Juniors stumble facing Degano, Yankee minor leaguers

SS Adam Hall (London, Ont.) had a pair of hits and knocked in a run facing New York Yankees minor leaguers.

March 15th, 2016

JNT Spring: Yankees too much for juniors

By Adam Morissette
Baseball Canada
ST. PETERSBURG, Florida – The Canadian Junior National Team was on the receiving end of a 17-2 drubbing at the hands of a New York Yankees prospects squad as the Yanks clubbed four home runs en route to victory. The Yankees scored runs in six of their nine offensive at bats.

GAME INFORMATION
Event: Spring Training
Score: New York Yankees 17 Canada (U18) 2
Location: Walter Fuller Complex – St. Petersburg, Fla.

Canada U18 Starting Lineup:
1. Cooper Davis – CF
2. Adam Hall – DH
3. Clayton Keyes – RF
4. Andrew Yerzy – C
5. Brad Aldred – LF
6. Michael Stovman - DH
7. Noah Naylor – DH
8. Steven Moretto – 3B
9. Soren Graversen – 1B
10. Dondrae Bremner – 2B
11. Jason Willow - SS

Starting Pitcher: LHP Jaden Griffin

HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Yankees opened the scoring in the top of the first as they used a lead off walk and double to put runners on second and third before a sacrifice fly plated the first run of the ballgame. Two batters later, a two-run homer off JNT starter Jaden Griffin (Lower Sackville, NS) put the Yankees up by three.

- With reliever Tim Walters (Roberts Creek, BC) taking over for Griffin, things didn’t fare much better for the juniors in the second as a pair of walk and a one out single loaded the bases only to see a triple plate all three runner. A fly ball brought in the runner from third and the Yankees went up 7-0.

- In the fourth with Landon Leach (Pickering, Ont.) on the mound, the Yanks loaded the bases and with two out a grand slam home run put them up by 11.

- The Yankees went on to add a pair of runs in the sixth, on run in the seventh and three in the eighth coming on a solo and two run home runs.

- The juniors got their only two runs of the ballgame in the seventh as an Adam Hall (London, Ont.) double cashed in Jason Willow (Victoria, BC). Hall later scored on a wild pitch.

JNT HIGHLIGHTS
- Hall was a bright spot for the juniors offensively as he went 2-for-3 on the afternoon, scored a run and drove in a run.

- Soren Graversen (Calgary, Alta.) collected a double in the ninth inning, while Cooper Davis (Mississauga, Ont.) and Brad Aldred (Whitby, Ont.) had the other hits.

- After allowing four runs in the second inning, reliever Walters sat the Yankees down in order in third that included one strikeout.

- Wesley Moore (Surrey, BC) also had a scoreless frame on the mound as he worked a perfect ninth that also included a strikeout.

-The Yankees sent Jeff Degano (Surrey, BC) to the mound to start the game where he allowed one hit over two innings of work. Degano was a second round selection of the Yankees last June out Indiana State University.

TEAM LEADERS
Hits: 2, Hall (2/3); 1, Graversen (1/3), Davis (1/3), Aldred (1/2)
Doubles: 1, Hall, Graversen
Runs: 1, Hall, Willow
RBI: 1, Hall
Strikeouts: 3, Walters; 2, Leach, Stovman, Moore; 1, Griffin

UP NEXT
The juniors’ spring training schedule continues Wednesday at the Walter Fuller Complex when they welcome a group of minor league prospects from the Atlanta Braves organization for a 1:05pm ET first pitch … RHP Carter Loewen (Abbotsford, BC) is expected to start for the juniors … The game can be heard live by visiting radiostpete.com.