Bengochea Pitches USA Past Japan
June 26, 2000
Honolulu, Hawai’i (www.hurricanesports.com) – University of Miami freshman pitcher Kiki Bengochea (2-0, 0.00 ERA) earned his second win for USA Baseball, as Team USA defeated the Japan Collegiate All-Stars, 5-2, to open a five-game series on the 2000 US WEST Red, White and Blue Tour.
Bengochea, a graduate of Miami’s Columbus School, earned the win in relief of Team USA starter and Stetson sophomore Len DiNardo. Bengochea pitched 3.0 scoreless innings with zero hits, two walks and two strikeouts for his second victory of the summer. Team USA was trailing 2-1 when DiNardo was pulled in favor of Bengochea after facing two batters in the fourth and handing the Japan Collegiate All-Stars its first lead. DiNardo left the game with a blister on his pitching hand. The second year Team USA hurler allowed two unearned runs on four hits and two walks while striking out five batters.
Bengochea received enough run support by his teammates, as Team USA added four runs over the fourth and fifth innings, to eventually win the game. He also received the win for Team USA in the Tour opening, 5-0, shutout of Mexico when he earned the victory as the starter.
Against the Japan Collegiate All-Stars, Georgia Tech sophomore third baseman Mark Teixeira led Team USA offensively, as he collected three hits, including his first home run of the Tour. He led off the fourth inning with a shot over the wall down the right field line, his first of three extra-base hits in the evening. The reigning national college player of the year also doubled twice. Long Beach State sophomore shortstop Bobby Crosby also had two hits for Team USA.
Following Bengochea on the mound, Arizona State sophomore lefty Jon Switzer gave up a hit and struck out one in two innings, while Cal-State Fullerton junior righty Kirk Saarloos slammed the door in the ninth for his first save. Japan’s Akichika Yamada (0-1) was tagged with the loss despite striking out 15 batters in a complete-game effort.
The series between Team USA and the Japan Collegiate All-Stars marks the 29th annual series between the two programs. Additionally, Team USA has won 17 of the series, and has never lost a series on home soil. Last season, Japan swept the five-game series on its home turf. The USA-Japan series continues Tuesday night at 7:05 pm Honolulu time with the second game of the five-game set. Mark Prior (RHP, So, Southern California) will start for Team USA, while Japan’s starter has not been announced. Game three of the series will be played June 30 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif., with game four taking place June 3 in Phoenix, Ariz., and the final game coming at Hi Corbett Field in Tucson, Ariz., the home of USA Baseball.
BOXSCOREJapan at USA National Team Jun 25, 2000 at Honolulu, Hawaii
Japan 2 (5-0) USA National Team 5 (0-1)
AB R H RBI AB R H RBI
Yuki rf 5 0 0 0 Lewis lf 3 1 0 0Tanaka 2b 4 0 0 0 Merritt rf 4 0 1 0Abe, M. 3b 3 0 0 0 Teixeira 3b 4 2 3 1Abe, S. c 4 0 0 0 Crosby ss 4 1 2 1Hirose lf 4 1 3 0 Boyd cf 4 0 1 1Fujitani 1b 3 1 1 0 Myers dh 3 1 0 0Osuga ss 3 0 0 0 Gautreau 1b 3 0 0 0Kimoto ph 0 0 0 0 Budde c 3 0 0 0Sasaki cf 2 0 0 0 Burke 2b 3 0 1 1Hida ph 1 0 1 0 DiNardo p 0 0 0 0Fujita dh 4 0 1 0 Bengochea p 0 0 0 0Yamada p 0 0 0 0 Switzer p 0 0 0 0 Saarloos p 0 0 0 0
Totals…… 33 2 6 0 Totals…… 31 5 8 4
Score by innings: R H E———————————————-Japan 000 200 000 – 2 6 0USA National Team 100 310 00 – 5 8 3———————————————-
E – Crosby, Budde, DiNardo. DP – USA 1. LOB – Japan 9, USA 5. 2B – Hirose,Teixeira 2. HR – Teixeira(1). SB – Osuga, Hida, Lewis. CS – Merritt.
IP H R ER BB SO WP BK HP IBB AB BF Fly Gnd
Yamada L 0-1 8.0 8 5 5 3 15 3 1 0 0 31 34 1 7
DiNardo 3.0 4 2 0 2 5 1 0 0 0 13 15 1 3Bengochea W 2-0 3.0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 9 11 3 4Switzer 2.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 7 7 2 3Saarloos S,1 1.0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 4 5 0 2
WP – Yamada 3, DiNardo. BK – Yamada. PB – Abe, S., Budde.
Strikeouts – Yuki 3, Abe, S. 2, Osuga 2, Sasaki, Fujita, Lewis 2, Merritt,Teixeira, Crosby 2, Boyd, Myers 2, Gautreau 3, Budde 2, Burke. Walks – Tanaka,Abe, M., Fujitani, Kimoto, Sasaki, Lewis, Myers, Gautreau.
Umpires – Home:FTomaszewski 1st:G. Ogawa 3rd:K. TorresStart: 7:05 pm Time: 2:45 Attendance: 523
Game Notes:First game of five-game seriesDiNardo faced 2 batters in the 4th.
