Nolan Fontana & Brian Johnson Earn Silver Medals With Team USA
Monday, August 9, 2010 | Baseball
University of Florida shortstop Nolan Fontana (Winter Garden, Fla.) and left-hander/designated hitter Brian Johnson (Cocoa Beach, Fla.) each brought home a silver medal from the V FISU World University Championships in Tokyo, Japan, after the 2010 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team dropped a 4-3 decision in 10 innings to Cuba for the gold medal on August 7.
Fontana started 15 of the Red, White and Blue's 19 games at shortstop, as the U.S. turned in a 16-3 record. He had a .250 (11-for-44) batting average in 17 games with a team-high 16 walks and eight runs scored, to go along with a .459 on-base percentage.
Johnson made seven appearances on the hill, with one start, and was 1-0 with a 0.63 earned run average. In 14.1 innings, the southpaw registered 16 strikeouts, issued five walks and limited opponents to a .128 average.
Alfredo Despaigne hit a pair of home runs, including a walk-off three-run shot, in the 10th inning to give Cuba the 4-3 triumph over USA last Saturday night inside Meiji Jingu Stadium.
For the second time in the tournament, USA played an extra-inning game under the International Baseball Federation's (IBAF) tie-break rule, which was instituted in July of 2008, starts in the 10th stanza and each inning needed thereafter, base runners are placed on first and second with no outs.
Trailing 3-1 entering the bottom of the 10th, Leonys Martin took second and Yoilan Cerce stood on first for Cuba. Cal State Fullerton's Nick Ramirez got Hector Olivera to fly out to center for the first out before Despaigne stepped into the box and lifted a 0-1 change-up to right field, clearing the bases and sealing the victory for the Cubans.
-UF-
