Showing posts tagged “Texas-Arlington”
Mike Potter ·
26 Jul 2009, 10:47 PM ·
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Start up that classic ’70s song from “Queen.”
USA Baseball’s National Team has won the World Baseball Challenge.
Drew Pomeranz (pictured) of Ole Miss took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, helping his team avenge an earlier defeat in an 8-1 pounding of Germany in the championship game in Prince George, B.C.
After the Germans scratched out a run in the first, the USA dominated the rest of the way.
Blake Forsythe of Tennessee tied the game in the bottom of the second with an RBI single. Then in the third, Rice’s Rick Hague added an RBI single and Texas-Arlington’s Michael Choice a solo homer over the left field fence.
The lead went to 6-1 in the fourth on a two-run double from Florida State’s Tyler Holt. Then in the eighth, Miami’s Yasmani Grandal and Middle Tennessee’s Bryce Brentz added solo homers.
Choice, Grandal, Pomeranz and UCLA’s Gerrit Cole were named to the all-tournament team. Choice earned the home-run hitting award with three while Hague took the best hitter award with a .474 average.
Team USA finished its season with a 19-5 record, with all five losses to teams from Eurasia.
The next over-18 USA team to play before the public will be the professional World Cup team, which will take on Canada for a three-game series in Cary beginning Sept. 3.
ACC, Baseball, USA Baseball Blake Forsythe, British Columbia, Bryce Brentz, Canada, Drew Pomeranz, Florida State, Germany, Gerrit Cole, Miami Hurricanes, Michael Choice, Middle Tennessee, Mississippi Rebels, Ole Miss, Prince George, Queen, Rice Owls, Rick Hague, Tennessee Volunteers, Texas-Arlington, Tyler Holt, UCLA, World Baseball Challenge, World Cup, Yasmani Grandal
Mike Potter ·
23 Jul 2009, 10:41 PM ·
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Now they’re on a roll again.
USA Baseball’s National Team won its third straight game, walloping British Columbia 12-2 in a contest stopped by the mercy rule after eight innings, to earn the top seed for the medal round of the World Baseball Challenge in Prince George, B.C.
Rice’s Rick Hague, Middle Tennessee’s Bryce Brentz (pictured) and Texas-Arlington’s Michael Choice each homered during the big fifth-inning rally for the Red, White and Blue.
B.C. took a 2-0 lead off Cody Wheeler of Coastal Carolina as Devon Franklin hit a solo shot in the first and Mike Collins added another in the fourth.
The USA, batting in the bottom of each frame, evened the score in the fourth on an RBI double from Arkansas’ Andy Wilkins and a wild pitch by Corey Parsons.
The winners then exploded in the fifth as Hague blasted a solo shot, Brentz a two-run tater and Choice another solo clout for a 6-2 lead.
Wheeler (3-0) pitched seven full innings, striking out 10.
The USA will play its first medal-round game Friday night at 10 (EDT) against the No. 2 seed, Canada’s National Team, with UCLA’s Gerrit Cole on the hill. The winner will get an automatic spot in Sunday’s title game.
Baseball, USA Baseball Andy Wilkins, Arkansas Razorbacks, British Columbia, Bryce Brentz, Canada, Coastal Carolina, Cody Wheeler, Corey Parsons, Devon Franklin, Gerrit Cole, Michael Choice, Middle Tennessee, Mike Collins, Prince George Axemen, Rice Owls, Rick Hague, Texas-Arlington, UCLA, World Baseball Challenge
Mike Potter ·
23 Jul 2009, 1:49 AM ·
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Rice’s Rick Hague (pictured) went 3-for-4 with a homer Wednesday night, leading USA Baseball’s National Team to a 10-2 romp over the host Prince George Axemen at the World Baseball Challenge in British Columbia.
Team USA improved to 3-1 in round-robin play and into a three-way tie for first place, while the Axemen fell to 2-2.
The Axemen took the lead in the first inning on Darrin Doucette’s double, but the Americans responded with four runs in the fourth. The big blows in that inning were a solo homer from Texas-Arlington’s Michael Choice and a two-run shot from veteran Christian Colon of Cal State-Fullerton.
Hague homered to lead off the fifth, and the Americans added another run in the fifth and two in the sixth to put the game away.
Vanderbilt’s Sonny Gray struck out five and allowed the one run in seven innings on the hill. Tom Nielsen went five innings in the loss.
The USA plays its final round-robin game today at 6 p.m. (EDT) against Team BC, which is also tied for first. Coastal Carolina’s Cody Wheeler is the scheduled starter for the USA.
The elimination round begins Saturday with the title game on Sunday at 7 p.m. (EDT).
Baseball, USA Baseball British Columbia, Cal State-Fullerton, Canada, Christian Colon, Coastal Carolina, Cody Wheeler, Darrin Doucette, Michael Choice, Prince George Axemen, Rice Owls, Rick Hague, Sonny Gray, Texas-Arlington, Tom Nielsen, Vanderbilt, World Baseball Challenge
Mike Potter ·
5 Jul 2009, 7:10 PM ·
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Finally, a competitive game.
USA Baseball’s National Team took on an outside domestic opponent for the first time this season, beating the All-Stars of the New England Collegiate Baseball League 4-1 on Sunday in Manchester, N.H.
t was the first time Team USA, which opened with a five-game series against Canada’s 18U team followed by a four-game set against a weak Guatemala club, had beaten an opponent by fewer than six runs this season.
The contest was part of a doubleheader, the second half being an Eastern League squabble between the host New Hampshire Fisher Cats and the Portland Sea Dogs.
Team USA, which has won 34 straight games going back to last season, led 3-0 before the NECBL picked up its only run in the fifth.
Coastal Carolina’s Cody Wheeler (pictured), who gave up the NECBL’s only two hits, improved to 2-0 with seven strikeouts in five innings while Texas Tech’s Chad Bettis cashed in on his team’s first save opportunity of the season.
Michael Choice of Texas-Arlington led the USA’s 13-hit attack with three hits including a double that was the game’s only extra-base hit, while Middle Tennessee’s Bryce Brentz added three singles.
Team USA will visit the Holyoke (Mass.) Blue Sox of the NECBL tonight.
Baseball, USA Baseball Bryce Brentz, Canada, Chad Bettis, Coastal Carolina, Cody Wheeler, Eastern League, Guatemala, Holyoke Blue Sox, Manchester, Michael Choice, Middle Tennessee, NECBL, New Hampshire Fisher Cats, Portland Sea Dogs, Texas Tech, Texas-Arlington
Mike Potter ·
3 Jul 2009, 10:28 PM ·
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COLEMAN FIELD/CARY It’s Game 3 of what has so far been a very lopsided series between the USA National Team and Guatemala.
In Game 1 on Wednesday night in Kannapolis the USA pitching staff combined for 24 strikeouts and then on Thursday night on this field the staff combined for the first official no-hitter in team history.
The crowd is a little bigger on a very pleasantly warm evening at the National Training Complex, perhaps drawn in by the post-game fireworks. And maybe there will be some during the game, too.
The USA is in camo uniforms tonight to celebrate the Independence Day weekend.
To review, this Guatemalan team has a massively wide age range. Infielder Jorge Gutierrez, who came into the game with the Quetzals’ only two hits of the series and isn’t in the starting lineup, is 42 while center fielder Manuel Hernandez is 16.
And once again, I’m the only one in the house representing local media - or in fact any general-circulation publication not specializing in baseball. Baseball America is also on site.
The Americans are batting in the top of the first inning, and it quickly becomes obvious this is like the movie “Groundhog Day” for the overmatched Guatemalans, who are on the way to an 18-0 loss that’s stopped after seven innings. UCLA’s Trevor Bauer (pictured) gets the win. Continue reading »
Baseball, Durham Bulls, USA Baseball Al Yevoli, Baseball America, Bryce Brentz, Cal State-Fullerton, Cary, Christian Colon, Groundhog Day, High Point Panthers, Jorge Gutierrez, Kannapolis, Manuel Hernandez, Mario Cruz, Marlon Claveria, Michael Choice, Middle Tennessee, Rick Jones, San Diego Padres, Sonny Gray, Texas-Arlington, Trevor Bauer, Tulane, UCLA, Vanderbilt
Mike Potter ·
29 Jun 2009, 10:55 PM ·
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COLEMAN FIELD/CARY It’s the finale of the big five-game series between the USA National (Collegiate) Team and the high school boys from Canada.
Before the game there’s a huge networking event among a couple of dozen Chamber of Commerce organizations, etc. The Carolina Hurricanes and the Durham Bulls and the Carolina Railhawks all have booths, as do numerous well-known local restaurants. At least what serves as the press meal is healthy tonight - until they bring in the leftover chocolate chip cookies and cinnamon bagels.
Bill Coleman, long-time former Cary town manager, throws the ceremonial pitch on a night the stadium is dedicated in his name. It’s a lot friendlier moniker than the “National Training Complex,” huh?
Early in the game Cary Mayor Pro-Tem Julie Aberg Robison comes into the press box and sits for a bit. I can’t resist picking her brain for a little politics. One thing she points out is the need to raise awareness of what a classy complex the town has put together, and she’s absolutely right.
And since apparently I’m the only local keyboard media type covering this game - which the USA wins 9-3 - the problem is pretty apparent.
Anyway, the game gets going in front of a very polite crowd that seems as if it got lost going to a tennis or golf event. Not like DBAP or even Five County. Those wanting beer had to get it at the networking event.
So it gets going and nobody scores in the first. In the second, the USA run machine fires up. The hosts score two in the second on a hit and an error, then two more in the third with the first RBI hit by Michael Choice (pictured) of Texas-Arlington. Continue reading »
Baseball, Carolina Hurricanes, Carolina RailHawks, Durham Bulls, USA Baseball Asher Wojciechowski, Bill Coleman, British Columbia, Darren Kolk, Drew Pomeranz, Durham Bulls Athletic Park, Five County Stadium, Guatemala, Julie Aberg Robison, Kannapolis, Kellin Deglan, Langley, Michael Choice, Rick Jones, Texas-Arlington, The Citadel, Tulane, World Baseball Classic
Mike Potter ·
22 Jun 2009, 7:46 PM ·
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Michael Choice (pictured) of Texas-Arlington blasted a three-run homer in the sixth inning, pacing the Blues to an 8-5 win over the Reds in a USA National Team intrasquad this afternoon at the National Training Complex in Cary.
Arizona State’s Matt Newman hit a three-run homer to lead the Reds.
In other news about the team, Utah’s Bill Kinneberg has been named head coach for 2010 while Cal State-Fullerton’s Dave Serrano will be the pitching coach.
Kolten Wong of Hawaii and Wright State’s Casey McGrew had RBI singles for the Blues in today’s contest.
Tyler Holt of Florida State added an RBI double and Christian Colon of Cal State-Fullerton an RBI single for the Reds.
Continue reading »
ACC, Baseball, USA Baseball Arizona State, Asher Wojciechowski, Bill Kinneberg, Cal State-Fullerton, Christian Colon, Coastal Carolina, Cody Wheeler, Florida State, Hawaii Rainbow Warriors, Kolten Wong, Matt Newman, Michael Choice, Texas-Arlington, The Citadel, Tyler Holt, Utah Utes, Wright State
