WEST PALM BEACH, FL--- The Junior National Team put up a five-run sixth inning and swatted out ten hits against their professional counterparts, but ended up falling to a prospects squad from the Washington Nationals organization, 10-6, in extended spring training play this afternoon.
Dasan Brown (Oakville, ON), Cesar Valero (Calgary, AB) and Justin Thorsteinson (Langley, BC) had two hits apiece while J-C Masson (Lévis, QC) went 1-for-3 and drove in a run.
GAME BREAKDOWN
-Starting pitcher Ben Adams (Ottawa, ON) worked a scoreless first inning but hit a batter and allowed three hits including an RBI triple in the second inning as the Nationals jumped out to a 3-0 lead.
-Both sides traded runs in the third as J-C Masson came up with an RBI single to left to plate Justin Thorsteinson who had reached on a double to left. The Nats used a lead off walk and ground out to move a runner into scoring position before a single to centre regained their three-run advantage.
-After scoreless innings in the fourth and fifth frames, the juniors scored five runs to take a 6-4 lead. With the bases loaded, Micah McDowell (Coldbrook, NS) reached on an error that scored Ryan Leitch (Whitby, ON) before Jaden Brown (Mississauga, ON) scampered home on a wild pitch. After Dasan Brown used his wheels to score a wild pitches, the juniors tied the score on a Joshua Walker (Victoria, BC) RBI groundout before taking the lead on an error.
-The Nats didn’t wait long to tie things up as a run scoring double and RBI ground out off reliever Simon Lusignan (Varennes, QC) made the scoring even after six innings.
-Gavin Pringle (Duncan, BC) took over on the mound in the seventh where the Nationals took the lead on a sac-fly before adding three more runs in the eighth on a walk, four hits and wild pitch to make it 10-6.
UP NEXT
The juniors will continue their extended spring training schedule tomorrow with a match-up against a prospects squad from the Houston Astros organization with the first pitch set for 2:15 PM ET…LHP Mitch Bratt (Newmarket, ON), RHP Ryan Scott (Quispamsis, NB) and LHP Justin Thosteinson, (Langley, BC) are all expected to see action on the mound.
