SARASOTA, Florida - Team Canada gave the United States everything they had but fell short in a 7-6 loss to remain winless at the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup.
Team USA took the early lead on this one thanks to a wild pitch in the bottom of the second inning that would score Bryce Eldridge after singling earlier in the inning.
The Juniors responded with four runs of their own in the top half of the third. After Myles Naylor (Mississauga, ON) walked with the bases loaded to tie the actions at one a piece, the stage was set for the Canadians to land a big blow against the Americans. Hugh Pinkney (Toronto, ON) stepped up to the plate and smashed a 2-RBI single to extend the lead to 3-1, followed by a Sam Shaw (Victoria, BC) RBI single to cap the scoring in the top half of the inning and put Canada ahead 4-1.
The United States would respond back with a run of their own in the bottom half of the third, as Kevin McGonigle scored after the Juniors couldn’t complete what would’ve been a 6-4-3 inning-ending double play. The Americans would add one more in the bottom of the fourth thanks to a defensive miscue in the Outfield that scored Dylan Cupp to bring it back to a one run game.
Pinkney would collect another RBI in the top of the fifth with a ground ball that scored Sam White (Aurora, ON) who hustled his way on with an infield single earlier in the inning. However, the Americans would flip the score in the bottom half as Max Clark delivered a 2-Run homerun to tie the game at five a piece. A Kevin McGonigle triple, and a wild pitch would allow USA to take a 7-5 lead over the Juniors.
Zak Szabo (Whitby, ON) was electric on the mound for the Juniors. After working out of trouble in the bottom of the fifth, the right-hander stroke-out the side to give Canada their last chance on the sticks. Hugh Pinkney singled to load the bases in the top half of the seventh, after an error allowed Sam White to reach base and a walked was issued to Myles Naylor. Ty Hamilton (Orleans, ON) battled his way to a 1-out walk that brought the game back again within a run. The USA pitching staff would bounce back and strike out the last two hitters of the game to deliver the Juniors their third loss of the tournament.
Canada will play South Africa on Tuesday, September 13th at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota with the first pitch set for 3PM ET.
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