News

TAIPEI, Taiwan – It did not take long for the Senior National Team to get its offence going on route to a 10-0, eight inning shutout win over Germany in the 2007 IBAF World Cup at Hsinchuang Stadium.

Jeremy Ware (Guelph, ON) got things started with a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning to put the Canadians ahead 2-0 and would turn out to be the winning hit.

“Anytime you can contribute is good.  You can’t really care about yourself, you just have to find a way to help the team win,” says Ware, who was 3-for-4 with the homer and two RBI.  “You can’t look at who you’re playing, you just have to put a (win) on the board.  We’ve got another game tomorrow and now we’ve got to try and get another win.”

The score would remain 2-0 until the fifth inning when Kevin Nicholson (Langley, BC), after hitting a double, would score on an RBI single from Jimmy VanOstrand (Richmond, BC) to make it 3-0.

In the sixth inning, the Canadians would increase their lead to 6-0, highlighted by an RBI triple from Matt Rogelstad (New Westminster, BC).

Rogelstad would get two more RBI in the seventh with a double to score Jamie Romak (London, ON) and Emmanuel Garcia (Montreal, QC).  Rogelstad would finish 3-for-5 with three RBI and a home run short of the cycle.

The Canadians would complete the scoring in the eighth inning when Sebastien Boucher (Ottawa, ON) would score on an error and Mike Saunders (Victoria, BC) would score on an RBI single from Garcia.

On the mound, Jamie Richmond (Mississauga, ON) was almost untouchable, allowing only four hits with four strikeouts in seven innings of shutout ball.

“The guys played great behind me.  I got a lot of ground balls for outs. The team needed the win now we can come back tomorrow and get another win,” says Richmond.

Chris Leroux (Mississauga, ON) pitched the eighth inning and was perfect in his inning of work, registering a strikeout.

“It’s been a real test of the team’s skills with the ups and downs of international baseball.  We’re playing one game at a time and we’re throwing every bullet that we have in every game from here on out,” says SNT Field Manager Terry Puhl.

The Senior National Team takes on the Netherlands on Sunday, November 11 at 12 pm at Hsinchuang Stadium.  Brooks McNiven (Vancouver, BC) is the probable starter for the Canadians.