JUNIOR NATIONAL TEAM ROLLS PAST SPAIN 11-1 AT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Squad tallies double digits for second straight day;
will meet two-time defending world champ Cuba in quarters
Sept. 22, 2006

  • Box Score  |  Scoreboard/Results

    • MORON CITY, CUBA - Buoyed by its second double-digit scoring performance in as many days, the USA Baseball Junior National Team rolled to an 11-1 win against Spain Sept. 22 in the International BAseball Federation "AAA" World Junior Championships at Paquito Espinosa Stadium. The scheduled nine-inning affair was halted after seven innings because of the tournament's run rule.

    Tommy Medica and Daniel Elorriaga Matra each drove in three runs to highlight a 10-hit JNT attack while Greg Peavey fired a complete-game three-hitter. Team USA won its third consecutive game after dropping its opening two contests of the event, which features 12 teams of youth ages 18 and under.

    "Obviously, we have been swinging the bats a lot better the last couple of days," JNT Head Coach Jason Hisey said. "We have also had teams give us some breaks that we have capitalized on the last three games."

    With the win, the Americans finish pool play with a 3-2 mark and will advance to championship quarterfinal action on Sept. 24. After a day off from competition, Team USA will meet host Cuba (5-0) in the quarterfinals at 2 p.m. (Eastern time) at J.A. Huelga Stadium in Sancti Spiritus. Cuba, the tourney's only undefeated team, is the two-time defending world champion.

    "It doesn't really matter who we play first; we know there are going to be eight good teams left," Hisey said prior to learning of the JNT's final finish in pool play. "The order (of opponents) really isn't important."

    As it did a day earlier in an 18-1 rout of Italy, the Team USA started quickly against Spain. Matt Dominguez (OF; Lake Balboa, CA) slapped a two-out, two-run triple in the first inning to plate Justin Jackson (INF; Asheville, NC) and Mike Moustakas (INF; Northridge, CA), each of whom had drawn a walk off Spain starter Juan Lopez (0-2).

    The Americans added three more runs in the second. Christian Colon (INF; Corona, CA) drew a bases-loaded walk to force in one run while a sacrifice fly by Medica (C-OF; San Jose, CA) and Moustakas' two-out single drove in the other for a 5-0 Team USA lead. Elorriaga Matra (C; Coral Springs, FL) smacked a two-run home run, the JNT's second roundtripper of the tournament, to highlight a three-run third. Jackson also had a run-scoring single in the frame. Elorriaga Matra picked up his third RBI with a single in the fifth that knocked in Michael Main (OF-P; Deltona, FL), who had reached on an error and stole second base. Team USA added another run in the inning on Medica's RBI single to build its lead to 10-0. After Spain (0-5) scored its only run in the sixth, Medica's third RBI of the game, which drove in Colon in the top of the seventh, gave the Americans their final 10-run cushion.

    Peavey (RHP; Vancouver, WA) went the distance for Team USA, allowing three hits while striking out 12 and issuing just one walk. He fanned three in both the second and sixth innings. Spain's only run against him came on Xavier Gonzalez' one-out solo homer in the sixth.

    "Greg did exactly what we brought him here to do," Hisey said, referring to Team USA's use of five different starters for each of its five pool games. "Greg gave us seven innings. That was the goal."

    JNT pitchers have permitted just 10 runs in five games, including just three in the squad's last three contests.

    USA233 020 1 - 11 10 2
    Spain000 001 0 -  1   3  1
    Peavey and Elorriaga Matra. Lopez, Aineto (2), Marti (3), Matin-Villalba (4), Garcia (7) and Porres.
    HR: Elorriaga Matra (1). W: Peavey (1-0). L: Lopez (0-2).
    Time: 2:24. Attendance: 900.

    Pool Play Standings (through Team USA game Sept. 21)

    Pool A: Pool B:
    Cuba5-0 Canada4-1
    Korea3-2 Chinese Taipei3-3
    Netherlands3-2 Mexico3-2
    Australia2-2 USA3-2
    Panama1-3 Italy2-3
    South Africa0-5 Spain0-5

    Sept. 21 Pool Play Results
    USA def. Italy, 18-1 (7 innings)
    Mexico def. Spain, 15-2 (7 innings)
    Canada def. Chinese Taipei, 8-1
    Korea def. South Africa, 9-0
    Netherlands def. Panama, 4-1
    Cuba def. Australia, 8-3

    Sept. 22 Pool Play Results
    USA def. Spain, 11-1 (7 innings)
    Canada def. Italy, 10-0 (8 innings)
    Cuba def. South Africa, 13-1 (7 innings)
    Korea def. Netherlands, 9-1
    Mexico def. Chinese Taipei, 5-3 (13 innings)
    Panama vs. Australia