ORLANDO – The Junior National Team pitching staff saved its best for last, but it was not enough as the Atlanta Braves pitching staff were up to the task, matching the JNT pitch for pitch and struck the one and only blow needed in a 1-0 victory in the Disney Spring Training Camp finale.
The JNT pitching staff held the Braves without a hit until the seventh inning when they broke through with a single. Evan Rutckyj (Windsor, ON) threw three perfect innings during his start for the Canadians. He also struck out five during his dominant outing.
Jonathan Paquet (Ancienne Lorette, QC) was next and picked up where Rutckyj had left off, throwing three solid innings without allowing a hit. His only blemish was giving up two walks, but he was able to regroup and get out of those innings unscathed.
In the seventh inning, the ball was now in the hands of Evan Grills (Whitby, ON). The Braves broke the no-hit bid during the frame with a single and broke the shutout in the eighth when Atlanta drew a leadoff walk, moved the runner over on a sacrifice bunt then brought him in to score on a RBI single.
In his two innings on the mound, Grills allowed one run on two hits and a walk while striking out a pair of Braves hitters.
The JNT offence could seize the opportunity provided by the pitching staff, stranding 10 runners throughout the game. Their best opportunities to score came in the first and second innings when both times they had a runner on third with less than two outs, but were unable to drive them home in each situation.
A similar situation happened in the sixth when Chayse Marion (Red Deer, AB) was on third with nobody out, but was later called out by interference, negating the JNT’s threat.
The Junior National Team will now make its way back to Canada where each player will return to school and rejoin their club teams. The next time they will get together will be for the Dominican Summer League Tour in the Dominican Republic where they will take on MLB affiliated clubs in an exhibition schedule. The Dominican Tour goes from May 19-28.
