Palmerston North, NewZealand
– The Canadian U18 Men’s National Softball Team earned an 8-6 walk-off
win over the United States in the first game of the U18 Men’s World Cup
Placement Round. The
teams went back and forth throughout the game before Jackson Pegelo (Cargill, Ont.) hit a two-run homerun in the bottom of the seventh inning.
In the top of the first, Brody Fraser (Upper Nine Mile
River, N.S.) struck out the first two batters but the United States
opened the scoring when following hitter hit an infield single, moved up
to second on an error and scored on a single
through the right side of the infield. Mason McKay
(Tavistock, Ont.) was hit by a pitch with one out in the bottom of the
first, was sacrificed to second and advanced to third on a ball in the
dirt but the next batter grounded out to the pitcher.
Team USA started the second with a triple over the left fielder and the
runner immediately scored on a wild pitch to increase their lead to
2-0. Canada got both runs back in the bottom of the frame, as
Owen Rahn (Durham, Ont.) walked and Tyler Branchaud
(Metcalfe, Ont.) was hit by a pitch, they stole second and third with
Rahn scoring on a wild pitch and Branchaud on an error to tie the game.
After Fraser sat the United States in order in the top half of the third, Pegelo drew a walk and
Jack Becker (Drumbo, Ont.) was hit by a pitch before
Rahn lined an inside-the-park homerun to the right field corner, giving
Canada a 5-2 lead. In the fourth, the Americans got a leadoff walk
followed by a triple over the right fielder to score
a run, and a single to right got them within one run. After a pitching
change by Canada, the United States got a two-run triple to right with
two outs as they regained the 6-5 lead. In the bottom of the inning,
Ryan Bicknell (Prince Albert, Sask.) hit a deep fly
ball that fell between the center fielder and right fielder, allowing
him to race all the way around the bases for an inside-the-park homerun
of his own to tie the game at 6-6.
In the fifth, the United States loaded the bases with a leadoff single, a bunt single and a walk, but
Connor Brooks (Napanee, Ont.) struck out the next
batter and after a wild pitch he was able to tag the runner trying to
score from third to put an end to the threat. Brooks singled with one
out but could not advance any further, while the United
States got a single and a walk in the sixth, but Reese Yantzi
(Shakespeare, Ont.) came in to get the third out on one pitch to get
Canada out of the inning. After Yantzi sat the Americans in order in the
top of the seventh, McKay reached on
an error, moved up to second on a wild pitch and Pegelo stepped up with
a walk-off two-run homerun to right to end the game 8-6.
Box Score:
Canada 8 vs. United States 6
Fraser pitched the first three plus innings for Canada, allowing six
runs (five earned) on five hits and two walks to go along with five
strikeouts. Brooks scattered four hits and two walks with three
strikeouts in two innings and two thirds of relief, while
Yantzi picked up the win with an inning and a third of hitless relief,
striking out two batters. Canada only managed four hits but three of
them went for homeruns, with a pair of inside-the-park ones by Rahn and
Bicknell and the walk-off shot by Pegelo. Brooks
added a single in the fifth.
Canada (3-0) will now face Mexico (3-0) at noon local time on Friday
(6:00pm EST on Thursday) in a game between the two only undefeated teams
in the Placement Round. Mexico defeated South Africa 7-5 in their first
Placement Round game. For more information
including schedules, live scoring and streaming, visit the tournament
website at
https://u18mswc.wbsc.org/en/2020.
-SC-
For more information, please contact:
Gilles LeBlanc
Manager – Marketing & Communications
Softball Canada
p: (613) 523-3386 ext. 3105 |
m: (613) 795-1996
w:
www.softball.ca | e: gleblanc@softball.ca