Thanks in part to the slugging of Harwood Heights’ Jack Ryan, the U.S. 12U national baseball team started the WBSC World Cup 4-0 and clinched a berth in the tournament’s next round.
Ryan went 2-for-2 with a double, a three-run home run to the opposite field and four RBIs in an 8-0 victory over Japan on Saturday, July 25, in Tainan, Taiwan. Ryan also scored the first run of the game in the first inning after he drew a walk.
He went deep again the next day, blasting a two-run home run in the first inning against Mexico on an 0-2 pitch. The U.S. won the game 4-2.
The U.S. opened the tournament with a 15-3, six-inning victory over Nicaragua on Friday, July 24. Ryan, a seventh-grader at Giles School in Norridge, went 2-for-3 with a walk and scored three times.
With its 13-1 win in five innings over Australia on Monday, July 27, the U.S. earned a spot in the Super Round. The top three teams in both groups advance. The U.S. clinched the top spot in Group B and will play the top three teams in Group A in the Super Round. The two teams with the best cumulative record after the eight games will meet in the final on Sunday, Aug. 2.
The U.S. is scheduled to play France on Tuesday, July 28, in its final opening-round game. It begins the Super Round on Thursday, July, 30.
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Twitter: @Ryan_Nilsson