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TEAM USA beats Minnesota Blizzard in Chaska, MN

09/01/2017, 2:30pm CDT
By Blizzard Elite Baseball

USA puts up 11 before heading to World Cup in Thunder Bay, CA


TEAM USA vs. Minnesota Blizzard 8.28.2017

Blizzard Player Quotes

Peter Brookshaw (2018 INF / North Dakota State commit) on playing Team USA ...

It was a great experience and allowed me to play the best players in high school baseball and it showed me what I need to work on.  Blizzard has helped me a lot, too.  I get to practice (and play) with some of the best players in Minnesota and see pitching I would not see in my spring season.

Tommy Springer (OF-RHP / Missouri commit) on playing Team USA ...

I cannot thank the Blizzard enough for giving me the opportunity to play against the best players in the world.  It was truly an amazing experience playing against TEAM USA.  It showed me that I have to keep working to achieve my goals.

Aidan Maldonado (RHP / Illinois Commit) on playing Team USA ...

It's pretty cool to get a chance to play against the top 20 players in the nation at once.  I think after playing them you have to work yourself even harder to get on their level.

Adam Barta, Owner - Blizzard Elite Baseball on playing TEAM USA ...

The names on the other side of the field will be house hold names in five years and it is an experience of a life time for our players.  For our team to play that caliber of talent gave this program a taste of what it is to play the best in the country.  It is something we may never have the opportunity to do again and I am grateful to Lunch McKenzie and TEAM USA wanting to play us before their World Cup run.  They are very professional and we appreciate their dedication to the country, game and to the Blizzard organization!

USA Whitewashes Blizzard, 11-0


Brandon Dieter faced just one over the minimum as he struck out six in five scoreless innings. (USA Baseball)

BOX SCORE

CHASKA, Minn. - Brandon Dieter (Covina, Calif.) pitched five near-perfect innings and Jarred Kelenic (Waukesha, Wis.) sparked an offensive outburst with a three-run home run as the USA Baseball 18U National Team shut out the Minnesota Blizzard, 11-0, in seven innings at historic Chaska Athletic Park on Monday afternoon.

Continuing the string of dominant pitching by the U.S. staff, Dieter faced just one over the minimum and needed just 53 pitches to get through five innings of one-hit ball. He did not walk a batter and struck out six en route to earning the win.

Joseph Menefee (Richmond, Texas) twirled the final two innings, yielding just a single hit and striking out one, to close out the contest.

Through four games, the Team USA pitching staff has combined to allow just two runs in 25.0 innings for a miniscule 0.72 ERA. It has also struck out 38 batters to just five walks while holding opposing hitters to a .120 batting average.

In Monday's game against the Blizzard, the U.S. offense was on fire from the get-go, striking for four runs in each of the first two innings. The big blow in the first came on a 2-1 pitch to Kelenic which he deposited on the grass berm past the wall in right field.

In all, seven different U.S. players had hits on the day, including a 2-for-3, two-RBI effort by Triston Casas (Pembroke Pines, Fla.). In a bit of a statistical oddity, Anthony Seigler (Cartersville, Ga.) also had two RBIs albeit without the benefit of a hit as he walked with the bases loaded in the second and drove in a run with a groundout in the sixth.

Following the official contest, Team USA and the Blizzard played three innings under international tiebreaker rules in preparation for the upcoming World Cup, during which Kelenic would add two more longballs.

Team USA will close out the exhibition portion of its schedule on Tuesday when it travels to Rochester, Minnesota, for a 6 p.m. ET/5 p.m. CT showdown against Madison College at Mayo Field.

The 18U National Team will then travel to Thunder Bay, Canada, where it will compete in the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-18 Baseball World Cup from September 1-10.

Team USA is the three-time defending World Cup champion and will look to become the second country to win four-straight gold medals in the tournament.

Continue to follow @USABaseball18U on Twitter and visit USABaseball.com for the most up-to-date news about the 18U National Team.

QUOTES
USA Baseball 18U National Team Manager Andy Stankiewicz
(On the offensive effort today)
"We certainly had some much better at-bats today. Coach Mosiello and Coach Ritchie have really been trying to enforce team at-bats. Walks are good and it was good to see us get so many today. We punched out a lot less and we started to see some guys commit to contact. That has to be our mindset. The big innings will come if we start to get more guys on base. I think realizing that is part of our growth. We have to figure it out quick because we only have one more game before going up to Canada."

(On Jarred Kelenic)
"He puts a lot of pressure on himself and he is just starting to learn how to take what the game is giving him. Sometimes he will come out of the zone because he is trying to do too much. He is capable of doing what he did today if he plays what our coaches call 'aggressive pepper.' Just put the barrel on the ball nice and easy and the rest will take care of itself. I think that's what he saw today and, hopefully, he'll be able to understand that and take it into the tournament."

(On Brandon Dieter)
"This guy just pounds the zone with three pitches and has a great feel. His tempo is really clean, which is why guys are ready to play defense behind him. He just gets the ball, gets the pitch, and goes. He's fun to watch on the mound, that's for sure."

Outfielder Jarred Kelenic
(On hitting three home runs today)
"It has definitely been a work-in-progress over the past couple of weeks and I haven't been hitting the ball the way I wanted to. I just stuck with my coaches, believed in what they were saying, and today it paid off. Yesterday we did some individual work and I felt comfortable at the plate. I got three good pitches to hit and I sent them out of here."

(On the talent level on this year's roster)
"There is no doubt we can pitch. That is not a secret. We have the best pitching staff I have ever seen. Last year to this year can't compare. At the same time, we have a very, very talented lineup. It will just be up to us to swing it and pick up our pitchers if they aren't doing so hot, which might not be much."

(On playing for Team USA)
"I can tell you that every single day I put this uniform on it is truly a blessing. It is something different every single day. Nothing can beat this. I honestly believe that even a Major League jersey wouldn't beat this. To be able to play for your country and for all the people who can't play, it just means a lot more."


2018 OF-RHP Tommy Springer (Missouri commit)

Blizzard vs. USA Photos


2018 RHP Aidan Maldonado (Illinois commit) 88-92 / 3IP, 3Ks


2018 INF Peter Brookshaw (NDSU commit) 2-for-2 / Prescott, WI


2018 1B Teague Bogenholm (Roseville, MN)


2018 Starting Pitcher, Seth Halvorsen (Missouri commit) 87-90


2018 OF Brock Anderson (NDSU commit)


2018 C Nick Juaire (TCU commit)


2019 RHP Will Frisch (TCU commit) 88-93


2020 RHP Max Carlson (uncommitted) 88-90


Coach Andrew Woitas


Coach Mike Loberg


Coach Barta(s)

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