William Sierra (Montréal, Que.) pitched three scoreless innings in a 3-3 tie against Toronto Blue Jays prospects at extended spring. Photos: Eddie Michels.

April 25th, 2017

Extended Spring Training: Juniors, Jays play to draw

By Adam Morissette
Baseball Canada
DUNEDIN, Florida – Two Toronto Blue Jays runs scored in the bottom of the eighth as they pulled even with the Junior National Team at 3-3 in a game that would end in a tie.

Pitching was the story in this one as both teams combined for just nine hits.

GAME INFORMATION
Score: Toronto Blue Jays 3 Canada (U-18) 3
Location: Bobby Mattick Complex – Dunedin, Florida

Canada 18U Starting Lineup:
1. Denzel Clarke – RF
2. Edouard Julien – 2B
3. Adam Hall – SS
4. Noah Naylor – C
5. Clayton Keyes – CF
6. Archer Brookman – C
7. Michael Stovman – 1B
8. Rhys Cratty - LF
9. Dondrae Bremner - SS
10. Jason Willow – 3B
11. Damiano Palmegiani - EH

Starting Pitcher: LHP Jack DeCooman

HOW IT HAPPENED
- After a scoreless first, a one-out homer that cleared the wall in left field gave the Blue Jays a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second.

- Damiano Palmegiani (Surrey, BC) led off the fourth with a single to right and came around to score three batters later when Adam Hall (London, Ont.) lined a single to centre.

- The juniors took the lead in the fifth plating a pair of runs on back-to-back sacrifice flies off the bats of Michael Stovman (Maple Ridge, BC) and Rhys Cratty (Langley, BC). Noah Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.) had led off the frame with a single to centre before Clayton Keyes (Calgary, Alta.) and Archer Brookman (Montréal, Que.) both drew walks to load the bases with nobody out.

- The Jays tied the score in the eighth taking advantage of a bases loaded situation after a pair of walks and a single.

JNT HIGHLIGHTS
- Pitching was the name of the game on both sides as the Jays limited the juniors to just four hits, while Jack DeCooman (North Vancouver, BC) along with relievers William Sierra (Montréal, Que.) and Landon Leach (Pickering, Ont.) kept the Jays hitters to just five hits.

- The home run was starter DeCooman’s only blemish on the mound as he had a game-high five strikeouts during his three-inning outing.

- Reliever William Sierra turned in three scoreless innings on the mound giving up just one hit and one walk, while recording a strikeout.

- Leach was on the hill for both runs in the eighth although just one of them was earned. He gave up one hit and walked three, while fanning two batters.

TEAM LEADERS
Hits: 2, Hall (2/3); 1, Naylor (1/3), Palmegiani (1/3)
Runs: 1, Naylor, Keyes, Palmegiani
RBI: 1, Hall, Stovman, Cratty
Stolen Bases: 1, Brookman, Keyes
Strikeouts: 5, DeCooman; 2, Leach; 1, Sierra

UP NEXT
The juniors will return to Lake Buena Vista tomorrow and ESPN Wide World of Sports for a 1pm ET contest against a prospects squad from the Detroit Tigers organization … LHP Wesley Moore (Surrey, BC) is expected to start on the mound.

DeCooman, Sierra, Leach impress facing Jays extended