BOCA CHICA, DR- Three left-handed pitchers allowed only one earned run and the Junior National Team received some timely offence as they went onto defeat the Cincinnati Reds Dominican prospects 7-4.
The game was sent to extras with the score deadlocked at four and the juniors struck for three runs with Chris Thibedeau (Dartmouth, NS) hitting a two-run single and Malik Collymore (Mississauga, ON) scoring on a wild pitch.
With the Dominican Summer League season right around the corner, the Reds did not have any more pitchers to use so the game was declared final.
Offensively, the juniors smacked out six hits with the highlight coming in the sixth when Josh Naylor (Mississauga, ON) delivered a monstrous solo home run well over the fence in right field.
Naylor’s home run was his second in as many games.
“I’m seeing the ball well right now,” explained Naylor after the game. “I was able to get the bat head out and luckily it left the ballpark.”
Ben Onyshko (Winnipeg, MB) started the game and was very effective through three innings of work managing four strikeouts, while only giving up two hits. Both The Reds scored two runs on Onyshko, but both were unearned.
In the bottom of the first, an error put a runner on base with one-out and he came around to score after a stolen base and RBI single as the Reds opened the scoring.
They would add to their lead in the second when a batter ended up on third base after a misplayed ball in left field. He would later score on an RBI ground out to put the Reds up by a pair.
Onyshko came back for the third and got two ground outs before allowing a single, but struck out the final batter he faced to end his outing.
Toby Handley (Whitby, ON) provided a spark for the juniors in the fifth as he reached on a bunt single, stole second and moved to third on the play when the throw from the catcher ended up in centre field.
Handley tagged and scored from third on a sac-fly from Demi Orimoloye (Orleans, ON) to put the juniors on the board.
Handley was a sparkplug all game leading the team with two hits and wreaking havoc on the base paths with two steals.
Still in the fifth, with two-out and runners on second and third, Jordan Schulz (Strasbourg, SK) hit a line drive to centre that the fielder misplayed allowing both runners to score and put the juniors in front 3-2.
After Naylor’s home run gave the juniors a two-run lead, the Reds tied the score in the sixth with a two-run inning.
Reliever Kurtis Horne (Sooke, BC) was the on the mound and gave-up an RBI double before an error brought in the second Reds run of the inning.
Horne turned in a solid performance on the mound giving up only one earned run, four hits and two walks, while striking out four batters.
Brodie Harkness (Bowmanville, ON) took the mound in the seventh and shut the Reds down for three innings which allowed the juniors to go ahead in the tenth.
Harkness was extremely effective in allowing only one hit, while striking out three batters.
His finest inning came in the eight when he got a ground out to third before retiring two batters on two strikeouts.
Notes: The juniors will travel to Guerra tomorrow to take-on the Los Angeles Dodgers DSL club at 11am ET…Nathan Borges (Brooklin, ON) is expected to start on the mound.
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