USA Baseball 15U National Team Wins Gold At WBSC Americas Qualifier
USA Baseball’s 15U National Team won its fourth straight gold medal in the COPABE U-15 Pan-American championships this year in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, topping Panama, 3-1, in the gold medal game.
The US team finished the tournament with an 8-1 record and outscored opponents 66-33 on the way to winning its fourth straight World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-15 Baseball World Cup Qualifier gold medal. The team also won the event in 2013, 2015 and 2017. The 2019 gold medal gives the 15U team its third consecutive gold medal in international events, after winning the 2018 WBSC U-15 World Cup.
Below you can see game-by-game results for the 15U National Team, as well as top performers for each game throughout the tournament.
Roster
Name; position; hometown
Brandon Barriera; LHP; Coconut Creek, Fla.
Karson Bowen; C/RHP; Anaheim Hills, Calif.
Joseph Brown; IF/OF; Petaluma, Calif.
Drew Burress; OF/IF; Perry, Ga.
Spencer Butt; IF/RHP; Davie, Fla.
Kai Caranto; IF/RHP; Santa Clarita, Calif.
Duke Ekstrom; RHP; San Diego, Calif.
Termarr Johnson; IF; Atlanta, Ga.
Dylan Lina; IF/RHP; Carson, Calif.
Matthew Matthijs; RHP/IF; Greenville, N.C.
Ethan McElvain; LHP; Thompson’s Station, Tenn.
Steven Milam; IF/RHP; Las Cruces, N.M.
Aidan Miller; OF; Trinity, Fla.
Brandon Olivera; RHP; Hialeah, Fla.
Benjamin Reiland; OF; Irvine, Calif.
Louis Rodriguez; RHP; Long Beach, Calif.
Mikey Romero; IF; Menifee, Calif.
Logan Saloman; RHP/IF; Chandler, Ariz.
Nolan Schubart; IF; Durand, Mich.
Colton Wombles; C/OF; Salem, Ala.
Gold Medal Game
September 22 — USA 3, Panama 1
Team USA got a rematch against Panama in the gold medal game after losing to the club, 9-7, in the Super Round. In the key matchup, the National Team prevailed, topping Panama 3-1 while allowing just three hits and one walk.
Top Performers: Louis Rodriguez started on the mound for Team USA and threw five innings, allowing just one run on two hits and a walk while striking out four batters. Rodriguez was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player with 10 strikeouts over 10.2 innings. Ethan McElain and Duke Ekstrom combined for two relief innings, allowing just one hit with four strikeouts between the two of them. Outfielder Termarr Johnson and catcher Karson Bowen paced the Americans offensively, with Johnson going 2-for-4 out of the leadoff spot with a double, two RBIs and a run scored, while Bowen went 2-for-3 with a pair of singles. Rodriguez, Johnson, Bowen, Steven Milam and Kai Caranto were all named to the all-tournament team.
Super Round
September 21 — USA 6, Cuba 5
A comeback win against Cuba in the final Super Round game secured Team USA a spot in the gold medal game.
Top Performers: Outfielder Aidan Miller went 2-for-2 at the plate and was responsible for the game-winning hit in the sixth inning—an RBI single that gave the US team a 6-5 lead they would hold onto for the final inning. Second baseman Steven Milam went 1-for-3 with a double, while catcher Karson Bowen went 1-for-2 with a triple, three RBIs and a run scored.
September 20 — Panama 9, USA 7
Top Performers: Catcher Karson Bowen went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs and was one of three players who tallied a multi-hit day. Third baseman Joe Brown also tallied a pair of hits, going 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI, while first baseman Nolan Schubart went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBIs. Outfielder Termarr Johnson and shortstop Mikey Romero continued to produce at the top of the lineup, with the former going 1-for-4 and the latter going 1-for-3 with a pair of runs scored.
September 19 — USA 7, Venezuela 6
Team USA used a three-run seventh inning to come-from-behind against Venezuela and secure a 7-6, walk-off win in the first game of the Super Round.
Top Performers: Third baseman Joe Brown led Team USA with a 2-for-4 day at the plate out of the three-hole, including a pair of runs. Outfielder Aidan Miller went 1-for-3 with a double, a walk and two RBIs, while designated hitter Dylan Lina went 1-for-2 with a walk, run and an RBI. First baseman Nolan Schubart went hitless on the day but still managed to get on base repeatedly, drawing three walks including a key walk that helped the team prevail in the bottom of the seventh inning. Ethan McElvain kept the team within striking distance by shutting out Venezuela in the top of the seventh. He struck out one batter and didn’t allow a hit in his one inning of relief work.
Group Stage
September 17 — USA 3, Mexico 1
With the win over Mexico, Team USA went undefeated in the Group Stage and will enter the Super Round as the No. 1 seed.
Top Performers: The final game of the group stage was a defensive battle between the United States and Mexico, as the two teams combined for just eight hits. Matthew Matthijs got the start for Team USA and threw 3.1 shutout innings despite walking five batters. He also struck out five. Offensively, shortstop Mikey Romero, designated hitter Dylan Lina and outfielder Kai Caranto each tallied a double, while outfielder Termarr Johnson went 1-for-4 with a single and scored a run. Throughout pool play, Johnson has led the Americans in hitting, going 5-for-10 with a triple, double and five stolen bases. Louis Rodriguez threw three shutout relief innings with four walks and four strikeouts.
September 16 — USA 12, Dominican Republic 6
Top Performers: The 15U National team had its third straight game with double digit runs and were led by outfielder Termarr Johnson, who went 3-for-3 with a triple, a walk and three runs scored. Catcher Karson Bowen also had a multi-hit game, going 2-for-3 with a double, walk, two RBIs and two runs scored. Logan Saloman excelled on the mound, entering in relief and throwing 5.2 shutout innings with eight strikeouts and just one walk, scattering four hits. Saloman now leads the USA pitching staff with 11 total strikeouts in 7.2 innings of work in the tournament.
September 15 — USA 11, Colombia 4
Team USA clinched a spot in the Super Round (which begins Thursday, September 19) with the win over Colombia.
Top Performers: Third baseman Joe Brown paced Team USA offensively, going 3-for-3 with three singles, a walk and a pair of RBIs, while designated hitter Dylan Lina went 1-for-4 with an inside-the-park home run and three RBIs. Lina also threw an inning on the mound, shutting out the Colombian offense in the seventh inning and striking out the side. Second baseman Steven Milam and first baseman Nolan Schubart both added multi-hit efforts, with the former going 2-for-4 with two runs scored, an RBI and a pair of stolen bases and the latter going 2-for-3 with a double, two walks and three runs scored. Brandon Barriera got the start for Team USA and tossed five innings. He allowed a pair of runs on four hits and a walk while striking out six batters.
September 14 — USA 12, Honduras 0
Top Performers: Spencer Butt and Ethan McElvain combined for a shortened, four inning no-hitter against Honduras, as the American offense erupted for 12 runs in the first three innings. Butt got the start and struck out four batters while walking three over three innings, while McElvain threw one shutout inning of relief with a pair of strikeouts. Shortstop Mikey Romero and outfielder Kai Caranto paced the Americans offensively. Romero went 2-for-2 with a run and an RBI, while Caranto went 2-for-2 with a pair of doubles, two runs and two RBIs. Outfielder Termarr Johnson went 1-for-1 with a double out of the leadoff spot and designated hitter Dylan Lina went 1-for-2 with a double, walk and a pair of runs scored.
September 13 — USA 5, Brazil 1
Top Performers: Duke Ekstrom threw five innings without allowing an earned run while striking out five batters, walking three and scattering three hits. Logan Saloman added two shutout innings of relief with three strikeouts and just one walk. Leadoff hitter Termarr Johnson went hitless, but drew two walks and scored a pair of runs, while shortstop Mikey Romero hit a big, two-RBI double to give Team USA a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning. Romero went 1-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored. Second baseman Steven Milam was the only other American hitter to tally a hit, going 1-for-2 with a walk and a run scored.
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