OKLAHOMA CITY (September 21, 2024) —Behind a nine-run first inning, the U.S. Men’s National Team (MNT) posted its final win of the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Men’s World Cup Group C Stage Event, defeating Japan in a 10-0 run-rule victory to punch its ticket to the World Cup Finals held in 2025. The U.S. and Japan met in the No. 1 vs No. 2 matchup while Colombia and Guatemala finished Opening Round in the No. 3 and No. 4 spots. Team USA’s win sends Japan to take on Guatemala – who defeated Colombia earlier in the day — for the second spot in the Finals.
With a trip to the 2025 WBSC Men’s World Cup Finals on the line, the U.S. and Japan kicked off the action at 4 p.m. CT. Shining for the Eagles on offense was Erick Ochoa, posting a perfect 3-for-3 performance and only multi-hit day at the plate for the U.S. Four additional U.S. batters tabbed a hit in the matchup, with Zac Shaw sending a solo shot to center field and Jeff Lewis tabbing a bases-loaded triple.
Marco Diaz remained steady in the circle for the Eagles, tossing five K’s while allowing only three hits through four innings. Scoring early and often, the U.S. saw their first run of the game after a bases-loaded walk to Cam Schiller pushed one across before a pair of singles from Tyler Johnson and Yusef Davis brought in four more runs — putting the Eagles ahead, 5-0. Lewis kept the bats going with a bases-loaded triple to plate three while Ochoa tacked on another with a single up the middle, strengthening the U.S. lead, 9-0 in the bottom of the first. Despite a quiet second inning, Shaw pushed the Eagles to double digits with a solo blast in the bottom of the third to extend the lead to 10-0. Diaz and the U.S. defense held strong in the top of the fourth, retiring the side in order and earning the win in run-rule fashion.
Today’s win marks Team USA’s fourth tournament shutout en route to clinching its spot in the WBSC World Cup Finals, with Opening Round wins over Colombia, Guatemala, Netherlands, Japan and South Africa. The MNT squad dominated throughout the tournament, winning four matchups by way of the run-rule. Leading the U.S. at the plate in its undefeated campaign was Lewis with a .688 batting average, followed by Jonathan Lynch (.588), Tyler Johnson (.467) and Blaine Milheim (.467). The U.S. pitching staff of Diaz, Javier Caballero, Cody Gibbons and Jon Gwizdala shined in the six wins — totaling 68 strikeouts while only giving up eight earned runs.
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The Red, White and Blue led the tournament in eight offensive categories and six pitching categories including batting average (Lewis – .688), hits (Lewis – 11, Johnson – 7), home runs (Lynch – 3), RBI (Lynch – 10, Lewis – 8, Johnson – 7), runs scored (Lewis – 10), on-base percentage (Lewis – .762), slugging percentage (Lynch – 1.294), hits allowed (Caballero – 1), runs allowed, (0) and earned runs (0). To view complete stat leaders, visit wbsc.org.
The WBSC Men’s World Cup Finals will take place in Prince Albert, Canada in 2025, and will feature the top two teams from each Group event (Group A, B and C) in addition to two wild card selections. For more information, visit wbsc.org.
To learn more about the U.S. Men’s National Team program, visit USASoftball.com.