THE CANADIAN PRESS
NOVARA, Italy — Daniel Berg’s single keyed Australia’s 10th inning as Canada fell 5-3 on Monday at the Baseball World Cup.
With the game knotted 2-2 after nine innings, the tie break rule came into effect as Australia started the 10th with runners on first and second and nobody out. Brad Harman sacrificed Nick Kimpton and James Beresford to second and third, before Berg drove in the go ahead run on a single to put Australia ahead 3-2.
With two out and the bases loaded, Andy Graham hit what was seemingly a routine ground ball to short, but the ball took a bad hop over Terrence Dayleg’s head and two more runs came in to score for Australia.
In the bottom of the inning Dayleg sacrificed the runners over, then Adam Stern drove in Rene Tosoni to make it 5-3 with two outs.
But Australian reliever Matt Williams got Brett Lawrie to end the game and give Canada their second loss of the second round.
“This is upsetting, we thought for sure we would get this one,” said Coquitlam, B.C., native Tosoni, who was 3-for-4 with a home run and a double. “We just need to keep our heads up and win the next game and keep playing.”
Canada got on the board first in the bottom half of the inning when Stern, of London, Ont., came around to score on a Shawn Bowman ground out to put the Canadians in front 1-0.
From there on out it was missed opportunities for Canada as in the second, fourth and seventh innings they had runners in scoring position and each time could not cash them in.
“Well first off, we need to hit,” said Canadian manager Ernie Whitt. “Their pitcher kept us off stride. Our pitchers threw well and going into the tie breaker everyone threw the ball well, but again we have to hit.”
Australia was able to tie the game in the top of the fifth. Kimpton hit a single to right with Joel Naughton on second. Naughton was rounding third and right-fielder Tosoni’s was on line, but catcher Cole Armstrong was unable to hold on to the ball when Naughton collided with him and scored the tying run.
It remained 1-1 until the top of the ninth when Aussie Luke Hughes hit a solo home run off of Jimmy Henderson and took a 2-1 lead going into the bottom of the ninth.
There, the Canadians did not go quietly as Tosoni hit a leadoff home run to tie the game at 2-2 and send it to extra innings.
“It’s tough to come into a tournament and lose the first two games and hang your head and say ‘you’re done with it,”‘ said Whitt. “We knew coming in that we had to win at least one of the games between Australia and Mexico, and (Tuesday) we’ve got Mexico and it’s a must win.”
Elsewhere at the Baseball World Cup Monday, it was: the U.S. 11 Netherlands Antilles 1; Mexico 6 Italy 3; Netherlands 5 Puerto Rico 2; Cuba 4 Nicaragua 1; Spain 8 Venezuela 1; and South Korea 15 Great Britain 5.
