by Baseball Canada
GOLD COAST, Australia-Canada exploded for four runs in the top of the eighth to break a scoreless tie and they went onto a 6-1 win over Australia in pre-worlds exhibition play.
The win came after both the Canadian and Australian roster were announced for the 18U Baseball World Cup which gets underway in Taichung August 30th.
Chris Thibideau (Dartmouth, NS) got things started in the eighth by smacking an opposite-field triple to right field and Jake Lumley (Windsor, ON) promptly singled him home for the game’s first run.
After Tyler O’Neill (Maple Ridge, BC) drilled a single to centre for his third hit of the game, the juniors had runners on the corners and nobody out.
Lumley came into score after Josh Naylor’s (Mississauga, ON) groundball to first base was misplayed by the pitcher covering the bag.
With two-out and runners on second and third, Malik Collymore (Mississauga, ON) drilled a double down the left field line to score both O’Neill and Naylor and the juniors were quickly ahead by four.
The Aussies were able to get one of the runs back when a runner scored on a wild-pitch after reaching on an error and moving to third after a fielder’s choice and passed ball.
But, Josh Naylor came up with a two-run single in the top of the ninth and Sean Ratcliffe (Ajax, ON) struck out three in the ninth to close the game
Up until the eighth the game had featured a pitcher’s duel with Brodie Harkness tossing five scoreless, while Daniel Procopio (Toronto, ON) and Mitch Bigras (Sarnia, ON) throwing one scoreless frame each.
Procopio, Bigras and Luke Manuel (Surrey, BC) who tossed the eighth, along with Ratcliffe combined to hold the Aussies hitless.
Harkness was light’s out through five innings and didn’t allow a hit until the fourth when he gave up a two-out single.
His five inning outing saw him give-up only two hits and strikeout two.
Tyler O’Neill led the offence with a 3-for-5 day at the plate including a double, while Josh Naylor had three RBI.
Box Score – Canada 6 Australia 1
