Team USA falls to Cuba at Junior World Championships

Cuba scored run in ninth inning to end Team USA's chance of capturing Junior World Championships.

Thumbnail image of this articles writer: Kevin Askeland
By
Jul 31, 2010, 1:12pm
Dreams of repeating the success it had at the 2009 Pan Am Games came to an end for Team USA 18U Friday thanks to the same team the Americans defeated for the gold medal last year.

Cuba scored a run in the top of the ninth inning to deliver Team USA a 3-2 defeat at the Junior World Championships at Thunder Bay, Canada, knocking Team USA out of medal contention. Team USA will play today and Sunday but can finish no better than fifth. Team USA defeated Cuba at the Pan Am Games last year for the gold.

Ironically, Team USA (5-1, 17-2) had one of its finest pitching performances of the tournament as A.J. Vanegas went eight innings and gave up two runs on five hits with 13 strikeouts. Vanegas gave way to Phillip Pfeifer in the ninth inning when Cuba was able to score the winning run.

The potent Team USA offense, which had scored 50 runs in the previous four games, managed to bang out 10 hits, but it left 10 runners on base. Blake Swihart and Michael Lorenzen led the hitting attack with half of Team USA's hit total. Swihart was 2-for-3 with a double while Lorenzen was 3-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI.

Cuba opened the scoring with a run in the first inning on a home run by Guillermo Aviles. Team USA countered with a single run in the second inning when Nicky Delmonico singled and scored on Lorenzen's double.

Cuba regained the lead in the fourth inning on consecutive doubles by Jorge Soler and Geikis Jimenez. Team USA waited until the eighth inning to tie the game. Tony Wolters was hit by a pitch and advanced to third on two groundouts before scoring on Bubba Starling's basehit.

Pfeifer entered the game in the top of the ninth and Lazaro Hernandez doubled home a run to break the tie at 3-2.

Team USA loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth but was unable to break through for a run. With two outs, Lorenzen doubled, Wolters was hit by a pitch and Francisco Lindor singled. However a fielder's choice at second base forced Lindor for the final out of the game.

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