Canada uses the long ball to knock out Japan, advance undefeated to Super Round

Canada uses the long ball to knock out Japan, advance undefeated to Super Round
30/11/2022
The red and white squad belted three home runs to defeat Japan 9-2 on Day 5 of the WBSC Men’s Softball World Cup.

Derek Mayson, Ty Sebastian and Bryan Abrey hit multi-run, home runs to lift Canada over Japan, 9-2, to close the Opening Round on top of Group B with a perfect record. The North Americans will open on Thursday the Super Round with a 2-0 record.

With the score 1-0 in the bottom of the third, Mayson and Sebastian decided the game with a pair of three-run homers over the center field fence to put the score at 7-0. It was Mayson’s third blast in the last two games.

Japan reacted in the top of the fifth with a two-out, two-run home run by Tei Hamamoto to avoid the run difference rule. However, in the bottom of the fifth Bryan Abrey sent a pitch over the left field bleachers to end the game.

Canada advanced with a perfect record to the Super Round, while Japan is out of contention for a medal spot.

Quotes: Canadian Catcher Bryan Abrey

"We came out swinging. We knew they were be a tough team even though they were 2-2. They beat us last weekend so we knew we were going to be in for a dog-fight.

"We are just getting better. We have a scary team – a scary line-up. I wouldn’t like to be pitching to us right now. We are getting hot and going to get hotter.

"I wanted that pitch back. I got the same pitch in my last at-bat and missed it. But there it was and I got it again.

"We are ready for the next round. It is going to be the biggest game of our lives game after game. Now we are just ready for the next one.

"We didn’t want to be losing a game going into the Super Round. We have given ourselves four points and that is big for us."