U19 International Men's - Day 1
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
(Charlottetown, PEI) – The U19 International Men’s Softball Championship kicked off with nine games yesterday, as each of the thirteen (13) teams were in action in round-robin play!
Manitoba 7, New Brunswick 5
In the opening game of the tournament, Manitoba jumped to a 5-0 lead after two innings, and added two more runs in the fifth to hold off New Brunswick. Leadoff hitter Mark Hildebrand led Manitoba at the plate with three hits, two runs scored and a run batted in, while both Robert Francis and starting pitcher Cody McDermott had two hits and an RBI for New Brunswick. Miner Castel earned the complete-game win in the pitcher’s circle for Manitoba.
Nova Scotia 4, USA 0
Former Canadian Junior Men’s National Team player Patrick Avery fired a one-hitter at the United States, striking out 16 batters through seven innings. Another former JMNT player, Aaron Long, led Nova Scotia at the plate going two-for-three with two runs batted in, while Darcy Gillis also had two hits with one RBI. American pitcher Robby Black scattered four runs on eight hits in the complete-game loss. First baseman Kevin Black had the only hit for the USA.
British Columbia 14, Alberta 3
British Columbia scored runs in each of the game’s five innings on route to a 14-3 win over Alberta in five innings. Alberta was able to produce two runs in the first to take a 2-1 lead, but it was all BC afterwards. 2008 JMNT player Darcy Walushka had two hits and drove in three runs, while teammate Mike Wysicki also had two hits and drove in three more. Brett Richards also chipped in with two hits and two RBI’s for BC. Alberta’s Michael Friedrich produced a run on a sacrifice fly, while catcher Tyrel Majeski drove in another run with a hit. Aaron King picked up the win in the pitcher’s circle for BC.
Newfoundland and Labrador 8, New Zealand 10
In an exciting game, Newfoundland and Labrador jumped to 5-0 lead after the first, only to see New Zealand battle back to 5-4 before Newfoundland added more runs to take an 8-4 lead after two innings. The Kiwis responded with six unanswered runs over the four final innings to steal the win. Yet another JMNT product, Shane Boland went two-for-four with three runs batted in and two runs scored, while Andrew Wade also produced three runs with one hit. On the New Zealand side, Matthew Williams went three-for-four with three runs batted in, while Matthew Oxley had a pinch-hit two-run hit. Boland took the loss in the pitcher’s circle while Jack Fletcher shut down Newfoundland through the final 4 2/3 innings, allowing only two hits while striking out eight.
Saskatchewan 15, New Brunswick 0
Saskatchewan pitcher Patrick Burns fired a four-inning no-hitter as Saskatchewan blanked New Brunswick in four innings due to the run-rule. Burns struck out 11 of the 13 batters he faced, allowing one walk. At the plate, nine Saskatchewan hitters registered hits, with six of them recording RBI’s. Kalyn Robinson led the way with three hits and two runs batted in, while Cole Reid added two hits and three RBI’s. Former JMNT player Derek Arsenie drove in three runs on one hit, while Riley Mrack drove in two on a hit.
Manitoba 4, Nova Scotia 11
Nova Scotia scored runs in all seven innings to take the decision over Manitoba. Left fielder Ryan Gillis went four-for-four with two runs batted in, while Aaron Long went three-for-three at the plate with two runs batted in for Nova Scotia. Manitoba got two hits each from Marlon Beardy and Carlson Murdock, while Stefan Drieger had a sacrifice fly and Tanner Waldgovel had a hit and a run batted in. Justin Schofeld shut Manitoba down out of the bullpen, throwing the three final innings without giving up a hit and striking out five hitters.
British Columbia 3, Quebec 1
In a very tightly contested game, BC scored three runs in the top of the sixth to seal the victory over Quebec. Quebec pitcher Jonathan Roy and BC pitcher Tyler Dunn battled all game long, each pitching complete games for their respective teams. Roy allowed three runs while scattering eight hits with nine strikeouts, while Dunn ended the game allowing only one run on three hits with nine strikeouts as well. Brett Richards was the hero for BC, driving in all three runs. Ben Edgington went three-for-three for BC, while Jonathan Prevost led Quebec’s attack with a hit and an RBI.
Prince Edward Island 3, Northwest Territories 9
The Northwest Territories came back from a 3-1 deficit after two and a half innings to overpower PEI thanks to three runs in the bottom of the third and five more runs in the fifth. Connor Murphy led the way for Team NWT, going three-for-three with four runs batted in. Garrett Hinchey and Travis Conner each chipped in with a pair of hits as well. For PEI, T.J. Campbell drove in two runs, while Craig Gallant and Jeff MacIsaac each contributed two hits in the loss. Travis Conner earned the complete-game win for NWT, scattering eight hits with seven strikeouts.
Ontario 3, Saskatchewan 4
In the final game of the day, Saskatchewan scored three runs in the top of the seventh inning to steal a sure win from Ontario. Saskatchewan took an early lead with a run in the top of the first, but Ontario came back with two runs in the fifth and an insurance marker in the sixth before Saskatchewan came back. Former JMNT player Dan Mitchell drove in a run for Ontario, who only managed three hits off Saskatchewan pitcher Devon McCullough (another 2008 JMNT player). Brian Evanochko delivered a big two-run hit to tie the game 3-3 before Derek Arsenie drove in the eventual winning run. McCullough threw the complete-game win for Saskatchewan, allowing three runs on only three hits with 11 strikeouts. Ontario’s Josh Lockridge was equal to the task through 5 2/3 innings, giving up only one run on two hits to go along with eight strikeouts before being replaced.
Key match-ups on Day 2 include Nova Scotia (2-0) taking on Saskatchewan (2-0) at 4:00pm ADT, while BC (2-0) will square off with New Zealand (1-0) later tonight at 8:00pm.
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For more information, please contact:
Gilles LeBlanc
Manager – Marketing and Communications
Softball Canada
(613) 523-3386 x.3105
gleblanc@softball.ca
www.softball.ca / www.BackSoftball.com