CHITRE, Panama - Bobby Witt Jr. (Colleyville, Texas) hit for the cycle and Jack Leiter (Summit, N.J.) was masterful on the mound as Team USA (9-0) defeated Panama 17-2 in the gold medal game of the 2018 COPABE U-18 Pan-American Championship on Sunday at Rico Cedeno Stadium.
The victory marked the fifth consecutive COPABE U-18 Pan-American championship for the stars and stripes and is the eighth-straight gold medal for the USA Baseball 18U National Team in international competitions dating back to 2011.
The U.S. also clinched its spot in the 2019 World Baseball Softball Confederation U-18 Baseball World Cup. Team USA is the four-time defending world champion.
Starting pitcher Leiter set the tone in the gold medal game from the very first pitch for the red, white and blue, striking out five of the first six batters he faced in the first two innings. Leiter (2-0) dominated on the mound, earning the victory and striking out nine batters in his four innings of work.
Offensively, Witt Jr. was the catalyst for the U.S. He kick-started the offense in the bottom of the second inning, collecting a single to centerfield and later scored the first run of the game on two Panama throwing errors.
The stars and stripes blew the game wide open in the third, scoring nine runs on nine hits to give the team a commanding 10-0 lead. Anthony Volpe (Watchung, N.J.) knocked in C.J. Abrams (Alpharetta, Ga.) with an RBI-single for first run of the frame and Riley Greene (Oviedo, Fla.) followed with one of his own in the very next at-bat, extending the lead to three and forcing a Panama pitching change.
Witt Jr. then roped an RBI-double to center to score Volpe from third base and Tyler Callihan (Neptune Beach, Fla.) and C.J. Abrams (Alpharetta, Ga.) both hit RBI-singles to put the U.S. ahead 7-0. Corbin Carroll (Seattle, Wash.) then delivered the big blow in the inning, hitting a two-out, three-run homer to right-centerfield to give Team USA a 10-run advantage.
The stars and stripes scored another two runs in the fourth and fifth innings. Witt Jr. once again got the offense started, leading off the fourth with a triple to left field, and later scored on a groundout by Callihan. Yohandy Morales (Miami, Fla.) then followed with his second home run of the tournament. Witt Jr. completed the cycle in the bottom of the fifth inning with a two-RBI home run to left field, giving the U.S. a 14-0 lead after five.
Team USA scored its last three runs of the game in the bottom of the sixth thanks to a two-RBI double by Pete Crow-Armstrong (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) and Carroll's fourth RBI of the day on a groundout to the first baseman for a 17-1 lead.
Panama scratched another run across the plate in the top of the ninth inning for the final score of 17-2. Collectively, the U.S. pitching staff struck out 14 batters on the day and surrendered just three hits and one earned run.
The U.S. squad was dominant offensively throughout the tournament, outscoring its opponents 131-27 in nine games. The 131 runs scored is the most an 18U National Team has ever scored in an international tournament.
Witt Jr. was named the tournament MVP and he also picked up the best slugger and highest batting average awards after hitting .576 with three doubles, three triples, three home runs and 18 RBI in nine games. In addition to Witt Jr.'s honors, six members of the stars and stripes brought home extra hardware. Carroll received the honor for most stolen bases, Greene received awards for the most RBI and home runs, while Volpe earned the award for most runs scored.
Abrams (CF), Callihan (1B), Drew Romo (The Woodlands, Texas) (C) and Volpe (2B) also earned spots on the all-tournament team.
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QUOTES
USA Baseball 18U National Team Manager Jack Leggett
(On winning the U-18 Pan-American Championship)
"I'm really proud of the way we played. We did all of the things we needed to do to win. We pitched extremely well and had timely hits. We really swung the bats as well as I have ever seen. We played great defense and ran the bases extremely aggressively. I'm just proud to be their coach and we showed what USA Baseball is all about. We were head and shoulders above the others. Proud of how we finished out the tournament."
USA Baseball 18U National Team Director Matt Blood
(On winning the U-18 Pan-American Championship)
"I'm really proud of this team and what we accomplished this year. We overcame some hurdles to get where we are, but the guys played really hard and played the game the right way. We scored a lot of runs and they made a pretty strong statement this year. I am proud of what they accomplished."