Japan silences Team USA 2-1

The Japanese team picked up a tight 2-1 victory in a classic pitching duel between Yuki Saito and Jacob Thompson. Saito is credited as the next big Japanese pitcher following in the likes of Daisuke Matsuzaka and Hideo Nomo. Saito pitched six strong innings while giving up one run on three hits. Jacob Thompson (UVA) was just as good as he gave up both runs which were unearned on three hits. The Japanese team scored in a two run second inning by using small ball by getting a walk, a fielder's choice, two bunts, and a big error by Jacob Thompson to plate the runs. Team USA scored a run in the bottom of the second inning on a lead off double by Brett Wallace (Arizona State) who came around on consecutive groundouts. Neither team would score the rest of the game giving the Japanese team a 2-1 lead in the series. The teams will be back in action on Saturday at 7 pm in Durham NC. The game will be webcasted for free and can be found by clicking here.

Team USA Recap

The picture above was taken from No Sword which is a Japanese blog.