ORLANDO – One hiccup in what was an otherwise solid pitching performance by the Junior National Team turned out to be all the Detroit Tigers needed as the Canadians could not find any offence in a 4-0 loss to said Tigers at the Disney Spring Training Camp.
All the damage happened in the third inning. JNT starter Jesen Therrien (Montreal, QC) was cruising along in his first two innings of work, but the Tigers were able to get to him in the third frame starting with a leadoff double, a walk and a sacrifice bunt to put runners on second and third with one out. From there, a two-run single followed by a second RBI single put the Tigers ahead 3-0. They added the fourth run on an error and took the 4-0 lead, which held up for the remainder of the game.
All told, Therrien went three innings and allowed four runs, three earned, on five hits and a walk and struck out two.
In relief, both Tom Robson (Ladner, BC) and Iannick Remillard (Valleyfield, QC) held the Tigers off the board for the remainder of the game. Robson threw three shutout innings, allowing only two hits with one strikeout. Remillard did not allow a hit in his three innings of work, but did give up five walks. He also struck out a pair.
The JNT had a chance to strike first in the bottom of the first inning when Dalton Pompey (Mississauga, ON) and Brandon Dailey (Brantford, ON) hit back-to-back singles to lead off the frame and put runners on the corners with nobody out. But the Tigers were able to retire Kellin Deglan (Langley, BC), Rowan Wick (North Vancouver, BC) and Jordan Boston (Brampton, ON) in succession to escape the inning unscathed.
It would be the sixth inning before the Canadians could put together another threat as Chayse Marion (Red Deer, AB) drew a one out walk and advanced to second on Justin Atkinson’s (Surrey, BC) single. After Marion stole third to put runners on the corners with one out, the JNT could not capitalize as Emmanuel Forcier (St-Hyacinthe, QC) struck out and Jimmy Ralph (Raymond, AB) popped out to end the inning.
Their last good chance came in the eighth inning when Wick hit a one out double and Boston followed by drawing a walk to men on first and second with one out. But the JNT fell short as Alex Calbick (Burnaby, BC) struck out and Kelly Norris-Jones (Victoria, BC) grounded out and the Canadians came away empty handed.
Next up for the Junior National Team is a matchup with the Houston Astros on Friday, April 23 at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex. Game time is 1 PM. Mike Ellis (Surrey, BC) is scheduled to start on the mound for Canada.
