The offense wasn't as potent as Friday, but David Robertson pitched Team USA into the second round of the Olympics knockout stage on Saturday, saving a 4-2 victory over South Korea that gave the U.S. first place in Group B.
Korea got off to an early 1-0 lead, but in the fourth, Tristan Casas, a first baseman currently at Double-A in the Red Sox system, hit a two-run homer to give Team USA the edge. In the fifth, Nick Allen, a middle infielder in Oakland's system, hit a solo shot to make it 3-1, and with two on and two out, Tyler Austin, the hitting star Friday, rapped an RBI single to make it 4-1.
It remained that way until the ninth, when Robertson came on for the save. It quickly got dicey, as he allowed a walk and a double to bring the tying run to the plate, but after a sac fly made it 4-2, D-Rob struck out Ji Hwan Oh and then induced a game-ending groundout to notch the save.
Todd Frazier was 0-for-3 before being removed in the bottom of the ninth, and Austin's single was his only hit in four trips.
With the win, Team USA finished Group Play 2-0, and will face Japan on Monday night local time. Win and they move into the semifinals, just one win (or a loss and a win) away from the gold medal game, while a loss means they drop into the repechage bracket; there, a loss means they finish fourth, a 1-1 record puts them in the bronze medal game, and a 2-0 run puts them in the gold medal game.
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch
