By Adam Morissette

Baseball Canada

PALM BEACH, Florida – Justin Thorsteinson (Langley, BC) and Tate Dearing (White Rock, BC) tossed three scoreless innings each while Bo Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.) belted a run scoring double to help the Junior National Team to a 3-1 win over the Fort Lauderdale Stars.

BOX SCORE

The win is the second in a row as part of the squad’s selection camp that will determine the 20-player roster that will represent Canada at the COPABE U-18 Pan Am Championships in Panama from November 23 to December 2.

The top four nations in Panama will qualify for the 2019 WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup in Gijang, South Korea.

Naylor’s (Mississauga, Ont.) double in the bottom of the first plated Daniel Carinci (Ajax, Ont.) with the game’s first run and LaRon Smith (Spruce Grove, Alta.) made it 2-0 when his ground out to third scored TJ Schofield-Sam (Brampton, Ont.).

Thorsteinson gave up just two hits and a walk while fanning four over seven innings of work before Dearing followed suit with four strikeouts of his own in tossing scoreless frames in the fourth, fifth and sixth.

The juniors added to the lead in the sixth as Blake Buckle (Milton, Ont.) scampered home from third on a wild pitch after leading off the inning with a single. Buckle went 3-for3 on the afternoon to pick up half of the Junior National Team’s six hits.

In the ninth, Tyler McWillie notched his fifth and sixth strikeouts of the game and saw a single erased when catcher Owen Diodati (Niagara Falls, Ont.) gunned a runner down at second to end the game.

RHP Skylar Janisse (Maidstone, Ont.) pitched a complete game for the Stars, allowing three runs on six hits and six walks. He struck out seven.

Notes: The Junior National Team will take on the United States tomorrow at FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beach in their first taste of international competition…RHP Connor Sparks (Saskatoon, Sask.) is scheduled to start on the mound with first pitch set to fly at 5 p.m. E.T.

Selection Camp Schedule:

11/15 Canada 7, Palm Beach State College 4

11/16 Canada 3, vs Fort Lauderdale Stars 1

11/17 Canada vs USA 5PM ET

11/19 Canada vs USA 5PM ET

11/20 Canada vs Fort Lauderdale Stars 1PM ET

Useful links:

Canada Selection Camp Roster
Full Selection Camp Schedule