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KISSIMMEE, FL – Ryan Radmanovich (Calgary, Alta.) was 3-for-3 with a homerun, a double, three RBI and two runs scored to lead Baseball Canada’s national senior team to a 6-3 win over the United States, today in the team’s final tune-up for the America’s Olympic Qualifier.

After the U.S. took an early 2-0 in the first inning, Radmanovich cut that lead in half with a solo shot to right field in the fourth inning.

However, Canada did most of its damage in a five-run fifth inning when shortstop Kevin Nicholson (Vancouver, B.C.), Radmanovich’s regular season team-mate with the Atlantic League’s Somerset Patriots hit a one-out bases loaded double to right-centre field to score Mike Saunders (Victoria, B.C.) and Sebastien Boucher (Ottawa, Ont.) and give Canada it’s first lead of the game at 3-2.

The next batter, Radmanovich, took the first pitch he saw from American reliever Nick Adenhard deep to left-centre for a two-run double of his own and a 5-2 Canadian lead. Pierre Luc Laforest Hull (Québec) added an RBI single to left to cap off the scoring in the inning, which saw Canada send nine batters to the plate.

For the second straight day, Canada’s bullpen was virtually untouchable, pitching scoreless ball for the final five innings in the shortened seven inning exhibition affair – Its only blemish being a Bryan LaHair solo homerun off the scoreboard in right centre field given up by Mike Johnson (Edmonton, Alta.) in the fifth.

Mike Kusiewicz (Ottawa, Ont.), who was credited with the win, Chris Mears (Victoria, B.C.) and T.J. Burton (Ottawa, Ont.) also pitched in relief of starter Eric Cyr (Montréal, Qué.).

Saunders and Boucher were both 1-for-3 with one run scored while Jeremy Ware (Guelph, Ont.) was also 1-for-3.

Canada will travel to Havana Thursday afternoon and will begin their quest for a second straight berth at the Olympic Games when they open their Olympic Qualifying schedule against the United States Saturday at 9 p.m. EST.

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