MATANZAS, Cuba- The eight-game Cuba Summer Series came to a close today and it was Cuba who avenged a pair of losses yesterday beating the Junior National Team 7-4.
Cuba took six games out of the eight-game series as both nations now look toward the COPABE Americas 18U World Cup qualifier slated for Los Cabos, Mexico in September.
Cuba opened the scoring in the top of the fourth putting across two runs both coming with two out in the inning. Starter Ben Onyshko (Winnipeg, MB) allowed a single to left field and struck out the next batter, but was charged with a wild pitch that allowed the batter to reach first base. After a base-hit to left brought in one run and moved the runner from first base all the way to third, another wild pitch came that put Cuba up by two.
The juniors fought back with a pair of runs in the home half of the fifth as Mitch Robinson (Surrey, BC) came through with a sacrifice-fly with the bases loaded that scored Matt Lloyd (Okotoks, AB) from third, while Robert Byckowski (Georgetown, ON) reached on a throwing error by the Cuban shortstop that saw Charles Leblanc (Laval, QC) score on the play.
Robinson led the JNT eight-hit attack with a 3-for-4 day at the plate and one RBI. Leblanc and catcher Darren Shred (Brampton, ON), who entered the game in the sixth, each had a pair of singles.
The tie didn’t last long as Cuba came back with three runs in the second and Onyshko was removed from the game as Keenan Williams (Vancouver, BC) came on to pitch.
Onyshko’s outing saw him last 5 2/3 innings, and allow five runs (three earned) on four hits and six walks. He struck out a trip-high nine batters.
Williams struggled early on giving up a single and two walks before getting a strikeout to end the sixth and came back strong in the seventh getting two groundball outs and a strikeout to end the inning.
In the bottom of the inning Mitch Bigras (Sarnia, ON) came through with a clutch single with the bases loaded scoring both Josh Naylor (Mississauga, ON) and Robinson to cut the Cuban lead to one.
The comeback attempt suffered a setback in the top of the ninth as Cuba scored three more times coming on three hits and walk.
Alexis Lavergne (Gatineau, QC) came into the game in the eighth and worked a scoreless inning before coming back out for the ninth. Brad Smith (Vancouver, BC) took over for Lavergne with one out and one on in the ninth allowing a single before Matt Ianni (Ottawa, ON) took over and finished the game registering one strikeout.
Up Next: Players and staff will fly home later today… The Junior National Team will reconvene on August 26th, for the final team selection camp at the University of Houston. The camp will determine the 20-player roster that will represent Canada at the COPABE Americas 18U World Cup Qualification tournament in Los Cabos, Mexico September 5th-14th…the top four nations in Mexico will qualify for the IBAF 18U World Cup that will take place in Koshien, Japan in September 2015.
Cuba Summer Series results:
0704 Canada 4 Cuba 11
0705 Cuba 5 Canada 2
0705 Canada 0 Cuba 6
0706 Cuba 11 Canada 1
0709 Canada 9 Cuba 6
0709 Cuba 7 Canada 1
0709 Canada 5 Cuba 4
0710 Cuba 7 Canada 4
