HAVANA, Cuba – A three run first inning and a six run seventh were more than enough runs as Cuba rolled to a 12-2 victory in the finale of the nine-game Cuba Summer Series.
Cuba recorded their eighth win of the series, while the Junior National Team came away with one victory.
GAME INFORMATION
Score: Cuba (U-18) 12 Canada (U-18) 2
Location: Estadio Latinoamericano – Havana, Cuba
Weather: 33 degrees Celsius, A few clouds
Canada 18U Starting Lineup:
1. Cooper Davis - CF
2. Dondrae Bremner – SS
3. Edouard Julien - DH
4. Tyler Duncan - RF
5. Noah Naylor – 3B
6. Archer Brookman – C
7. Michael Stovman – 1B
8. Clayton Keyes – LF
9. Jason Willow – 2B
Starting Pitcher: LHP Harley Gollert
HOW IT HAPPENED
-Two walks to start the inning and a fielder’s choice left Cooper Davis (Mississauga, ON) on third and Edouard Julien (Québec, QC) on first before Tyler Duncan (Sooke, BC) walked to load the bases. Noah Naylor (Mississauga, ON) then lifted a fly ball to right that allow Davis to tag and score from third and the juniors led by one after a half inning.
-It was almost a mirror image of the top of the first when Cuba came to bat in the bottom as runners were on the corners with one out after an error, walk and fielder’s choice. This time a double to the gap in left tied the score before a bouncer up the middle that went for a single brought two more runs home to give Cuba a 3-1 lead after one.
-The juniors cut the lead to one in the fourth as Archer Brookman (Montréal, QC) led off with a single up the middle and scored from first base when Michael Stovman (Maple Ridge, BC) followed with an opposite field double down the left field line.
-The Cubans regained their two run lead in the fourth when a two out double to left scored a runner on first who had reached on a fielder’s choice after a one out walk.
-Jaden Griffin (Lower Sackville, NS) took over from starter Harley Gollert (Toronto, ON) in the sixth and walked the first batter he faced before an infield single put runners on first and second. With the runners on the move, a ground ball to short brought in one run with SS Dondrae Bremner (Toronto, ON) having no choice but to get the runner going to first.
-Landon Leach (Pickering, ON) to over for Griffin in the seventh and got into trouble early as an infield single and a couple walks loaded the bases with nobody out before a sac fly to left brought one run in. After a hit batter reloaded the bases, an RBI single and error brought in two more runs before a double to left scored two. An RBI groundout brought in the sixth run of the inning and when the dust settled, the juniors found themselves in an 11-2 hole.
-The Cubans rounded out the scoring with an RBI single off reliever Terrell Rogers (Aldergrove, BC) in the home half of the eighth to go up by ten in which the game was declared over due to the international mercy rule.
JNT HIGHLIGHTS
-Starter Harley Gollert turned in two perfect innings on the mound in his five-inning outing. He got a strikeout and pair of groundouts in a 1-2-3 second and a fly out and two groundouts in a perfect fifth.
TEAM LEADERS
Hits: 1, Julien (1/4), Duncan (1/3), Brookman (1/3), Stovman (1/3), Willow (1/3)
Doubles: 1, Julien, Stovman
RBI: 1, Naylor, Stovman
Runs: 1, Davis, Brookman
Strikeouts: 2, Gollert; 1, Griffin
UP NEXT
Players, coaches and staff will fly home from Cuba later this evening…The next event on the Junior National Team schedule is the annual Fall Instructional League Camp in Lake Buena Vista, Florida from October 2-12…The Junior National Team program has its sights set on the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup in Thunder Bay, Ontario from September 1-10, 2017.
Scores:
July 5 - Cuba 11 Canada 2
July 6 – Cuba 8 Canada 7
July 6 – Cuba 3 Canada 2
July 7 – Cuba 9 Canada 1
July 8 – Cuba 6 Canada 3
July 9 – Cuba 9 Canada 8
July 9 – Canada 9 Cuba 6
July 10 – Cuba 6 Canada 2
July 11 – Cuba 12 vs Canada 2
