Palmerston North, New Zealand – The Canadian Junior Men’s National Softball Team started the 2020 U18 Men’s Softball World Cup with a 6-1 win over South Africa. Nathan Running (Innerkip, Ont.) pitched five shutout innings for Canada to pick up the win, while Max Major (Delisle, Sask.) hit a key two-run homerun in a four-run fourth inning for Canada to put the game out of reach.
Team Canada got its first three batters on base in the top of the first with a pair of walks by Major and Joey Rousseau (St-Charles de Bellechasse, Que.) and an infield single by Mason McKay (Tavistock, Ont.). After a fielder’s choice retired the lead runner at the plate, the red and white opened the scoring on a fielder’s choice to second by Jackson Pegelo (Cargill, Ont.) for the game’s first run. Running got the start in the pitcher’s circle for Canada and struck out four of the first six batters he faced, but South Africa put some pressure on by loading the bases with two outs in the bottom of the second with a single and two walks. The following batter flied out to center as Canada held on to its 1-0 lead.
South Africa got a leadoff single on a shallow pop up to center in the bottom of the third, but Canadian catcher Xavier Daneau (St-Celestin, Que.) threw out the runner at second when he tried to advance on a ball in the dirt. Pegelo led off the fourth by drawing a walk and moved up to third on a single by Andrew Van Boekel (Bright, Ont.) after the ball got by the right fielder. An illegal pitch pushed Pegelo in to score, and Van Boekel crossed the plate by beating the throw to home on a fielder’s choice on a ground ball to first by Jack Becker (Drumbo, Ont.). Becker was sacrificed to third by Tyler Branchaud (Metcalfe, Ont.), and Major later hit a two-run homerun over the right field fence to increase Canada’s lead to 5-0.
In the top of the fifth, Connor Brooks (Napanee, Ont.) hit a one-out triple to the right field fence and scored on a single up the middle by Van Boekel. South Africa got on the board in the bottom half of the sixth, getting a leadoff triple off relief pitcher Brody Fraser (Upper Nine Mile River, N.S.) followed by an error by the left fielder on the following play. Fraser settled in after that, inducing a pair of ground outs and notching a strikeout as Canada took a 6-1 lead into the seventh. South Africa drew a lead off walk to start the bottom of the seventh and later got another runner on base on a fielder’s choice, but Fraser got a pop out and two strikeouts to end the game.
Box Score: Canada 6 vs. South Africa 1
Running scattered three hits and four walks to go along with eight strikeouts in five innings for Canada, while Fraser allowed a run on one hit and a walk, striking out three batters in two innings of relief. Major’s two-run homerun was Canada’s biggest hit, with Brooks adding a triple and Van Boekel contributing with two singles and a run batted in. McKay chipped in with a single, a stolen base and a run scored.
Canada (1-0) will be back in action against Singapore at noon local time (6:00pm EST on Saturday). Earlier games on the first day of the tournament saw Guatemala beat Denmark 16-1, Australia edged the Czech Republic 4-3 and Mexico defeated the United States 10-1.
For full tournament information including schedules, live scoring and streaming, go to the tournament website at https://u18mswc.wbsc.org/en/2020.
Team Canada got its first three batters on base in the top of the first with a pair of walks by Major and Joey Rousseau (St-Charles de Bellechasse, Que.) and an infield single by Mason McKay (Tavistock, Ont.). After a fielder’s choice retired the lead runner at the plate, the red and white opened the scoring on a fielder’s choice to second by Jackson Pegelo (Cargill, Ont.) for the game’s first run. Running got the start in the pitcher’s circle for Canada and struck out four of the first six batters he faced, but South Africa put some pressure on by loading the bases with two outs in the bottom of the second with a single and two walks. The following batter flied out to center as Canada held on to its 1-0 lead.
South Africa got a leadoff single on a shallow pop up to center in the bottom of the third, but Canadian catcher Xavier Daneau (St-Celestin, Que.) threw out the runner at second when he tried to advance on a ball in the dirt. Pegelo led off the fourth by drawing a walk and moved up to third on a single by Andrew Van Boekel (Bright, Ont.) after the ball got by the right fielder. An illegal pitch pushed Pegelo in to score, and Van Boekel crossed the plate by beating the throw to home on a fielder’s choice on a ground ball to first by Jack Becker (Drumbo, Ont.). Becker was sacrificed to third by Tyler Branchaud (Metcalfe, Ont.), and Major later hit a two-run homerun over the right field fence to increase Canada’s lead to 5-0.
In the top of the fifth, Connor Brooks (Napanee, Ont.) hit a one-out triple to the right field fence and scored on a single up the middle by Van Boekel. South Africa got on the board in the bottom half of the sixth, getting a leadoff triple off relief pitcher Brody Fraser (Upper Nine Mile River, N.S.) followed by an error by the left fielder on the following play. Fraser settled in after that, inducing a pair of ground outs and notching a strikeout as Canada took a 6-1 lead into the seventh. South Africa drew a lead off walk to start the bottom of the seventh and later got another runner on base on a fielder’s choice, but Fraser got a pop out and two strikeouts to end the game.
Box Score: Canada 6 vs. South Africa 1
Running scattered three hits and four walks to go along with eight strikeouts in five innings for Canada, while Fraser allowed a run on one hit and a walk, striking out three batters in two innings of relief. Major’s two-run homerun was Canada’s biggest hit, with Brooks adding a triple and Van Boekel contributing with two singles and a run batted in. McKay chipped in with a single, a stolen base and a run scored.
Canada (1-0) will be back in action against Singapore at noon local time (6:00pm EST on Saturday). Earlier games on the first day of the tournament saw Guatemala beat Denmark 16-1, Australia edged the Czech Republic 4-3 and Mexico defeated the United States 10-1.
For full tournament information including schedules, live scoring and streaming, go to the tournament website at https://u18mswc.wbsc.org/en/2020.
