Sports
Team USA Wins Gold In U-18 World Cup In Sarasota, Bradenton
The World Baseball Softball Confederation's Baseball U-18 World Cup was held at Ed Smith Stadium and LECOM Park this month.
SARASOTA-BRADENTON, FL — Team USA won the gold medal at the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s Baseball U-18 World Cup, which was held in the Sarasota and Bradenton area. This was the first time the tournament was held in the U.S. since 1995.
The U.S. team, led by Floridian frontrunner, Aiden Miller, defeated Chinese Taipei 5-1 Sunday at Sarasota’s Ed Smith Stadium to bring home the championship, according to a news release. Chinese Taipei beat the U.S. in the last World Cup in 2019.
Team USA saw five unanswered runs in the championship game’s final four innings, as well as strong showings on the mound, the news release said.
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The world title is the United States’ fifth gold medal in the last six World Cups at the U-18 level, dating back to 2012. Additionally, it is the third time the U.S. has won gold on its home soil, as it also earned titles in the United States in 1995 (Boston) and 1982 (Knoxville). Overall, it’s the ninth world title for the U-18 national team.
Bryce Eldridge (Vienna, Virginia) and Miller (Trinity, Florida) both earned spots on the XXX WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup All-World Team.
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In addition to being named All-World Designated Hitter, Eldridge took home the Most Valuable Player award. The Virginia native batted .316 (6-for-19) in the tournament, cranking three homers and driving in 13 runs — both tournament highs, according to the news release.
He was also dominant on the mound, throwing three scoreless innings over three appearances and striking out five. He went 1-0 with a save and allowed just one hit across the three appearances.
Miller was named to the All-World Team as a right fielder. The two-time gold medalist hit .478 (11-for-23) in the tournament and earned the batting champion title after collecting hits in seven of the nine games. He also scored a tournament-most 12 runs, touching home in each of the team’s final five games to earn the runs champion title.
RJ Hamilton (Hoover, Alabama) was named the stolen-base champion in the tournament.
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