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Santa Clarita, Calif. - Team USA used 14 strikeouts from its pitching staff to defeat Pacific Baseball Academy, 7-1, in the first exhibition game of 2019 12U National Team Training on Saturday, at William S. Hart Pony Baseball and Softball Park in Santa Clarita, California.

Team USA's starting pitcher Alexander Mercurius (Las Vegas, Nev.) (1-0) earned the win after striking out four in two scoreless innings on the mound. Jack Armijo (San Lorenzo, Calif.) and Jack McKernan (Missouri City, Texas) struck out all three batters that they faced, while Logan Shields (Manvel, Texas) and Josiah Hartshorn (Anaheim, Calif.) punched out two batters each in one inning of relief. Pacific Baseball Academy's Landon Hodge (0-1) suffered the loss after allowing three runs in two innings of work.

Gavin Fien (Temecula, Calif.) led the U.S. at the plate after recording a hit and driving in two runs. Jack Ruckert (Baton Rouge, Louis.) contributed two runs and stole two bases in the game, while Sebastion Segura (Spring, Texas) added a triple.

Key Moments

• Team USA jumped out to an early lead in the bottom of the first after Lucas Tinajero (Corpus Christi, Texas) drove in Jack Ruckert (Baton Rouge, Louisiana) with a hard ground ball that bounced between Pacific Baseball Academy's shortshop and third baseman.
• Gavin Fien (Temecula, Calif.) continued the scoring in the first with a two-RBI single up the middle to give Team USA a 3-0 advantage.
• PBA scored its lone run in the top of the second on an RBI-double by Nate Lopez.
• The red, white, and blue added to its lead after scoring runs in the fourth and fifth innings as John Dolan (Camarillo, Calif.) and Jack Ruckert (Baton Rouge, Louis.) scored on a passed ball and a throwing error by Pacific Baseball Academy, respectively.
• Sebastian Segura (Spring, Texas) hit a two-out triple that plated Jack McKernan (Missouri City, Texas) before scoring on a wild pitch in the bottom of the sixth to give Team USA the 7-1 win.

Notable Information

• Team USA moved to 1-0 at National Team Trials with the win over Pacific Baseball Academy.
• Alexander Mercurius (Las Vegas, Nev.) (1-0) earned the win on the mound after striking out four batters in two innings. Pacific Baseball Academy's starting pitcher Landon Hodge suffered the loss.
• Team USA outhit Pacific Baseball Academy 7-3 in the exhibition game.

On Deck

• The 12U National Team will compete in its final training game on Sunday, July 21, against the Top Tier Americans. First pitch is set for 3:45 p.m. at William S. Hart Park.
• Following Sunday's contest, Team USA will travel to Tainan, Taiwan, to compete in the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-12 Baseball World Cup.

Social

• Stay tuned to @USABaseball12U on Twitter and visit USABaseball.com for the most up-to-date news about the 12U National Team.