ORLANDO, Florida- The Junior National Team faced the Chinese National Team and Seminole Community College to make for a doubleheader on day two of the team’s annual Fall Instructional League camp. In game one against China, the JNT gave up eleven walks and only managed two hits in being shutout 10-0. The second game saw the JNT battle their way back into the game before coming out on the losing end of a 7-5 score.
China got on the board in the top of the second inning when JNT starter Ethan Elias (Entwistle, AB) gave up a single and two walks to load the bases. The next batter hit into a fielder’s choice to score one run and an error followed allowing China to build a 2-0 lead.
Roberto Suppa (Palgrave, ON) entered the game on the mound in the fourth inning and gave up two runs before pitching two scoreless innings in the fifth and sixth.
China took complete control of the game in the seventh inning, scoring six runs to go up 10-0.
The JNT’s offence was held off the scoreboard with their only two hits coming off the bats of Kyle Hann (Oakville, ON) and Devan Thomas (Saint John, NB).
In game two, the JNT brought their bats and had seven hits during the game but Seminole CC held on for a 7-5 victory.
Seminole got to JNT starter Michael Foster (Pickering, ON) with two out in the top of the second inning off a run scoring double and an RBI single.
Seminole continued their scoring with a run in both the third and fourth innings and quickly the JNT found themselves trailing by four.
In the fourth inning the JNT took advantage of a couple of walks and two hit batters to get their first run of the ball game.
Anthony Buonaiuto (Toronto, ON) who had relieved Foster in the fourth held Seminole off the scoreboard in the fifth and sixth innings. Buonaiuto finished the game pitching three innings and giving up one run on two hits, four walks while striking out three.
After Seminole scored runs in both the seventh and eighth innings to increase their lead to 6-1, the JNT began mounting a comeback in the bottom of the eighth. Byron Reichstein (St. Thomas, ON) started things off by doubling with the bases loaded to score Gareth Morgan (Toronto, ON) and Joey Hawkins (Whitby, ON). With runners on second and third and only one out, the JNT had a chance to make some more noise but the frame ended with two straight strikeouts.
Again, with two out in the ninth the JNT gave up another run when Seminole hit three consecutive singles to go up 7-3.
The JNT pulled closer in the ninth by scoring two runs to cut the lead to two, but it wasn’t enough and the 7-5 score held up as a final. Justin Marra (Toronto, ON) had an RBI single in the ninth which was his second RBI of the game.
Notes: The JNT will be back in action on October 18th when take on the Toronto Blue Jays at 1pm ET.
