Japan finished the week with an undefeated 5-0 record against the USA Collegiate National Team, winning the fifth and final game of the series, 6-5.
Series finale final. pic.twitter.com/lxRauzG5AR
— USA Baseball CNT (@USABaseballCNT) July 13, 2025
Koichiro Oda and Kai Watabe each had RBI singles to give Japan a 2-0 lead in the first inning.
In the second and third innings, the U.S. Collegiate National Team fought back. Georgia Tech’s Drew Burress and Virginia’s Eric Becker each drove in a run, tying the game at 2.
Louisville’s Zion Rose singled in a run in the fifth inning to give the United States a 3-2 lead, its first lead of the series.
However, Japan responded with a four-run fifth inning and took a 6-3 lead into the sixth.
In the sixth and seventh innings, the United States hit a pair of home runs. Georgia Tech’s Vahn Lackey hit an inside-the-park home run in the sixth, and UCLA’s Roch Cholowsky led off the seventh with a solo shot, cutting the deficit to 6-5.
The USA Collegiate National Team had its best offensive game of the series, finishing with 11 hits.
Mississippi State’s Ryan McPherson pitched two scoreless innings in relief for the United States, but the offense could not complete the comeback.
East Carolina’s Ethan Norby and UC Irvine’s Ricky Ojeda led the U.S. pitchers with five strikeouts each.
WBN NCAA: https://worldbaseball.com/league/ncaa/
