Facing pros no hassle for Hassall in Jrs loss to Braves

Griffin Hassall (Newmarket, Ont.) of the Great Lakes Canadians fanned six over three scoreless innings in a lopsided loss to Attlanta Braves prospects. Photo: Eddie Michels.

March 28th, 2017

JNT Spring Training: Braves too much for juniors

By Adam Morissette

Baseball Canada
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – A solo home run in the top of the second was all of the offence the Atlanta Braves prospects needed but they got plenty more and cruised to a 12-0 win over the Junior National Team as the Spring Training Camp reached the halfway mark.

The juniors managed just two hits on offence and received a solid pitching debut from reliever Griffin Hassall (Newmarket, Ont.) who fanned six over three scoreless innings.

GAME INFORMATION
Score: Atlanta Braves 12 Canada (U-18) 0
Location: Walter Fuller Complex – St. Petersburg, Fla
Weather: 25 degrees Celsius, Sunny

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

Starting Pitcher: RHP Eric Cerantola

HOW IT HAPPENED
- A home run over the right field wall on the second pitch of the top of the second gave the Braves prospects a 1-0 lead. JNT starter Eric Cerantola (Oakville, Ont.) then gave up a single before a throwing error put runners on the corners that paved the way for back-to-back singles to put the Braves up by three.

- Cerantola struggled with control in the second as he walked the bases loaded before a single to left made it 4-0. He was removed after walking in a run in favour of Will Undershute (Okotoks, Alta.) who gave up a three-run double to the first batter he faced to put the Braves up by eight.

- Undershute kept the Braves off the scoreboard in the fourth but a one out walk in the fifth came all the way around to score on a triple to the gap in left before a sacrifice fly to centre brought in the tenth Braves run of the ballgame.

- Undershute looked to get out of a bases loaded, two-out jam in the sixth but a wild pitch and error on first baseman Jason Willow (Victoria, BC) plated two more Braves runs to increase the lead to 12-0.

JNT HIGHLIGHTS
- Cerantola worked his way out of jam that saw runners on the corners with nobody out after to back-to-back singles in the top of the first. Cerantola managed to get a ground ball to third that went for a fielder’s choice before inducing an inning-ending double play.

- Reliever Undershute tossed 3 1/3 innings and managed to strikeout five Braves batters including three in the sixth inning.

- Hassall worked three scoreless innings and fanned six in his Junior National Team debut. The right-hander allowed two hits and walked one, while leaving runners on the corners to end the top of the ninth.

- The Braves lineup mainly featured players ticketed for extended spring training or the Single A Rome Braves. Not on the travel roster was Junior National Team alum Mike Soroka (2014, 2015) who remained at the teams’ spring training home in Orlando. Soroka won a South Atlantic League championship with Rome in 2016.

TEAM LEADERS
Hits: 1, Hall, Brookman
Stolen Bases: 1, Hall
Strikeouts: 6, Hassall; 5, Undershute; 3, Cerantola

UP NEXT
The Junior National Team will return to the Walter Fuller Complex in St. Petersburg tomorrow to take on a visiting prospects squad from the Philadelphia Phillies organization with the first pitch set for 1pm ET … LHP Jack DeCooman (North Vancouver, BC) will start on the mound for Canada …