Team Europe tied, 4-4, against Hayate 223, an expansion team joining the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) farm system, the only exhibition game ahead of the Global Baseball Games, the CARNEXT SAMURAI JAPAN SERIES between Samurai Japan and Team Europe, scheduled for Wednesday, 6 and Thursday 7 March,
Manager Marco Mazzieri used nine pitchers as planned and gave at-bats to each position player on the roster.
"We had a good outing. This game was exactly what we needed to make our decisions on Wednesday and Thursday," commented Mazzieri. "We had a chance to evaluate the condition of the pitchers, and we had a couple of players supporting their cases pretty well."
Hayate took the lead in the top of the second against Luis Lugo. First baseman Shuhei Fukuda reached on a leadoff single. Hayate loaded the bases on back-to-back infield singles and scored on a defensive error. The second run scored as Hayate grounded into a double play.
After collecting two hits in the first with Alex Liddi and Juremi Profar, all Team Europe produced against starter Yuhsei Nishihama was an infield single by Daniel Jimenez. When Alberto Mineo pinch-hit for Profar and led off the sixth with a double, Europe delivered the first extra-base hit.
Hayate added two runs in the top of the eighth against Franklin Van Gurp thanks to base hits by designated hitter Riki Fukutani and left fielder Ryosuke Nishikawa.
Trailing 4-0, Team Europe made it a one-run game in the bottom of the eighth against reliever Keito Takeuchi. Mineo hit a two-out double, his second in as many at-bats. Takeuchi walked Sharlon Schoop, and centre fielder Marek Chlup went deep to left field for a three-run homer..
In his second at-bat of the day, Noah Williamson doubled off hard-throwing closer Kensei Okuda with one out and Delano Selassa at first in the bottom of the ninth. Catcher Gabriel Lino worked the count full and drove the next offering to left field for a game-tying sacrifice fly. With the potential winning run at second, Wander Encarnacion grounded out to end the game in a tie.
HAYATE 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 = 4 (7 hits, 0 errors)
EUROPE 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 = 4 (8 hits, 2 errors)
HAYATE 2B Hiroki Sei (0-for-3); 3B Yuh Gibo (0-2; Koki Orishita 0-2); DH Riki Fukatani (1-2, 1 RBI); 1B Shuhey Fukuda (1-4); LF Ryosuke Nishihawa (2-4); SS Raiya Nakamura (1-3); C Yuhya Fukakusa (0-2; Shun Takahashi 0-2); RF Daiki Tomiyama (0-3; Shoma Itami); CF Reo Shinohara (1-3).
PITCHERS Yusei Nishihama IP 4, SO 3 BB 3 H 3 ER 0; Wataro Murakami IP 1, K 2, BB 0, H 0, ER 0; Kohshi Ohbae IP 1, K 2, BB 0, H 1, ER 0; Kenjiro Tanaka IP 1, K 0, BB 0, H 2, ER 0; Keito Takeuchi IP 1, H 0, BB 0, H 2, ER 3; Kensei Okuda IP 1, K 0, BB 1, H 1, ER 1.
EUROPE CF Engel Beltre (0-for-2; RF Noah Williamson 1-2; C Martin Cervenka (0-2; Gabriel Lino 0-2, 1 RBI); 3B Alex Liddi (1-1; Wander Encarnacion 0-3); DH Juremi Profar (1-2; Alberto Mineo 2-2); SS Edison Valerio (0-2; Sharlon Schoop 0-1); RF-CF Marek Chlup (1-4, 1 HR, 3 RBI); 1B Martin Muzik (0-3); LF Daniel Jimenez (1-1; 2B Ricardo Paolini 0-2); 2B-LF Delano Selassa (0-3).
PITCHERS Lars Huijer IP 1, SO 0 BB 0 H 0 ER 0; Luis Lugo IP 1, K 0, BB 0, H 3, ER 0; Daniel Alvarez IP 1, K 1, BB 0, H 0, ER 0; Fernando Baez IP 1, K 2, BB 0, H 0, ER 0; Tiago Da Silva IP 1, H 1, BB 0, H 1, ER 0; Dalton Von Schamann IP 1, K 0, BB 1, H 0, ER 0; Sven Schueller IP 1, K 0, BB 0, H 0, ER 0; Franklin Van Gurp IP 1, K 1, BB 2, H 2, ER 2; Kevin Kelly IP 1, K 1, BB 2, H 1, ER 0.
Samurai Japan announced that during the Global Baseball Games, it would be possible to make a donation to support the people of the Noto peninsula in the Ishikawa Prefecture, which was affected by an earthquake on the first day of 2024.
