PHOENIX, Arizona- Pitching a defence was the name of the game again today as both Canada and the United States played to a 3-3 tie on the eve of both teams departing for Taiwan tomorrow as preparations for the WBSC Premier 12 continue.
Prior to the game it was decided that the ninth inning would be used to practice the international tie-break rule, but the game need extras anyway as the score was knotted at one after eight before the teams traded a pair of runs each in the ninth.
The three game series ended with the United States winning one game, while the other two ended in ties.
GAME INFORMATION
Score: USA 3 Canada 3
Location: Hank Aaron Field at Maryvale Baseball Complex – Phoenix, Arizona
Weather: 28C, clear
Canada Starting Lineup:
1. Gillies CF
2. Orr 3B
3. O’Neill LF
4. Lennerton 1B
5. Kjeldgaard RF
6. Green DH
7. Jamieson SS
8. Deglan C
9. Atkinson DH
10. Stromsmoe 2B
Starting Pitcher: LHP Andrew Albers
HOW IT HAPPENED
-Canada opened the scoring in the home half of the first inning as Jordan Lennerton’s (Langley, BC) single to right scored Tyler O’Neill (Maple Ridge, BC) from second base. Lennerton’s single came with two out and after O’Neill had singled before him.
-Canada’s one run lead lasted until the eighth when a single with two out and a runner on third plated the tying run.
-In the ninth with runners on first and second, in accordance with international tie-break rules, a stolen base put runners on the corners before one run scored on a double play, while the other US run came in on an RBI double.
-Skyler Stromsmoe (Etzikom, AB) put down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners in the bottom of the ninth only to see a wild pitch ensue that scored Sean Jamieson (Kitchener, ON), and Rene Tosoni (Port Coquitlam, BC) followed with an RBI groundout to the right side that scored Justin Atkinson (Surrey, BC) with the tying run.
CANADA HIGHLIGHTS
-Canada once again received some solid performances on the mound beginning with starter Andrew Albers (North Battleford, SK) who fired three shutout frames, scattered two hits and struck out three.
-Phillippe Aumont (Gatineau, QC) picked up right where Albers left off as he tossed two scoreless innings with one strikeout before Scott Richmond (Vancouver, BC) and Kyle Lotzkar (Delta, BC) tossed a scoreless inning each. Richmond had one strikeout.
TEAM LEADERS
Hits: 1, O’Neill (1/4), Lennerton (1/2), Jamieson (1/3)
Runs: 1, O’Neill, Jamieson, Atkinson
RBIs: 1, Lennerton, Tosoni
Stolen Bases: 1, O’Neill
Strikeouts: 3, Albers; 2, Aumont; 1, Richmond,
THEY SAID IT
Manager Ernie Whitt’s impressions of today’s game:
“I thought we swung the bats better today, we had some solid contact. The main thing here (in Phoenix) is we got our work in as we gradually build our way toward this tournament. Again, I think some of our hitters had better at bats today”
Whitt when asked if pitching and defence is his team’s strength:
“It has to be. Like we saw in the Pan Am Games our pitching was great, our defence was outstanding. We just can’t afford to give extra outs during the course of a ballgame so (pitching and defence) is going to play a big part for us.”
UP NEXT
Team Canada will depart for Taiwan tomorrow and play the first of two exhibition contests on November 6th (6:30pm CST/5:30am ET) against Mexico…Canada will play Venezuela in a tune-up game on November 7th (6:30pm CST/5:30am ET) before opening their Premier 12 schedule November 10th against Cuba (6:30pm CST/5:30am ET) at Intercontinental Stadium in Taichung.
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