O'Neill goes deep as Canuks lose 4-1 to Cuba
Cuba defeats Canada in final Pan Am tune-up
By Adam Morissette
Baseball Canada
CARY, NC- The Canadian Men’s team finished it three-game schedule in the Americas Baseball Festival today with a 4-1 loss to the Cuban National Team in a seven inning contest. The series was being used as a tune-up for the Pan American Games that get underway on July 11th in Ajax, Ontario.
Cuba opened the scoring in the bottom of the second getting back-to-back singles to put runners on the corners with none out before a run came in on a double play.
Adding to its lead Cuba used three singles off Canadian starter Phillippe Aumont (Gatineau, Que.) to go up by a pair. Aumont came back strong striking out the next two batters as part of four strikeouts during his four inning outing in which he gave up five hits.
Canada got on the scoreboard in the fifth when Tyler O’Neill (Maple Ridge, BC) belted a two-out, solo home run over the wall in right-centre. Canada was poised to do even more damage in the frame loading the bases on a Rene Tosoni (Port Coquitlam, BC) single followed by an error and a walk, but the Cubans got out of it getting Brock Kjeldgaard (London, Ont.) to fly-out to right.
Reliever Evan Rutckyj (Windsor, Ont.) took over Aumont in the fifth and looked to get out the inning unscathed as he recorded two outs after a leadoff single, but two singles followed that brought in the third Cuban run.
In the sixth, Brock Dykxhoorn (Goderich, Ont.) took over for Rutckyj and hit the first batter he faced before a wild pitch allowed the runner to reach third. A single to left followed and Cuba went up by three.
Canada, Cuba and the United States will depart for Toronto later today for the Pan Am Games Men’s Baseball Competition that will run from July 11th-19th.
Canada will open defence of the Pan American Games gold medal, won in 2011, on Saturday, July 11 at President’s Choice Ajax Pan Am Ball Park against the Dominican Republic. To view a full schedule and to purchase tickets, please click here.
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