USA Baseball: Triangle Offense, Indy Week

Stroman gets the save again as USA clinches series with Japanese

Mike Potter — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 23:53:20 -0400

Duke's Marcus Stroman shut the door for Team USA once again, picking up his second save in three games in a 4-3 win over Japan on Tuesday night at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

The victory was the USA’s third in as many games and the clincher in the 38th annual best-of-5 Collegiate Friendship Series, setting off a lengthy celebration between the players and the full house on hand to see the city’s rain-postponed Independence Day fireworks show.…

Duke's Stroman saves the day as USA gets 7-6 comeback win over Japanese

Mike Potter — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 19:24:44 -0400

DBAP/DURHAM It’s Game 1 of the annual Collegiate Friendship Series between Team USA and Japan.

This will be the 38th rendition of the annual five-game set, which is played to a fifth game even if one team quickly wins three times.…

Tar Heels outslug Blue Devils in ACC conference opener at DBAP

Mike Potter — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 23:00:19 -0500

DURHAM BULLS ATHLETIC PARK/DURHAM The ACC baseball conference season starts tonight, and they seem to make schedules a lot differently in this sport than in most others.

Duke, which has moved 18 home games to the Durham Bulls' digs this season and is playing many of the rest at USA Baseball's Coleman Field in Cary, is hosting archrival UNC tonight in the opener of their three-game series.…

USA Baseball to host series with Korea, also announces changes

Mike Potter — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:46:36 -0500

The Koreans are coming to the Triangle.

USA Baseball has announced that its Collegiate National Team will square off in a five-game friendly series with the Republic of Korea from July 14-18, with the first two of five games in Cary and the final two in Durham.…

USA Baseball rips Cubans again, repeats World Cup championship

Mike Potter — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 15:39:53 -0400

Maybe the Cuban baseball dynasty is beginning to crumble a little bit.

Lucas May blasted a three-run, second-inning homer and Team USA poured on six more runs in the seventh, topping the Cubans 10-5 to win the IBAF World Cup in Nettuno, Italy.…

USA Baseball hopes 13-game winning streak brings good luck

Mike Potter — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 00:38:23 -0400

Team USA will go into the championship game of the IBAF World Cup on a 13-game winning streak.

Kasey Kiker (pictured) allowed just one hit in six innings while Buck Coats had three hits for three RBI on Friday as the Red, White and Blue topped The Netherlands 8-2 in their final game of pool play.…

USA Baseball tops Cubans, will face them again in Sunday's finale

Mike Potter — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 00:11:00 -0400

Team USA won the warmup game, and now the Americans just have to wait until Sunday to see if they can repeat it and win the IBAF World Cup championship game again.

A two-run homer from Terry Tiffee (pictured) provided the biggest blow on Thursday in Nettuno, Italy, giving the Red, White and Blue a 5-3 victory over Cuba in pool play.…

Redmond, Weber, Childers spark USA Baseball into title game

Mike Potter — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:02:06 -0400

Todd Redmond pitched 8 1/3 shutout innings while three teammates including former Durham Bull Jon Weber (pictured) homered, leading defending champion Team USA to a 3-0 victory over Puerto Rico in Florence, Italy and a berth in the title game of the IBAF World Cup.

Ike Davis had a solo homer to right in the second inning, while Buck Coats soloed to right in the fifth and Weber added a blast to center in the eighth.…

Revenge win clinches medal-round spot for USA Baseball

Mike Potter — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 21:24:36 -0400

Team USA took advantage of a balanced offense, avenging its only loss of the IBAF World Cup with a 6-3 win over Venezuela in Florence, Italy.

The result clinched for the Red, White and Blue a spot in the tournament's medal round this weekend.…

Plouffe walk-off gives USA Baseball No. 1 seed in group

Mike Potter — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 20:01:54 -0400

Trevor Plouffe's walk-off homer made the difference as Team USA beat Australia 4-3 in the IBAF World Cup in Bologna, Italy, clinching the top seed in Group G for the Final Round.

After the Aussies took a 1-0 lead, Justin Smoak extended his team record with his ninth homer of the tournament to tie the game in the sixth.…

Smoak, Team USA blast host Italians at World Cup

Mike Potter — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 22:59:36 -0400

Justin Smoak's two homers set a Team USA tournament record while every player in the lineup hit safely in a 12-3 rout over host Italy in the IBAF World Cup in Turin.

Smoak (pictured) had a three-run homer in the first inning and a solo shot in the fifth for the defending champion Red, White and Blue, who have already qualified for the eight-team Final.…

Two homers, Tiffee spark USA past Mexicans and into Finals

Mike Potter — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 21:49:24 -0400

Solo homers from Daniel Descalso and Buck Coats led the way as Team USA topped Mexico 7-3 in Vicenza, Italy, earning the defending champions a spot in the final round of the IBAF World Cup.

Terry Tiffee (pictured) led the winners with a 4-for-5 day.…

USA-Australia baseball rained out

Mike Potter — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 18:26:07 -0400

The IBAF World Cup baseball game scheduled between Team USA and Australia in Piacenza, Italy, on Friday was rained out.

It will be made up a later date and time.…

Alvarez, Weber lead USA's home-run barrage against Taipei

Mike Potter — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 09:39:03 -0400

Pedro Alvarez' team-record three home runs led the barrage as Team USA drubbed Chinese Taipei 14-3 in IBAF World Cup play Thursday in Turin, Italy.

The Red, White and Blue scored seven runs in the first inning of the contest, which was stopped after seven innings because of a 10-run mercy rule.…

Smoak, Tiffee homers lead USA Baseball past Japanese

Mike Potter — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 22:45:07 -0400

Justin Smoak (pictured) and Terry Tiffee blasted back-to-back homers in the third inning, leading defending champion Team USA to a 4-2 win over Japan at the IBAF World Cup in Macerata, Italy.

Brad Lincoln pitched 7 1/3 innings in the victory before a sellout crowd at Stadio Comunale, while Nate Field collected the save.…

Smoak, Weber lead the way as USA blasts Netherlands Antilles 11-1

Mike Potter — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 21:11:11 -0400

Justin Smoak smacked a pair of homers, and Team USA had its best game so far in the IBAF World Cup in an 11-1 rout of the Netherlands Antilles in Verona, Italy.

Lucas May homered in the third inning while former Durham Bull Jon Weber (pictured) and Smoak each homered in the fourth to give the defending champion USA a 5-0 lead.…

Luebke, Weber help lead Team USA to blanking of Canucks

Mike Potter — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 21:34:09 -0400

Cory Luebke pitched a gem for Team USA, which ripped Canada 8-0 in its first game of Round 2 in baseball's World Cup in Reggio Emilia, Italy.

Luebke allowed just one hit in 7 2/3 innings to lead his team to a fifth straight win over the Canadians.…

USA Baseball blanks Chinese, faces Canada on Sunday

Mike Potter — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 21:01:37 -0400

Trevor Reckling struck out 11 batters - the most ever by a single American in the tournament - as Team USA demolished China 8-0 in its final Pool E game of baseball's World Cup in Regensburg, Germany.

Terry Tiffee and Josh Kroeger each homered for the USA (2-1), which advanced to its first second-round game against Canada in Italy today at 1 p.m.…

Redmond, USA Baseball rip Germans to even record

Mike Potter — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 00:16:08 -0400

Team USA definitely showed how to bounce back on Friday in baseball's World Cup.

Todd Redmond (pictured) started off with six perfect innings and got homers from four teammates as the Red, White and Blue walloped host Germany 9-1 in Regensburg.…

Chavez' grand slam in 11th tops USA for Venezuelans

Mike Potter — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 23:01:58 -0400

Maybe it's not exactly the way the tiebreaker was supposed to work, but Venezuelan slugger Dirmo Chavez certainly made the best of his situation.

The Venezuelans' leadoff hitter stroked a grand slam off Nate Field in the top of the 11^th, giving his team a 13-9 win over the defending champion Team USA in their first game in pool play at the IBAF Baseball World Cup in Regensburg, Germany.…

USA Baseball completes sweep of Canucks, readies for European vacation

Mike Potter — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 20:51:54 -0400

COLEMAN FIELD/CARY It's the finale of the four-game Canada at USA exhibition series preparing for baseball's World Cup, and today the U.S. team will go for the sweep.

Team USA is batting in the top of the inning each time.…

USA, Childers hold on for third straight win over Canucks

Mike Potter — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 03:16:46 -0400

Todd Redmond pitched five perfect innings and his teammates held on as Team USA took a 6-5 exhibition victory over Canada on Saturday at Cary's Coleman Field.

The teams are preparing for the World Cup, to be held in The Netherlands, Italy and Germany later this month.…

USA Baseball holds on to top resurgent Canucks 7-4

Mike Potter — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 21:48:07 -0400

COLEMAN FIELD/CARY It's Game 2 of USA Baseball's friendly series against Canada, as both teams prepare to play in the World Cup in The Netherlands, Italy in Germany later this month.

The clubs are made up entirely of minor-league pros, with the USA team completely of Triple-A and Double-A players while the Canadians are from every level including a couple of former pro pitchers who are currently without contracts.…

USA Baseball starts exhibitions with a win over Canucks

Mike Potter — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 23:51:09 -0400

USA Baseball's World Cup team got off to a good start, holding off Canada 6-4 in the first of a four-game exhibition series at Coleman Field in Cary.

Jason Castro led the way with two hits and two runs scored for the Red, White and Blue.…

Weber, Childers hope to lead USA Baseball to repeat World Cup

Mike Potter — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 21:55:02 -0400

COLEMAN FIELD/CARY They're coming together from 16 different major-league organizations, mostly from the Triple-A level and a few from Double-A.

But over the next few days, manager Eddie Rodriguez will have the job of molding them into a unit known as Team USA.…