ORLANDO – The Junior National Team could not generate any offence after an early flurry and the Detroit Tigers scored early and often as they would go on to defeat the Juniors 14-4 in their Spring Training contest.
After retiring the first two batters he faced in the top of the first, Evan Grills (Whitby, ON) gave up a double, followed by a home run, giving the Tigers a 2-0 lead.
Canada would respond in the bottom half of the first with four runs of their own. Wes Darvill (Langley, BC) got it started with a one out walk and moved to second on a passed ball. Adam Nelubowich (Stoney Plain, AB) then hit an RBI single, driving in Darvill for the Canadians’ first run of the game.
Now with two outs and after Nelubowich moved to second on a passed ball, Kellin Deglan (Langley, BC) stroked an RBI single, scoring Nelubowich to tie the game 2-2.
After Mike Washburn (Fredericton, NB) walked, Alexandre Béland (Trois-Rivières, QC) drove in Deglan with a single to left to give the Canadians the 3-2 lead.
Johnathan Solazzo (Mississauga, ON) followed that up with a single to load the bases for Ryan Johnson (Winnipeg, MB), who walked to score Washburn and put Canada ahead by two.
The lead however would be short lived as the Tigers scored three runs in the top of the second on one hit, three walks and a pair of errors.
By the end of Grills’ outing, which lasted one and a third innings, he was charged with five runs, three were earned, on three hits and two walks with a pair of strikeouts.
Steven Inch (Edmonton, AB) came in relief of Grills and was able to throw two and two-thirds scoreless innings, giving up three hits and three walks with two strikeouts. He would be the last bright spot on the mound for the Canadians on this day.
The Tigers would score two in the fifth, three in the seventh and four in ninth to complete the scoring. All told, the Tigers were able to score 14 runs on 14 hits and 15 walks off of Canadian pitching.
The Junior National Team will be back on the field on Tuesday, April 21st in a matchup with the Washington Nationals. Game time is 1 PM.
