Miller's homer propels USA Softball to third straight win in ISF Men's World Cup

[Al's Fastball News]

Received: 6/19/07 9:14:58 PM 
From:  "Brian McCall" <bmccall(at)softball.org> 

  
Subject:  Miller's homer propels USA Softball to third straight
win in ISF Men's World Cup  

  



Miller’s homer propels USA Softball tothird straight win in ISF
Men’s World Cup

 

PRAGUE, CZ---Blake Miller (Albany, Ga.), one of the smallestplayers
on the USA Softball Men’s National Team at 5’10” and165 pounds,
came up with one of the biggest hits so far in the ISF World
CupTuesday night in a 4-1 win over Japanwho is ranked fifth in
the world. 

 

With the teams scoreless after one inning, Miller hit an opposite
fieldtwo-run homer to right center to give the USA an early 2-0
lead. Miller’shomer—his first and the fifth for the USA in three
games—came offlosing pitcher Tatsuya Hamaguchi.

 

“The ball was a dipper (drop ball),” Miller said. “Itwas a great
pitch to hit and I was glad that I could give us an earlylead.”

 

After Miller’s homer, which had Nate Devine (MercedCalif.) aboard
after reaching on a fielder’schoice, Japancut the margin in half
by scoring a run in the bottom of the second inning.Ryuji Hazeyama
tripled to the left field corner to open the inning and scoredon
a fielder’s choice by Shubei Suzuki. It was the only run allowed
by USA starter and winning pitcher Sonny Perkins (St. Michaels,
Ariz.who allowed only five hits in his first start at the World
Cup. He fanned fourand walked three.

 

The USA added to itslead in the fourth on an RBI single by Chris
DeLarwelle (Appleton, Wisc.) that scoredLucas Goring (St. Paul,
Minn.),who reached on a bunt to lead off the inning and moved
into scoring position ona sacrifice bunt by Chris Miljavac (St.
Joseph, Mo.). 

 

An exclamation point was added in the sixth inning after Devine
led offwith a monster home run that cleared the trees in left
field that gave the U.S. acomfortable 4-1 advantage. 

 

Goring had a pair of singles in three at-bats to lead the USAsix-hit
attack.

 

Now 3-0, the USAwill play two club teams from Spainon Wednesday,
Halcones Tenerife and Santa Isabel Zaragoza.

 

 

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