May 16, 2022

Baseball Canada

The Junior National Team program dropped a nail bitter against the Toronto Blue Jays DSL in the first game of doubleheader action on Monday.

The close 2-1 game featured excellent pitching performances from both clubs.

Reece Usselman (Langley, BC) started the game on the mound for the Juniors allowing six hits and two runs over four and a third innings of work, striking out five in the process. Kaleb Thomas (Hagersville, Ont.) came in relief in the bottom of the fifth inning with the bases loaded striking out the first hitter he faced and inducing an easy ground ball to bail the Juniors from a big inning. The right-hander worked 3 2/3 innings holding the Jays to only three hits and no runs while striking out four.

Max Hartman (Okotoks, Alta.), Keegan O'Hearn (Oshawa, Ont.) and Detien Lachance (Sherbrooke, Que.) all collected one hit in four plate appearences. The only offensive blow for the Juniors came in the top of the third inning via a Hugh Pinkney (Toronto, Ont.) RBI double that scored Cameron Chee-Aloy (Toronto, Ont.).

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From May 11 to May 23, the Junior National Team program will play a 16-game tour over 12 days facing 15 different MLB professional academies in the Dominican Republic.