The game provided an opportunity for fans who might not otherwise attend Ripken Stadium to see the facility for the first time and for the teams to renew their friendly rivalry for the 31st consecutive year.
It also offered the chance for Cal Ripken to announce his hope for acquiring more attractions like it to Aberdeen.
"We [the Single-A Aberdeen IronBirds] only have a 38-game home schedule, so there are a lot of openings," Ripken said while the USA Baseball national team beat the Japanese Collegiate All-Stars, 6-1, last night before 3,964. "I'd be very open to hosting any number of these games."
Aberdeen lost to North Carolina's triangle area in a bid to become the new headquarters of USA Baseball, which represents America in all international competition except the Olympics after pros were added to that team in 2000.
"I was hopeful we could get that, but it was a difficult task," Ripken said. "We did the best we could do, so I'm not overly disappointed. It was hard to compete with some of the things Raleigh-Durham offered."
"Give it some time. I think we can sell these types of events very well. I liked the international flavor in Aberdeen."
The Americans trailed 1-0 after an error by Dustin Pedroia paved the way for Japan to score on a sacrifice fly by its cleanup hitter, Taketashi Goto, in the fourth inning. But Brad Sullivan (University of Houston) permitted only two other runners to reach second base through 8 1/3 innings and allowed only one run and three hits while striking out 10. Bob Zimmerman (Southwest Missouri State) got the final two outs.
"I have to rate my pitches coming into the dugout and my overhand curve was really working," said Sullivan. "That's not normally one of my better ones."
USA manager Lelo Prado (University of Louisville) said he considered removing Sullivan after the eighth because he had thrown only 104 pitches, but "we let him go out for one hitter in the ninth to let the crowd cheer him."
The Americans scored five runs on two big plays, a two-run sacrifice fly by Michael Aubrey (Tulane) and a three-run homer by Landon Powell (South Carolina).
Eric Patterson (Georgia Tech), brother of the Chicago Cubs' Corey Patterson, scored from second base on Aubrey's deep fly to right to finish a three-run fifth inning that gave USA the lead for good.
The series continues tonight at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, Conn.