Junior Men`s Worlds - Day 5
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Canada defeats Botswana 9-1 at Junior Men’s Worlds
(Whitehorse, Yukon) – It took a while to get the bats going on this cold morning, but Canada was ultimately able to get by Botswana in a game that felt much closer than the score indicated. The Canadian bats were silenced by strong pitching by Team Botswana, but as the game went on, the hitters woke up.
After a very quick two innings that saw starting pitcher Devon McCullough (Saskatoon, SK) strike out the side twice and Canada only getting one base runner on an error, Canada exploded for six runs in the bottom of the third. Dennis Iron (Canoe Narrows, SK) started the inning by reaching on an error, and Terrell Walker (Balcarres, SK) later drew a walk, setting the stage for an RBI single by Dylan Cunningham (Belwood, ON) and a two-run double by Mike Noftall (St. John’s, NL). Canada kept rolling with a run-scoring single by McCullough and a two-run homerun by Joran Graham (Micksburg, ON), giving the red and white a 6-0 lead.
After compiling eight strikeouts and not giving up a hit in the first three innings, McCullough was replaced by Cory Jones (Leduc, AB) who pitched the next two and a third innings, an outing that ended prematurely when he tripped in front of the pitcher’s circle holding his knee. Luckily, he was able to walk under his own power and was replaced by McCullough (re-entry rule).
Following the six run inning by Canada in the third, Botswana was able to produce a run on two hits in the fourth. Canada’s bats went silent again until the bottom of the sixth, when McCullough and Travis Dauvin (Saskatoon, SK) both drew walks before Dennis Iron stepped up and lifted a three-run homerun off the glove of the centerfielder that landed on the other side of the fence, securing the 9-1 run-ahead rule win for Canada.
McCullough pitched three and two thirds inning and retired a total of 10 batters on strikes and only gave up one hit. Jones threw two and a third, giving up the run on two hits and struck out three.
Beginning on Thursday, June 26th, tournament games on Field 1 will be aired through Ballpark Radio, including Canada against Japan (June 26th - 7:30pm PDT), Canada against the United States (June 27th – 7:30pm PDT) and all four playoff games on Saturday the 28th and Sunday the 29th. Click on the Ballpark Radio logo for a schedule of the games that will be broadcasted.
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Gilles LeBlanc
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gleblanc@softball.ca