Canada beat Japan to end Day 2 of the U-18 Baseball World Cup super round

Canada beat (6-4) Japan in a game that saw both teams get in trouble because of defensive errors. Canada prevailed despite being outhit (10-6) and committing 5 errors (Japan committed 2). Japan also left 14 runners on base (Japan 10).

Canada take the lead in the top of the second. Tokuyama issues a lead off walk to designated hitter Stovman. Willow follows with a bloop single to second. After catcher Cerny strikes out, another bloop single falls in right field to load the bases. Shortstop Bremner hits a sharp grounder up the middle for a 2 RBI single. Japan is out of the inning as Julien grounds into a double play.
Japan cut the gap in the bottom of the frame. Left fielder Sakurai earns a lead off walk. With one out, catcher Koga hits a hard grounder that goes beyond first baseman Brrokman glove and takes Sakurai to third. Abram strikes out center fielder Maruyama, but a hard hit chopper bounces off third baseman Naylor glove and Sakurai scores.
As he walks his third batter (Naylor) in as many innings in the top of the third, Tokuyama goes to the showers. Japan call Hikaru Yamashita from the bull pen. The reliever has Brookman hit into an inning ending double play.

Canada add a run in the fifth. With 2 outs, Naylor singles, Brookman hits a sharp roller to shortstop that fools Kozono (charged an error, needs also care from his trainer) and Stovman walks. Japan call Kento Kawabata from the bull pen, but on his first pitch the left hander hits left fielder Willow and Naylor scores. Kento strikes out Cerny to end the inning.
Japan strike right back. With 2 outs, team Captain Kotaro Kiyomiya looks at a ball and then hammers the second pitch off the batter’s eye in center for a solo home run. Japan get to Abram as Sakurai and Nakamura reach on back to back singles and Koga walks. Canada call Griffin Hassall from the bullpen and the righthander uses 3 pitches to retire Matuyama, who flies out to right.

Kaito Kozon had a bad night playing defense (Christian J Stewart-WBSC)

Japan reverse the lead in the bottom of the sixth. Nishimaki walks and Fujiwara drops a bunt to take him to second. Naylor fields it, but throws away from first base and off the fence. Nishimaki runs all the way to third and Fujiwara makes it to second. Japan ties the game on a grounder by Kozono to second. Julien throws off the bag for another error, Kozono is safe at first and Fujiwara gets to third. Yasuda grounds the first pitch to second and Julien ignites a double play with the throw to Bremner, while Fujiwara scores the go ahead run.

Canada is back into business thanks to more defense lapses. With Naylor (who had hit a grounder and should have been the second out; Kozono had allowed Keyes to reach on his second error of the night) at second, Brookman delivers a base hit to left. Naylor slides home to beat a great throw by left fielder Sakurai. Japan should be out of the inning as Willow strikes out, but the ball goes by catcher Koda (wild pitch) and Tatsuya Shimizu takes over for Kawabata and finds runners at the corners. Canada reverse the lead on another wild pitch. The ball lands just a foot from home plate, but both Shimizu and Koga chase the ball, nobody covers home and Brookman scores, while Willow advances to second. A base hit to left by Cerny makes it 6-4. As Kawabata walks the bases loaded, Japan is forced to make the call to the bull pen for Fumimaru Taura, their prime reliever. Taura strikes out Clarke to end the at bat.

Left hander Harley Gollert takes over for Hassall in the top of the seventh with Sakurai (walk) at first. He retires pinch hitter Masuda with Sakurai (wild pitch, ground out) at third.
Gollert has to go through more trouble in the bottom of the eighth because of 2 more errors by Bremner (tra total rises to 5). With runnersa at the corners, he has Kiyomiya ground out to second.
In the ninth, with a runner at first and one out, Gollert ends the game striking out Koga and getting Masuda to fly out.

The official standings of the super round after Day 2

With USA that have secured a spot in Sunday’s gold medal game, the other medal contenders will come out through the results of Day 3 of the super round. Japan will face Korea, Canada will face Cuba and USA will open the day against Australia. The possibility of a 3 team tie (Canada, Korea and Japan) is not remote.