George Ferguson’s 10-Strikeout Shutout Seals USA’s U-18 Pan-American Gold

George Ferguson struck out 10 and threw a two-hit shutout as the United States beat Venezuela 1-0 on Thursday, October 29, to win the 2026 WBSC Americas U-18 Pan-American Championship in Boca Chica, Dominican Republic. The victory completed an unbeaten seven-game tournament for Team USA and secured its place at the 2027 U-18 Baseball World Cup in China.

The final out came in extraordinary fashion. With runners at the corners in the seventh, Venezuela lifted a fly ball to right field that appeared capable of tying the game. The United States appealed that the runner at third had left early, and the resulting double play ended the game and sent the American players into a championship celebration.

Ferguson holds Venezuela scoreless with title at stake

Ferguson allowed only two hits and one walk across seven innings, throwing 61 strikes among his 80 pitches. His 10 strikeouts capped a tournament in which the right-hander finished with 18 strikeouts and a 0.00 ERA over 11 innings. He was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.

The game’s only run came in the third inning. After two outs, Graham Houston worked a walk and Dylan Seward followed with a single through the right side to bring Houston home from second. Seward finished the competition with a hit in all seven of Team USA’s games.

Venezuela threatened again in the sixth, placing runners at the corners with one out. Ferguson responded with a three-pitch strikeout and a fly out to preserve the one-run lead. His escape set up the dramatic defensive finish an inning later.

Two wins in one day complete unbeaten run

Rain earlier in the week forced the Americans to play both of their remaining Super Round games on Thursday. They first defeated Panama 6-0 behind a first-inning home run by Sebastian Castillo and six scoreless innings from Ethan Gustus and Connor Salerno before Isaac Vidal completed the shutout.

There was no separate championship final: the team with the best Super Round record would take gold. Beating Venezuela therefore clinched the title after the United States had already dispatched Panama.

Team USA outscored opponents 73-5 over seven games, held opposing hitters to a .159 average and finished with a team ERA of 0.67. The pitching staff allowed just 23 hits, a program record for the event. Chase Fuller was named Most Outstanding Player after batting .455 with seven RBIs, while Seward earned Best Defensive Player honors.

The championship is the program’s third consecutive international gold medal and its 19th overall. It also gives the United States its eighth Pan-American Championship or World Cup qualifier title. The next target is the U-18 Baseball World Cup, scheduled for September 17-26, 2027, in Pingtan, China.