Aaron Whitefield put the Aussies ahead in the top of the first and protected the lead with great plays in center field. It's the first Australian win over USA in ten head to heads at the World Cup and Olympic level.
Aaron Whitefield put the Aussies ahead in the top of the first and protected the lead with great plays in center field to record Australia's first win over USA in ten head to heads at the World Cup and Olympic level.
Australia scored two runs in the top of the first against starter Tanner Houck and that was all the Aussies needed to upset the USA. Australia earned a historic 2-1 win and is now back in the race for a spot in the medal round of the WBSC Premier12 2019. Australia still has a chance to contend the Asia/Oceania spot in the 2020 Olympic Games to Korea and Chinese Taipei.
Aaron Whitefield provided all of the run production and some outstanding defensive plays in centre field.
The USA starter Tanner Houck, a top prospect in the Boston Red Sox organisation had a shaky start after walking the first batter, then allowed a double to left fielder Andrew Campbell. After walking the bases loaded with one out. Whitefield got to him with a single up the middle that gave Australia a 2-0 lead.
Houck would leave after five innings, without allowing another runner and hard throwing relievers Daniel Tillo and Noah Song provided three more perfect innings.
The USA couldn’t provide their pitching any run support despite some consistent contact. In the bottom of the second Whitefield ran down a deep fly by designated hitter Andrew Vaughn.
In the bottom of the fourth third baseman Darryl George stopped a hard-hit grounder by clean-up hitter Alec Bohm. Aussie starter Tim Atherton got out of the fourth by getting Vaughn to hit into a double play. The USA got their first hit in the bottom of the fifth when catcher Erik Kratz reached on a two-out single. George provided more stellar defence to get the third out on a grounder hit to his left.
The USA scored their only run in the bottom of the eighth when left fielder Mark Payton homered off Aussie closer Ryan Searle. Whitefield had provided the first out of the inning with a spectacular diving catch on a fly in the gap to right-centre by second baseman CJ Chatham.
Brandon Dickson helped the USA enter the bottom of the ninth trailing only by one run. He inherited a bases-loaded situation from Wyatt Mills and got out of the jam with back to back strike outs. Andrew Vaughn reached on an infield single in the top of the ninth, then left for pinch-runner Drew Waters.
Left-handed reliever Jon Kennedy retired pinch hitter Xavier Edwards and Erik Kratz in order and earned the save.
