JNT Spring: Phillies blank juniors
Toronto Mets alum Keegan Pulford-Thorpe (Newmarket, Ont.) got the start for the Junior National Team and allowed one earned run in two innings against a team of Philadelphiap Phillies prospects on Sunday. Photo: Baseball Canada
March 17, 2019
By Adam Morissette
Baseball Canada
SAINT PETERSBURG, FL--- A Philadelphia Phillies prospects squad featuring Canadian baseball legends Ernie Whitt and Rob Ducey on the coaching staff paid a visit to the Walter Fuller Complex to take on the Junior National Team and came away with a 6-0 win.
Just three of the six Phillies’ runs were earned as the Junior National Team committed four errors on the afternoon.
Offensively, the Junior National Team managed three hits including a lead off triple by Dasan Brown (Oakville, Ont.) in the eighth inning while Ryan Leitch (Whitby, Ont.) doubled to centre with two out in the ninth.
GAME BREAKDOWN
Canada starting pitcher Keegan Pulford-Thorpe (Newmarket, Ont.) worked a scoreless first inning before a walk and error in the second frame brought in the Phillies’ first run of the ballgame.
Pulford-Thorpe got into an early hole in the third allowing a pair singles to start the frame to put runners on the corners before a wild pitch put the Phillies in front by two runs.
Ryan Scott (Quispamsis, N.B.) took over for Pulford-Thorpe in the fourth and fanned the first batter he faced before a base hit, walk and triple to centre brought in another marker for the Phillies.
Scott cruised through the fifth retiring the Phillies in order and was on the verge of getting out of trouble in the sixth before an error brought in a pair of runs to make it 5-0.
Connor O’Halloran (Mississauga, Ont.) took over on the mound in the seventh and gave up one run on two hits as the Phillies increased their lead to 6-0.
UP NEXT
The Junior National Team will be back in action tomorrow (12:30 p.m. E.T.) at the Walter Fuller Complex in St. Petersburg to take on a prospects squad from the Baltimore Orioles’ organization...RHP Theo Millas (Burnaby, BC), LHP Antoine Jean (Montréal, Que.) and LHP Justin Thorsteinson (Langley, BC) are all scheduled to see action on the mound...Fans can listen to the contest by visiting radiostpete.com.