Argentina pitchers continued their dominance at the 2014 Junior Men’s World Softball Championship, while host Canada suffered its first defeat of the tournament Saturday.
The two teams faced off in the final game of Day 2 before thousands of fans at the Pepsi Softball Centre. This time it was Roman Godoy pitching the shutout for the defending champs.
Matt Wardrop, with the opening day win under his belt, got the start again on the mound for Canada. Wardrop kept it close for the Canadians, allowing just one run through four. But after hitting a batter in the top of the fifth, and finding himself down 3-0, Wardrop was taken out of the game and replaced by Tyler Randerson.
Randerson had a rough introduction to the game, giving up a grand slam to Gonzalo Masmu, as Argentina took a 7-0 lead. They held that lead through the bottom of the inning and Godoy recorded the win.
Argentina improves to 2-0 at the championship while Canada falls to 1-1.
Japan is also atop the standings at 2-0, after a tight 2-1 victory over Australia (0-2). Kento Okazaki picked up his second consecutive victory for Japan, pitching all seven innings. Jerremyah Selu pitched two innings for the Aussies before Callum Beashel came on in relief. Beashel tossed five strong innings, allowing just one hit in the loss.
Two other teams will start Day 3 undefeated. New Zealand topped USA 4-1 in the first game of the afternoon while Mexico continued its hot hitting with a 14-3 win over the Czech Republic.
The New Zealand runs came from four different players, including a Tiwana Aranui solo homer. Tyler Bouley went 3-for-3 for the USA. Ethan Johnston pitched seven strong innings for the Kiwis while Phillip Zimmerman pitched all seven for the Americans.
Heraldo Estrada had two hits and four RBIs for Mexico while Rafael Gonzalez went three-for-three with three RBIs. Jaudiel Cajero was the winning pitcher for the Mexicans. Patrik Kopecny led the Czechs with two hits and a run.
In the second game of the day for both teams, the Czech Republic (0-3) later took on the USA. Tied 4-4 in the bottom of the fourth, the Americans pulled away thanks to a wild pitch and an error, cashing in three runs to take a 7-4 lead. They tacked on a run for insurance in the fifth, improving their record to 2-1.
Denmark picked up its first win of the tournament, in an 8-7 nailbiter over Singapore (0-2). Singapore had pulled ahead in the top of the seventh, when Malcolm Lim scored on a wild pitch. But in the bottom of the inning, it was Lukas Lohmann with the winning run, after an error on the throw to home plate.
Two of the tournaments undefeated teams, Mexico and Japan, will meet each other on Day 3. Also in action on Sunday, Argentina takes on the Czech Republic and Canada looks for the rebound against the USA.
