Africa in an 18-0 win in the 2019 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup.
- The top of the lineup accounted for six of the team’s seven hits today, as Pierre, Park, and Rivero each picked up a pair of hits.
- 60% (18 of 30) of Team USA's runs have scored with two outs on the board.
- The World Cup Qualifier leaderboard is littered with Team USA players, as Rivero leads all in hits (7) and RBIs (7) while Pierre sits atop the runs (10) and stolen bases (6) rankings.
QUOTABLES
- “This team was tough today,” Manager Bryan Madsen said. “Playing a doubleheader is always a grind, but this group toughed it out. These guys always play together, we had some players step up today and that was huge in getting both of our wins.”
- “I felt great on the mound and was super excited to get the start today,” Palacios said. “Our team played really well today, we were able to pull through and get two wins. It’s really fun playing with this team, they’re all great and together we make a great team.”
ON DECK
Tomorrow, the 12U National Team faces the tournament host and the only other remaining unbeaten team in Group A, Panama. Team USA will play under the lights of Estadio Nacional Rod Carew, with first pitch set for 7:00 p.m. local/8:00 p.m. ET.
SOCIAL MEDIA
To follow along with all the action with the 12U National Team, be sure to follow @USABaseball12U on Twitter and @USABaseball on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter.
