by Baseball Canada
GOLD COAST, Australia-Australia took a 3-2 lead after a two-out RBI double in the fifth inning and hung on to defeat the Canadian Junior National Team in the first game of the pre-worlds selection camp.
The run came off of reliever JP Stevenson (Hunter River, PEI) who was tagged with the loss in an otherwise solid performance as he pitched three innings allowing only one run and three hits, while striking out two
The juniors opened the scoring in the top of the first as Chris Thibideau (Dartmouth, NS) led off the game with a triple to right-centre and with one-out, Tyler O’Neill (Maple Ridge, BC) grounded out to short which allowed Thibideau to scamper home with the game’s first run.
Josh Naylor (Mississauga, ON) later doubled to left-centre and Malik Collymore (Mississauga, ON) was hit by a pitch with two out, but both runners were left stranded.
Australia answered back in the home half of the inning with a run scoring on an RBI single to left field off of starter Nathan Borges (Brooklin, ON).
Borges (Brooklin, ON) allowed a lead-off walk and after a ground-out advanced the runner to second base, a balk put him on third before a single brought him home.
After a scoreless second inning, the Aussies took the lead in the third as a one-out double came around to score after an infield single and an error at third base.
Just as the Aussies did in the first inning, the juniors answered back with a run in the top of the fourth when Owen Spiwak’s (Mississauga, ON) single to left-centre brought home Lachlan Fontaine (North Vancouver, BC) from second base.
The juniors had a chance to take the lead later in the frame, but left the bases loaded after a fly-out to centre.
Stevenson came back for the sixth and retired the Aussies in order with one strikeout before Connor Noble (Vancouver, BC) took over for the seventh.
Noble worked his way out of a two-out bases loaded jam in the seventh after Tyler O’Neill (Maple Ridge, BC) came up with a nice grab on the warning track in left field to end the inning.
Noble came back out for the eighth and gave-up a two-out double after striking out the first two batters of the inning, but fought back with another strikeout to end the threat.
The game was declared official after the eighth inning as both teams used the ninth to practice the international extra-innings rule where runners are placed on first and second base to begin the frame.
The juniors managed seven hits during the game and left 12 runners on base.
Notes: The pre-worlds selection camp continues tomorrow as the juniors take-on Reseisha College from Japan at 12:30pm AEST (10:30pm ET on 08/18) with Kurtis Horne (Sooke, BC) scheduled to start. Live scoring for all games is available at: www.mlbaap.baseball.com.au.
You can follow the Junior National Team during exhibition play and at the 18U Baseball World Cup by visiting Baseball.ca or by following @baseballcanada on Twitter.
