Juniors sweep doubleheader against Blue Jays' Dominican squad
From left to right: Keegan Russell (Whitby, Ont.), Phillip Cheong (Richmond Hill, Ont.) and Jordan Jacob (Maple, Ont.) helped Canada to a doubleheader sweep over the Toronto Blue Jays’ Dominican squad on Wednesday. Photo: Baseball Canada
October 23, 2024
Baseball Canada
Game 1
The Junior National Team defeated the Toronto Blue Jays DIL squad 9-5 in the first game of a doubleheader on Wednesday.
For the Juniors, key contributions came from Phillip Cheong (Richmond Hill, Ont.), who sparked the offence by going 2-for-2 with three walks at the top of the Canadian lineup.
Jordan Jacob (Maple, Ont.), also delivered a pair of timely doubles and drove in two runs.
Starter Keegan Russell (Whitby, Ont.) allowed just one hit and one earned run, while striking out four, in his five innings of work. Will Hynes (Mississauga, Ont.) came in in relief in the sixth inning and proceeded to rack up six strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings.
Game 2
The Juniors followed up their Game 1 victory with a 10-0 win in Game 2 against the Toronto Blue Jays DIL squad on Wednesday.
The Canadians got on the board in the first inning via a Tim Piasentin (Coquitlam, BC) RBI single that brought home Elliot Lascelles (Toronto, ON).
The Juniors scored again in the second when a series of walks and a wild pitch allowed them to take a 2-0 lead.
The Juniors then broke the game wide open in the sixth when Jordan Jacob (Maple, Ont.) hit a two-run triple and Justin Rompré (Sainte-Anne-De-La-Perade, Que.) followed with a two-run home run to cap a five-run inning.
A sacrifice fly by Quinn Carson (Oakville, Ont.) in the ninth, followed by a wild pitch that scored Esteban Dessureault (Trois-Rivières, Que.), sealed the Juniors’ 10-0 victory.
On the mound, Shane Brinham (North Vancouver, BC) started and permitted just one hit, while striking out eight, in five scoreless innings. Luke Thomas (White Rock, BC) closed out the contest for the Juniors, picking up three strikeouts in four innings of relief.