Baseball Canada’s national junior team stranded 11 runners and dropped a 6-0 decision to the Cleveland Indians’ instructional team, Thursday, at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida.
After winning their first game in the 2006 Fall Instructional League on Wednesday, Canada was unable to take advantage of six walks issued by the Indians’ pitching staff. Cleveland, however, had more success in converting 50 per cent of its base runners into runs.
The Indians first struck with three runs in the third inning highlighted by a two-run triple and an RBI-single off of reliever Daniel Britton-Foster (Ladysmith, B.C.). A pair of walks and a hit batsman loaded the bases for Canada in the bottom half of the inning, but with one out Chad Stang (Surrey, B.C.) struck out and Leslie Williams (Scarborough, Ont.) grounded out to end the inning. It was the first of two occasions where the Canadians had three men on base with one out, but were unable to score.
Cleveland pulled away in the sixth inning when Nick Weglarz (Stevensville, Ont.) drew a two-out walk and scored on a double to left-centre before an RBI single made it 5-0. The Indians added a final marker in the eighth inning on an infield single and an error.
Canadian starter Shain Beaudreau (Cole Harbour, N.S.) was impressive over two shutout innings, allowing two hits and striking out two. Britton-Foster gave up three runs over the next two innings, Matt Jebb (Toronto, Ont.) gave up two runs on three hits while pitching the fifth and sixth innings and Mitch Hodge (Vancouver, B.C.) threw the eighth and ninth, allowing one run on one hit. Daniel Reid (Nasonworth, N.B.) threw a hitless ninth.
Williams was 2-for-3 at the plate for Canada while Brian Ivan (Toronto, Ont.), Kyle Fillier (Toronto, Ont.) and Stang also collected hits.
Canada’s next match-up comes against the Atlanta Braves’ instructional team, Friday at 10 a.m. EST.
