Olympic Team Kicks Off Training With 8-3 Win

Alvarez, Kivlehan homer in contest against Collegiate National Team CARY, N.C. – The U.S. Olympic Team kicked off a three-game series against the Collegiate National Team on Sunday night, tuning up for their trip to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 with an 8-3 win in a rain-shortened seven-inning game at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina. Playing against the country’s top collegiate players, the Olympic Team scored eight runs in the game’s first two innings and got five strong innings from starter Scott Kazmir (AAA San Francisco Giants) to secure the series-opening win. The Olympic Team got started early, with the first three batters reaching base. Jack Lopez (AAA Boston Red Sox) led off the inning with a walk, before Eddy Alvarez (AAA Miami Marlins) and Todd Frazier followed with back-to-back singles. Collegiate National Team starter Gabriel Hughes (Gonzaga) nearly escaped a bases-loaded jam, but Eric Filia’s (AAA Seattle Mariners) two-run single started a two-out rally for the Olympic Team. With a pair of runners on, Patrick Kivlehan (AAA San Diego Padres) cranked a three-run homerun to left field to put the Olympic Team up by five runs in the opening frame. Kazmir, who struck out the side in the top of the first, continued to dominate in the second inning. The left-hander struck out the first two batters of the second – his fourth and fifth of nine punchouts in the game – in a perfect inning to keep the Olympians up by five. The Olympic Team offense stayed hot in the second inning, extending its lead to six on a Lopez sacrifice fly. Then, one batter later, Alvarez hit a two-run homer to center field, driving in Nick Allen (AA Oakland A's) to make it 8-0. After the early offensive outburst, the Olympic Team was held at bay by the Collegiate National Team bullpen. Paul Skenes (Air Force) tossed two scoreless frames in relief, scattering three hits before the Collegiate National Team finally cracked the scoreboard in the fourth on a two-run homer by Jordan Berry (LSU). Berry drove in Brock Jones (Stanford) – who led off the inning with a single – to put the Collegiate National Team within six. The college squad then trimmed its deficit by one more in the top of the seventh against Edwin Jackson. Hayden Dunhurst (Ole Miss) started the inning with a leadoff bunt single before Kyle Teel (Virginia) and Drew Gilbert (Tennessee) hit back-to-back singles to make it 8-3. Anthony Gose (AAA Cleveland) replaced Jackson though and was able to escape further trouble with a strikeout and groundout to secure the win. The Olympic Team had nine hits in the win. Kivlehan had a pair of hits, leading the team with three RBIs. Alvarez went 3-for-4 in the win, adding two singles and a stolen base to his homer and Allen reached base in all three of his plate appearances, singling once and walking twice. Kazmir secured the win with his strong five innings of work, finishing the night with nine strikeouts while allowing just three hits and a pair of runs. Aaron Nixon (Texas) and Jack Washburn both turned in a scoreless inning out of the bullpen for the Collegiate National Team. Gilbert led the team with two hits, while Berry’s two RBIs were a team-best. The three-game series will continue with game two on Monday night at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park in Durham, North Carolina, with first pitch set for 6:35 p.m. ET. The contest will be streamed live on USABaseball.com, as well as Facebook and YouTube Live.

About USA Baseball USA Baseball is the national governing body for baseball in the United States and is committed to serving, protecting and supporting the game of baseball and its 15.6 million participants. Founded in 1978, USA Baseball fields six national teams annually and is a member of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) and the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC). On the diamond, USA Baseball is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and the reigning World Baseball Classic champion, and its national teams have won 62 gold medals in international competition. Off the field, the organization is dedicated to the proliferation and health of the sport through the creation and management of numerous development initiatives including Fun At Bat, Pitch Smart, PLAY BALL and the Prospect Development Pipeline. For more information on the organization, its national teams and development-driven initiatives, visit the official website USABaseball.com or USABDevelops.com.