Aug. 10, 2003
Santo Domingo, D.R. – Paul Janish’s one-out RBI sacrifice fly broke a 2-2 tie in the 14th inning and Huston Street worked eight and 2/3 innings of relief to pick up the win as the USA Baseball National Team advanced to play for the gold medal at the 2003 Pan Am Games with a 3-2 win vs. Mexico. Team USA is now 27-1 on the summer and 5-1 at the Pan Am Games under head coach Ray Tanner. Tanner and Matt Campbell are representing the University of South Carolina on this year’s squad.
“This was just a great, great ballgame,” said USA head coach Ray Tanner. “What a performance by Huston Street. There aren’t enough adjectives to describe his performance today. I kept asking him between innings if he was ok and he kept saying ‘I’m good, I’m good.’ We planned to use him for about four innings but more if we needed to. He deserved to decide that ballgame.”
Street allowed just three hits in the outing, struck out seven batters and walked just two, both intentionally. The win for Street was his first of the summer. Street, who leads Team USA in appearances with 14, has not allowed a run in 29 innings pitched this summer and leads the team in saves with seven.
With the game tied at two in the 14th inning, Seth Smith singled with one out and advanced to third base on a double from designated hitter Stephen Head. Brent Lillilbridge was intentionally walked to load the bases bringing Janish to the plate. Janish knocked the first pitch from Mexico reliever Francisco Campos into left field and Smith was able to tag and just beat the throw in from left field to put Team USA ahead by a run.
Street retired the side in the bottom half of the 14th with two strikeouts and a ground out to seal the victory for Team USA and berth in the Gold medal game. USA will face Cuba on Tuesday, August 12 at 7:30 p.m. Team USA and Cuba have not met.
USA will be looking for the first gold medal at the Pan Am Games since 1967 when the USA defeated Cuba in Winnipeg, Canada. Cuba has won eight consecutive gold medals at the Pan Am Games since the USA’s last gold medal victory. Jered Weaver (So., RHP, Long Beach State) is the scheduled starter for the Red, White & Blue. Weaver is 4-0 this summer and owns a streak of 40 consecutive innings without allowing a run.
