Cuba Summer Series: Big inning leads Cuba over Canada
By: Adam Morissette
Canadian Baseball Network
HAVANA, Cuba – A bases clearing triple with two out in the top of the sixth proved to be the difference as Cuba earned their seventh win of the Cuba Summer Series with a 6-2 win this morning over the Junior National Team.
The ninth and final game of the series will take place tomorrow morning (10am ET) at Estadio Latinoamericano in Havana.
GAME INFORMATION
Score: Cuba (U-18) 6 Canada (U-18) 2
Location: Estadio Latinoamericano – Havana, Cuba
Weather: 30 degrees Celsius, Mainly sunny
Canada 18U Starting Lineup:
1. Cooper Davis - CF
2. Dondrae Bremner – 2B
3. Adam Hall - SS
4. Tyler Duncan - RF
5. Edouard Julien – DH
6. Jason Willow – LF
7. Soren Graversen – 1B
8. Steven Moretto – 3B
9. Victor Cerny - C
Starting Pitcher: RHP William Sierra
HOW IT HAPPENED
-The juniors handed Cuba a 2-0 lead in the top of the second. After a perfect first inning of work with one strikeout, starter William Sierra (Montréal, QC) walked the first two batters he faced, before a surefire double play ball was fired into right field by Steven Moretto (Burnaby, BC) that brought in the game’s first run. The next batter grounded out to the right side of the infield allowing the run on third to trot home and Cuba had a 2-0 lead after an inning and a half.
-Conor Angel (Lachine, QC) took over on the mound from Sierra to start the sixth and struck out the first batter he faced before a pair of singles, that went for Cuba’s first hits of the game, and hit batter loaded the bases. Angel looked to get out of it after getting a strikeout but a triple to the gap in left cleared the bases and put Cuba in front by five.
-The juniors answered back in the bottom of the inning as they found themselves with the bases loaded and two out before Noah Naylor (Mississauga, ON) was called on to pinch hit and he delivered a single to centre that brought in Cooper Davis and Adam Hall to make it 5-2.
-The juniors had a chance to cut into Cuba’s lead in the eighth as a walk and back-to-back hit batters loaded the bases with nobody out. However, a strikeout, pop out and strikeout left them full and sent the game to the ninth.
-In the ninth a botched throw on a double play ball left a runner on first who promptly stole second and scored on a single to right to put Cuba up by four.
-The juniors, again, loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth after an error and a pair of walks, but came up empty as a fly out to centre ended the game.
JNT HIGHLIGHTS
-Starter William Sierra bent but didn’t break in his five-inning outing as he kept the Cubans hitless and didn’t give up an earned run. Six walks made for some tough situations but Sierra found his way out of them registering two strikeouts to leave two runners on in the second and stranding runners in subsequent innings of his outing. He finished with four strikeouts.
-The juniors made a nice relay in the seventh as a sure double to the gap in left was attempted to be turned into a triple by the Cuban batter/runner but LF Clayton Keyes to SS Adam Hall to 3B Noah Naylor who applied the tag went for the second out of the inning.
TEAM LEADERS
Hits: 2, Davis (2/4); 1, Naylor (1/2), Graversen (1/4), Hall (1/2)
Doubles: 1, Graversen
RBI: 2, Naylor
Runs: 1, Davis, Hall
Stolen Bases: 1, Davis
Strikeouts: 4, Sierra; 2, Angel
UP NEXT
Canada and Cuba will hook up for the series finale tomorrow at Estadio Latinoamericano at 10am ET...LHP Harley Gollert (Toronto, ON) is expected to start on the mound…Live tweets will be available by following @Team_C_Updates on Twitter.
Scores:
July 5 - Cuba 11 Canada 2
July 6 – Cuba 8 Canada 7
July 6 – Cuba 3 Canada 2
July 7 – Cuba 9 Canada 1
July 8 – Cuba 6 Canada 3
July 9 – Cuba 9 Canada 8
July 9 – Canada 9 Cuba 6
July 10 – Cuba 6 Canada 2
July 11 – Cuba vs Canada 10am ET