Rosenberg, Team USA Clinch Berth in Baseball World Cup Championship Game
September 24, 2009 | Baseball
Sept. 24, 2009
FLORENCE, Italy - Former University of Louisville right-handed pitcher B.J. Rosenberg and the USA Baseball Team have secured a berth in the 2009 IBAF Baseball World Cup championship game following the team's 11th straight win on Wednesday.
Team USA, with a perfect 5-0 record in the third round of action and the No. 1 spot in Pool 2, will close out the third round of the World Cup against Cuba on Thursday and against the Netherlands on Friday. Following an off-day, Team USA will attempt to defend its 2007 IBAF Baseball World Cup Championship on Sunday, Sept. 27, in Nettuno, Italy at 3 p.m. (10 a.m. ET) against the winner of Pool 1. The gold medal game will also be televised live on the MLB Network.
For Rosenberg, it has been an impressive World Cup as the Vine Grove, Ky., native has a 1.93 ERA and 10 strikeouts in 4.2 innings of work for the US bullpen. In his most recent outing, he pitched 1.2 scoreless innings of relief with four strikeouts in Team USA's 12-3 win over host Italy on Sept. 20.
Rosenberg, taken in the 13th round as the 406th selection of the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2008 MLB Draft, was a standout pitcher for the Cardinals from 2004-08 leaving a lasting mark on the Louisville record books. Rosenberg, who earned All-BIG EAST Third Team honors in 2008 as a key contributor for the Cards' BIG EAST Tournament champion and NCAA Regional squad, is second in career starts at Louisville with 47, fourth in career wins with 18, fourth in career innings pitched with 306.2, seventh in career strikeouts with 212 and seventh in career saves with nine.
Magnuson 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA for Team Canada
Former Cardinals' right-handed pitcher Trystan Magnuson is 2-0 and has not allowed a run in 5.2 innings of work for Team Canada at the 2009 IBAF Baseball World Cup.
Born in Vancouver, Canada and raised in Louisville, Magnuson has five strikeouts and has allowed only two hits in his four appearances for Team Canada, which is currently in second place in Pool 2 behind Team USA. Canada will play the Netherlands on Thursday and Cuba tomorrow to close out the third round of the World Cup in pursuit of a runner-up finish in pool play and a berth in Saturday's third-place game in Italy.
Magnuson, who played for the Cards from 2004-07, was an All-BIG EAST Third Team selection in 2007. He holds Louisville's single season record for pitching appearances with 37 in 2007 and is tied with Rosenberg for fourth in single season saves with nine in 2007. He is also fourth in career ERA at Louisville at 3.24, sixth in career saves with 10 and eighth in career appearances on the mound with 72.
