Team USA's 18u National Team claimed a 6-2 victory over Canada in the XXV IBAF 18U Baseball World Championship held in Seoul, Korea to bring home the Gold medal.
Of the team's 20-man roster, eight had participated in the 2012 Perfect Game All-American Classic presented by Rawlings. Six of those players were instrumental in securing the victory in the Gold Medal Game, scoring five of the six runs, recording eight of the nine hits and driving in four of the six runs. Classic MVP Ryan Boldt, Reese McGuire and Chris Okey each went 2-for-3, while Boldt and Jeremy Martinez each scored a pair of runs. Cavan Biggio went 1-for-4 at the plate.
Left handed pitcher Ian Clarkin, the game's starter, worked the first six innings to pick up the win.
Fellow All-American pitchers Stephen Gonsalves and Kevin Davis did not pitch in the Gold Medal Game, but played a key role in Team USA getting that far. Davis pitched 6.1 innings in the previous game, picking up the win in a 10-5 game against Japan. Gonsalves recorded the win in the game prior to that, a complete game effort in a 5-1 victory over Chinese Taipei.
All eight PG All-Americans participated at the 2012 National Showcase held at the Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minn., as did USA Baseball teammates William Abreu, Christian Arroyo, Connor Heady, John Kilichowski, Andy McGuire, Dom Nunez, Ryan Olson and Garrett Williams.
Be sure to visit the IBAF site for the game story, Team USA's 18u National Team page as well as GameChanger for the box score.
Congratulations to all of the members of USA Baseball's 18u National Team for claiming the Gold medal, and to all of the players that participated in the XXV IBAF 18U Baseball World Championship.