Baseball Canada’s national junior team was blanked 9-0 by Cuba, yesterday, in the second exhibition match-up between the two teams as part of a training camp in preparation for the 2006 World Junior AAA Championships in Sancti Spiritus, Cuba.
Canada played well, for the most part, taking a 1-0 deficit into the eighth inning against the defending World Champions, but Cuba put up four runs in the eighth and four more in the ninth to cruise to the victory.
Canadian starter Phillippe Aumont (Gatineau, Qué.) held the Cubans at bay over the first five innings, allowing only two hits while striking out five. Reliever Mehdi Djebbar (Montréal, Qué.) was also impressive in his two innings of work, giving up one run on only 1 hit in the sixth inning. Cuba’s Lioius Martin came into score on a sacrifice fly to open the scoring.
Cuba put the game away in the eight which was highlighted by a two-run double by Carlos Mesa off of Cameron Gray (Toronto, Ont.). Canadian closer David Francis (Mississauga, Ont.) walked four and gave up a pair of hits in the four-run Cuban ninth.
Canada managed four singles by Chase Larsson (Vancouver, B.C.), Shayne Willson (Surrey, B.C.), Mark Ellis (Maple Ridge, B.C.) and David Narodowski (Vancouver, B.C.) against a tough Cuba pitching staff.
Cuba was very efficient, scoring their nine runs on only nine hits and two Canadian errors.
The Canadians have a day-off today and will resume their exhibition series against Cuba, Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. EST.
