HAVANA, Cuba – After a comeback that just fell short in the ninth inning this morning that saw the Junior National Team drop a 9-8 decision to Cuba, the Canadian boys brought their bats to the second half of the double dip as they exploded for seven runs in the second inning and held on for a 9-6 victory to hand Cuba their first loos of the Cuba Summer Series.
Shortstop Adam Hall (London, ON) went a combined 6-for-8 between the two games with three singles in game one and fell a home run short of the cycle in game two. He drove in a run in each game and added a stolen base in game one.
The Cubans now hold a 6-1 record in the series that resumes tomorrow at Estadio Latinoamericano and concludes on Monday.
GAME ONE INFORMATION
Score: Cuba (U-18) 9 Canada (U-18) 8
Location: Estadio Latinoamericano – Havana, Cuba
Weather: 32 degrees Celsius, Clear
Canada 18U Starting Lineup:
1. Cooper Davis - CF
2. Dondrae Bremner – 2B
3. Adam Hall - SS
4. Tyler Duncan - RF
5. Noah Naylor – 3B
6. Clayton Keyes – LF
7. Michael Stovman – 1B
8. Archer Brookman – C
9. Edouard Julien - DH
Starting Pitcher: LHP Jack DeCooman
HOW IT HAPPENED
-Cuba has been able to score early all series and the trend continued in the top of the first as they scored three runs thanks to a three run homer that landed in the seats beyond the right field fence. A lead off walk issued by starter Jack DeCooman (North Vancouver, BC) was followed by a double to left that put runners on second and third, which set the stage for the home run.
-The juniors answered back in the bottom of the inning as Cooper Davis (Mississauga, ON) reached on a throwing error that allowed him to move to second and later scored when Dondrae Bremner (Toronto, ON) hit a sharp single through the right side of the infield.
-The Cubans didn’t waste any time increasing their lead as they used three hits and an error to score two more in the top of the second that put them in front by four.
-Singles from Cooper Davis and Adam Hall (London, ON) in between a walk to Dondrae Bremer loaded the bases with nobody out in the third and the juniors took advantage. After a strikeout, Noah Naylor (Mississauga, ON) lifted a fly ball to centerfield that allowed Davis to tag and score before Clayton Keyes beat out an infield single that brought in Bremner to make it 5-3.
-A leadoff double to left came around to score Cuba’s sixth run of the game after a ground out and a wild pitch to open the fourth. They later used a walk and ground out to get a runner into scoring position before a single to right brought the runner home.
-The bottom of the inning began when Archer Brookman (Montréal, QC) smacked a double into left-centre and with two out, he scored when Dondrae Bremner lined a single into centre to collect his second RBI of the game. Bremner was then awarded second base on a balk call and Adam Hall took advantage as he drilled a single to left to pull the juniors to within two.
-Reliever Sam Shoemaker (Lions Bay, BC) was in cruise control retiring 11 out of 13 batters he faced and had two quick outs in the eighth, but a walk followed by a double to left put runners on second and third before a single to left brought in a run.
-He got into walk trouble in the ninth as a pair of two out free passes with runners on brought in a run to put Cuba up by four.
-The juniors mounted a rally in the bottom of the inning and had the tying and winning runs on first and second with nobody out but a strikeout and double play ended the potential comeback and game. Dondrae Bremner had led off with a single and Adam Hall followed with a walk before Tyler Duncan (Sooke, BC) tripled to the corner in right to drive in both. After Noah Naylor singled to second base, Clayton Keyes walked before Cuba made a pitching change.
JNT HIGHLIGHTS
-Catcher Archer Brookman had a little juice in his bat this morning as he sacked two doubles including one the one hopped the wall in left in the eighth inning.
-Adam Hall and Dondrae Bremner accounted for 6 of the Junior National Team’s 15 hits. Bremner also drove in a pair and scored three runs, while Hall added a run, RBI and stolen base to his stat line.
-Shoemaker turned in two perfect frames on the mound getting a pair of groundouts and strikeout in the fifth and two groundouts and a fly out in the seventh.
-The Junior National Team outhit Cuba 14-11 with eight different players collecting at least one hit, while four players had multi-hit game’s.
TEAM LEADERS
Hits: 3, Bremner (3/4), Hall (3/4); 2, Brookman (2/4), Naylor (2/3); 1, Davis (1/5), Julien (1/4), Duncan (1/4), Keyes (1/4)
Doubles: 2, Brookman
Triples: 1, Duncan
RBI: 2, Bremner, Duncan, Naylor; 1, Hall, Keyes
Runs: 3, Bremner; 2, Davis; 1, Hall, Duncan, Brookman
Stolen Bases: 1, Hall
Strikeouts: 5, DeCooman; 3, Shoemaker
GAME TWO INFORMATION
Score: Canada (U-18) 9 Cuba (U-18) 6 (7 innings)
Location: Estadio Latinoamericano – Havana, Cuba
Weather: 32 degrees Celsius, Clear
Canada 18U Starting Lineup:
1. Cooper Davis - CF
2. Noah Naylor – 3B
3. Adam Hall - SS
4. Michael Stovman - DH
5. Clayton Keyes - RF
6. Soren Graversen – 1B
7. Jason Willow – 2B
8. Steven Moretto – C
9. Terrell Rogers - LF
Starting Pitcher: LHP Jaden Griffin
HOW IT HAPPENED
-After a scoreless first inning, the juniors broke loose in the second and it started when Jason Willow (Victoria, BC) hit a one out single before Steven Moretto (Burnaby, BC) and Terrell Rogers (Aldergrove, BC) drew walks to load the bases. Cooper Davis then hit a grounder to short that had the makings of a double play but a throwing error allowed Davis to move to second and brought home Willow and Moretto. This was just the beginning as Noah Naylor smacked a single to right-centre and Adam Hall drilled a pitch over the centerfielders head for a triple. It seemed that everybody wanted in on the action as Michael Stovman (Maple Ridge, BC) doubled off the wall in right to score Hall before Tyler Duncan and Soren Graversen (Calgary, AB) followed with singles with Graversen driving in Stovman. After Jason Willow picked up his second single of the inning to score Duncan, and when the dust had settled the juniors sent 12 batters to the plate who collected seven hits and two walks to score seven runs.
-Cuba put a run across in the second as a lead off walk issued by starter Jaden Griffin (Lower Sackville, NS) scored on a double that got behind and outstretched Terrell Rogers in left field. Griffin went two innings and allowed the one run on one hit and three walks. He struck out two batters.
-Cooper Davis led off the fifth with a single to right and Adam Hall followed one batter later when he drilled a double to the gap in right to put runners on second and third. Michael Stovman then stepped to the plate and lined a pitch to left that brought in Davis and Hall.
-Cuba fought their way back into the game in the bottom half of the fifth and chased reliever Wesley Moore (Surrey, BC), who had thrown two scoreless innings, from the game. A lead off single moved to second on a walk and scored on a base hit up the middle before another base hit brought in another run. After a fly out to shallow left gave the juniors an out, another fly ball to left resulted in a sacrifice fly before a base-hit brought in the fourth run of the frame. That spelled the end for Moore and Austin Brown (Powell River, BC) came in from the bullpen and recorded a big strikeout with runners on second and third to end the inning.
-Cuba closed the gap even further in the sixth as a lead off double down the left field line scored after consecutive ground outs to make the score 9-6.
-In the bottom of the seventh, Brown walked three batters, but managed to strikeout three as well to preserve the victory.
TEAM LEADERS
Hits: 3, Hall (3/4); 2, Willow (2/4), Stovman (2/5); 1, Davis (1/4), Naylor (1/4), Duncan (1/4), Graversen (1/4), Rogers (1/2)
Doubles: 1, Hall, Stovman
Triples: 1, Hall
RBI: 3, Stovman; 1, Davis, Naylor, Hall, Graversen, Willow
Runs: 2, Davis, Hall; 1, Naylor, Stovman, Duncan, Willow, Moretto
Strikeouts: 4, Brown; 2, Griffin
UP NEXT
Game eight of the Cuba Summer Series goes tomorrow at 10am ET at Estadio Latinoamericano where RHP William Sierra (Montréal, QC) is expected to start on the mound...Live tweets will be available by following @Team_C_Updates on Twitter.
