16-year-old Brett Lawrie (Langley, B.C.) belted a sixth inning homerun to deep centre field and drove in his second run of the game in the eighth to be the difference maker in Canada’s 5-3 comeback win over the Lake Sumter Community College Lakers, Thursday, at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida.
Lawrie, the youngest player in Canada’s National Junior Team prospects spring training camp, was 3-for-4 on the day with two RBI and two runs scored. Jonathan Waltenbury (Bowmanville, Ont.), meanwhile, was just as impressive, going 1-for 3 with a three-run bomb to left-centre field in the fourth inning to account for Canada’s other three runs.
Together, the Canadian Junior Team’s version of the Bash Brothers, are hitting .439 with six runs scored and nine RBI over their last five spring training games.
After trailing 3-0 early, Cody Stang (Surrey, B.C.) got Canada’s three-run fourth inning started with a leadoff single. Lawrie followed with a single of his own, setting up the Waltenbury blast to tie the game.
Lawrie then hit a solo shot for the winning run in the sixth. With two away in the eighth inning, outfielder Matt McCarney (Kanata, Ont.) stole second base to get into scoring position and scored the insurance marker on a single from Lawrie.
Designated hitter Shayne Willson (Surrey, B.C.) was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate for Canada.
Left-hander Justin Robinson (Langley, B.C.) and right-hander Pierre Miville-Deschesne (Candiac, Qué.) combined for six shutout innings in relief to preserve Canada’s win. Robinson, who threw the final three innings gave up three hits and struck out one while Miville-Deschesne no-hit the Lakers from the fourth to the sixth and struck out three.
Lake Sumter took the early lead against Canadian starting pitcher Jean-Francois Ricard (Saint Eustache, Qué.) thanks to a timely two-out RBI double in the first and a two-run triple in the second.
Canada’s next spring training match-up comes Friday afternoon against the Detroit Tigers. Game time is schedule for 1 p.m. EST.
