Day 4 at the 13th ISF Men’s Softball World Championship

Argentina 11 vs. Netherlands 1

Argentina made it three wins from four games when they toppled the Netherlands 11-1 this morning. That win has the team on course to finish third in their pool. But it also includes the Black Sox, who they play tomorrow.

The chief destroyer for Argentina was its lead-off batter, Fernando Petric D’Agostino, who batted in two runs. Also picking up two RBI’s were Bruno Motroni and Francisco Sabate.

Great Britain 10 vs. Indonesia 0

Great Britain collected their first win of the 2013 tournament when they toppled Indonesia 10-0 in four innings.

For the Great Britain side, Ryan Martin and Richard Haldane had key roles. The two both picked up a brace of hits – Haldane batting 1.000 in the game.

Haldane could especially feel pleased with his efforts on the Freeman Field with the pitcher facing 15 Indonesian batters and giving up just three hits.

United States 10 vs. Czech Republic 7

It was a case of fourth game lucky for the United States team at the 2013 Tradestaff World Softball Championships which are being played at Rosedale Park in Auckland.

The side beat the Czech Republic 10-7, but not before the team had a few anxious moments. Ahead 6-0 after the first inning and 7-0 after two, the USA let their opponents back into the game as Czech collected six runs in their third turn at bat.

“When I am in a game like that it makes me not want to be a coach,” USA coach Peter Turner said.

“It just sucks the life out of you. It is difficult because you know every inning is not going to be a one, two, three inning and I have been in enough of them to know you just find a way to struggle through and win it.”

Turner’s players are well aware of the situation they are faced with if they are to make the top four in their pool and be involved in the play-offs, which begin on Friday. USA has games against Indonesia, who have yet to win a game, Venezuela, who have two wins from their three games, and Great Britain.

“The team does have a sense of urgency; they know we have to get some things done. We cannot look too far ahead and we really have to concentrate on what we have to do and that is win.”

Mexico 8 vs. Philippines 6

Gustavo Prishkar was the hero for the Mexican team as they secured their second win of the tournament and kept Philippines searching for their first. His three hits contributed to four of the side’s runs in their 8-6 win.

In the third inning the third baseman hoisted the ball over the centre field fence to gain an easy trip around the bases. With Jesus Cardona already on base that turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 advantage.

Prishker was given the intentional walk in his next turn at bat. Then in the seventh inning, he picked up his second hit of the game and was later sent home on a Edgar Lopez blow. However, it was perhaps his hit in the eighth inning that had the biggest part to play in the final outcome – that hit scored Cardona for what turned out to be the game decider.

Japan 9 vs. Colombia 2

Japan got their 2013 campaign back on a winning path but not without some drama. Down 2-1 after one inning, the Japanese team scored three runs in the fifth and four in the six to sink the hopes of Colombia.

Australia 9 South Africa 1

Australia may have conceded their first run of the tournament, but there was no reaching for the panic button by the defending champions as they scored eight runs but needed just five innings to pick up their fourth win.

Standouts for Australia were its pitchers Andrew Kirkpatrick, who started the game, and had six strikeouts, conceding one hit in the four innings he was on the mound for. He was replaced in the fifth by Adam Humble, who faced just three batters and struck out two.

Among the batters who impressed were Joel Southam and James Todhunter. Southam picking up two hits from three at-bats and batted in two runs while Todhunter scored two runs including an automatic.

“We are happy, but we cannot get complacent with the pool we are in,” Australia coach Bob Harrow said.

“We have played well, but we know that the top teams in the other pool are going to be prepared.”

Venezuela 4 vs. Samoa 3

Three runs in the first inning was a good enough start for the Venezuela team to maintain their perfect run at the tournament.

Arturo Acacio, Iran Paez and Rafael Flores punished some wayward pitching and fielding errors by the Samoans and had their opponents on the backfoot from the opening innings.

It was not until the fourth when Thomas Enoka scored the first of his two runs that Samoa opened their account. The pitcher then scored his second run of the game with an automatic blow over the left field fence in the sixth inning. In the fifth Joshua Niu had also picked up an automatic.

Canada 9 vs. New Zealand 7

Home town man Brad Rona in tandem with Donny Hale went ever so close to making it a perfect four for the Black Sox.

Rona hit two home runs and Hale one but the blows went without reward as Canada came from behind to maintain their perfect record.

Rona’s first hit got the Black Sox off to a dream start in the first inning which saw the home team, in front of a vocal crowd, jump out to a 3-0 lead. His second stretched that advantage to 4-1.

However, as so often with the Canadians, that side too can hit and in their fifth at bat, Ryan Boland hoisted the ball into the trees over the right field fence for his team to score three runs and tie the game up.

A further two runs – one a piece – in the sixth and seventh innings gave Canada a 6-4 advantage and needing just three outs for the game.

But with two of those outs made and Nathan Nukunuku on second into the batter’s box stepped Donny Hale, who had a quite night – three visits to the box without a hit – he made sure his fourth was his best. High into the outfield stand and the game was forced into an extra inning. Canada scored twice and the Black Sox once.

“The old saying I was overdue for the team and it was good to do my part to get us back in there,” Hale said.

“It was a credit to us 17 hits to nine they could have actually blown us away but we kept in the game.”

For the Black Sox, four pitchers were called upon – Pense Iosefo started the game and was replaced in the first inning. He returned in the sixth – and Jarrad Martin finished. In between both Nik Hayes and Jeremy Manley were in the middle trying to thwart the Canadian hitters. In all the quartet conceded 17 hits.

“Right from the beginning of the tournament we said if it took all five pitchers to win a game then that is what we would do,” pitching coach Chubb Tangaroa said.

Canada too used four pitchers, but the Black Sox only managed nine hits off them.