PANAMA CITY, Panama — The Canadian Junior National Team faced a tough challenge against Puerto Rico in quarterfinal action, ultimately falling 4-2 in a closely contested game at the U-18 Pan American Championship.
The game started on a high note for Canada with Eric Hartman (St. Albert, AB) blasting a solo home run to deep right-center field, giving the Canadian team an early 1-0 lead. Tim Piasentin (Coquitlam, BC) and Leo Cote (Ayer’s Cliff, QC) each contributed singles to push the lead to 2-0 after one inning of play.
Despite this strong start, Puerto Rico quickly responded in the second inning, tying the ballgame at two at piece. Canadian starter Michael Yusypchuk (Edmonton, AB) would stop the bleeding in the third but was chased out of the game in the fourth after allowing a couple of runners to start the inning.
Canada had several opportunities to close the gap. In the bottom of the fourth inning, Tommy Hanger (Toronto, ON) singled and advanced to second on a balk, but the Canadians were unable to bring him home. Their best chance came in the fifth inning, where Dante Smith (Ajax, ON) walked and stole second, but the inning ended on a hard line out by Ryan Stalony (Mississauga, ON), leaving Canada scoreless.
Sean Duncan (Port Coquitlam, BC) tossed four solid innings in relief, permitting only a run on two hits and a walk, while punching out five to keep the score close. However, the Canadian offense couldn’t capitalize on their final opportunities.
Looking Ahead
With this loss, Canada is eliminated from the tournament and will have to wait until the culmination of the Panama-Nicaragua game to know its final place at the U-18 Pan American Championship.
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