OTTAWA- The playoff picture became a little clearer as day three of the Baseball Canada Cup took place today at Cairns and Leakos Field’s in Saskatoon.
Host Saskatchewan earned a berth in Saturday’s semi-final game as they clinched top spot in Pool B with a 7-4 win over PEI.
BC went 2-for-2 today with wins over Québec and Alberta as they stand alone in first place in Pool A heading into tomorrow where round-robin play will conclude.
Here’s a look at all of the action from day three:
BC 10 Québec 4
BC starter Garrett Goodall (Nanaimo, BC) pitched a complete game, while his offence pounded-out 16 hits en route to a 10-4 win over Québec. The kids from the west coast scored runs in all six of their offensive innings putting up two runs in each of the first, second, third and sixth frames. Jesse Mycock (Victoria, BC) and hayden Jaco (Coquitlam, BC) each collected three hits and drove-in two runs, while Lichel Hirakawa-Kao (Vancouver, BC) and Lenn Nakatsuke (Nanaimo, BC) contributed two hits apiece with two RBI. Jonathan Martin (L’Assomption, QC) had two hits for Québec including a triple and drove-in one run.
Alberta 7 Ontario 4
Through three innings it looked as though the Ontario/Alberta match-up was going to be a low scoring affair but both teams offences broke-out late with Alberta coming out in top 7-4. Alberta scored twice in the bottom of the fourth and led 7-2 after six before holding off a late Ontario surge in the seventh to seal the victory. Kurt Meeberg (Edmonton, AB) led the Alberta with a 4-for-4 day at the plate and scored one run, while Sean Robbins (Edmonton, AB) collected a pair of hits. Nick Cardinal (Bonnyville, AB) went five and one-third innings on the mound allowing two runs on five hits and a walk, while fanning four to get credited with the win. Connor May (Oshawa, ON) picked up a pair of hits in loss for Ontario including a double.
Manitoba 10 New Brunswick 3
Manitoba struck for eight runs in the bottom of the fifth to erase a two-run deficit as they went on to defeat New Brunswick 10-3. New Brunswick had taken a 3-0 lead after scoring runs in both the first and third innings before Manitoba got on the scoreboard with a run in the fourth. Marshal Burgess (Brandon, MB) went 2-for-3 and drove in a run for Manitoba, while teammate Mitchell Lyall (Brandon, MB) collected two RBI as part of a 1-for-3 day at the plate with two runs scored. Manitoba starter Brandon Hatley (Morden, MB) went six solid innings on the mound and struck out seven. Declan Buckle (Dieppe, NB) had a pair of hits and scored two runs for New Brunswick.
Nova Scotia 6 Newfoundland and Labrador 5
Nova Scotia jumped out to a quick six run lead after just two innings, but Newfoundland and Labrador clawed their way back in the game falling just short, 6-5. Jake Sanford (Cole Harbour, NS) carried the offence for Nova Scotia with three hits and two RBI including a run scoring single in the second. Cameron MacPherson (Canning, NS) contributed a pair of hits including a RBI single in the first inning and Nova Scotia starter Logan Aker (Sydney Mines, NS) picked up the complete game win allowing only one earned run, while fanning five. Newfoundland and Labrador’s attack was led by Riley King (Gander, NL) who knocked in one run in a 2-for-4 day at the plate, and Parker Gulliver (St. John’s, NL) who had two RBI.
BC 9 Alberta 3
BC scored six runs in the bottom of the second inning and never looked back as they picked up their second win of the day with a 9-3 victory over Alberta. BC has won four straight since dropping their tournament opener to give themselves a strong chance of advancing directly to a semi-final game. Tanner Rempel (Abbotsford, BC) smacked two doubles and drove in two runs, while Tony Pharand (Chilliwack, BC) gave his team five solid innings on the mound to earn the win. Alberta’s Austin Watamaniuk (Westlock, AB) was 3-for-4 with a RBI and a run scored in the loss.
Québec 5 Ontario 2
Québec rebounded from a loss earlier in the day to defeat Ontario 5-2 and take sole possession of second place of Pool A heading into tomorrow’s action. Oscar Rodriguez (Montréal, QC) turned in a quality performance on the mound striking out seven and allowed only hit and one earned run in six and two-third innings of work. Jonathan Martin (L’Assomption, QC) was the offensive star for Québec going 4-for-4 with a double and one RBI, while Joey Mainville (Montréal, QC) added a double and drove in two runs. Ontario’s lone hit came in the form of a single off the bat of Jeremy Orton (Ruthven, ON).
Saskatchewan 7 PEI 4
Host Saskatchewan kept their perfect record intact and booked a ticket into Sunday’s semi-final game with a 7-4 win over PEI. Danny Berg (Saskatoon, SK) was the story on the mound earning the complete game victory that included seven strikeouts. Berg received plenty of offence as five Saskatchewan players had multi-hit games including Brayden Resch (Saskatoon, SK) who had a double, triple and one RBI, while Brett Esau (Meadow Lake, SK) went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI. Kyle Pinksen (Kensington, PE) had three hits for PEI, while Darcy Affleck (Stratford, PE) drove in two.
Up Next: Tournament play continues tomorrow with six games scheduled. Round-robin play will conclude following the 5pm EST Alberta/Québec game with the first playoff game scheduled for 9pm EST. Action begins tomorrow at 11am EST.
Follow all of the action live!
Live Scoring via Pointstreak
Live Stream (Cairns Field only)
Baseball Canada Cup website (Standings, schedule, scores)
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