South Florida’s Triston Casas has big game but USA falls to Japan in Tokyo Olympics
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Triston Casas hit a three-run home run, but the United States lost 7-6 in 10 innings to Japan in the knockout stage of the Tokyo Olympics baseball tournament on Monday at Yokohama Baseball Stadium.
Takuya Kai hit the walk-off RBI single against Edwin Jackson after Ryoya Kurihara hit a sacrifice bunt to put runners at second and third. Under international rules, teams start extra innings with runners on first and second base.
Japan now advances straight to the semifinals of the six-team tournament, guaranteeing the host country will play for a medal. The United States now has a lengthier road for its attempt to get to one of the two medal games.
Casas, a Plantation American Heritage alumnus and top prospect in the Boston Red Sox system, gave the United States a chance to pull out the win.
He started the United States’ first big rally in the fourth inning when he drew a one-out walk. A Todd Frazier RBI double to left, Mark Kolozsvary RBI single to left and Nick Allen RBI double to right followed to give the United States its first lead of the game, 3-2, and chase Japan pitcher Masahiro Tanaka from the game.
After Japan tied the game in the bottom of the fourth, Casas gave the United States the lead again in the fifth when he belted out a three-run home run against Koyo Aoyagi to left field in the fifth inning. It was Casas’ second home run in as many games and on Monday came after Eddy Alvarez and Tyler Austin led off the inning with back-to-back singles.
Japan added two more runs in the bottom of the fifth after Casas’ home run to cut the United States and tied the game with an RBI groundout in the ninth before walking it off in the 10th.
What’s next for the United States?
Team USA will play at 11 p.m. Tuesday, facing the winner of the elimination game between Israel and the Dominican Republic. The winner of that game will then play at 6 a.m. Thursday against the loser of Wednesday’s game between Japan and South Korea. The winner of that game advances to the gold medal game at 6 a.m. Saturday. The loser plays for the bronze medal at 11 p.m. Friday.
