April 23, 2019

By Adam Morissette

Baseball Canada

WEST PALM BEACH, FL--- The Junior National Team put up eight hits including a two-run triple off the bat of Dasan Brown (Oakville, Ont.) but fell to a prospects squad from the Houston Astros organization, 7-3.

Reliever Jack Seward (Port Moody, BC) turned in a solid performance on the mound using just 18 pitches to retire six batters in two innings of work that included three strikeouts.

Box Score

GAME BREAKDOWN

-The Astros opened the scoring in the home half of the first using a two-run homer off starting pitcher Theo Millas (Burnaby, BC) to get on the scoreboard. Millas retired the first two batters he faced on a ground out to first and a strikeout, but allowed a single to right field before the home run was hit.

-Both clubs traded runs in the third inning and it was Raphaël Pelletier (Montréal, Que.) who came up with an RBI ground out that scored Ayden Makarus (Airdrie, Alta.), while triple and sac-fly in the bottom of the inning regained the Astros’ two-run cushion.

-Connor O’Halloran (Mississauga, Ont.) took over on the mound for Millas in the fourth and kept the Astros off the scoreboard before a fielder’s choice with the bases loaded in the fifth resulted in a run crossing home plate.

-The juniors answered back in the top of the sixth and it was Dasan Brown (Oakville, Ont.) who tripled home both Elijha Hammill (Oakville, Ont.) and Pelletier. Hammill led off the frame with a single to left field and advanced to third when Pelletier doubled to left.

-Leading 4-3, the Astros put up three runs in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single and two-run homer to take a 7-3 lead into the seventh.

UP NEXT

The juniors will continue their extended spring training schedule tomorrow with a match-up against a prospects squad from the St. Louis Cardinals organization with the first pitch set for 12 p.m. E.T...LHP Antoine Jean (Montréal, Que.), RHP Eli Saul (North Vancouver, BC) and RHP Viktor Bergeron (Terrebonne, Que.) are all expected to see action on the mound.