Lewis Thorpe
Australia has suffered their third loss 6-2 to USA, to finish up Round 1 of the 18U World Championships in Seoul.
Box Score:
|
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
6
|
7
|
8
|
9
|
R
|
H
|
E
|
|
Australia
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
|
USA
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
2
|
X
|
6
|
7
|
2
|
Game Report - Neil Barrowcliff, Team EO, Seoul
We began the game in threatening fashion when Hargreaves led off with a single and Sayers got on through an infield error, and we had runners on first and second with one out but were unable to capitalise and didn’t score. Jon Kennedy was our starting pitcher in his first appearance of the tournament and began the game a bit shakily, hitting the first two U.S. hitters and walking another one. They had loaded bases with one out but Kennedy came back in great fashion to shut them down without scoring.
Kennedy continued to do a great job for the next three innings not giving the Americans a sniff. Unfortunately, the U.S. pitcher was doing the same thing to us and so at the end of four innings it was still a nil all ball game. Then in the bottom of the 5th, U.S. got a runner on via an infield chopper, then a walk and a running bunt with two out saw a runner cross the plate for the first time in the game and we were behind 1–0. Kennedy came out of the game after five innings and had done a stellar job giving up only three base hits and two of them were to the infield.
He was relieved on the mound by McGrath in the bottom of the 6th and the Americans were able to score another run on the back of two base hits and they were now up 2–0.
They added a further two runs in the 7th on a base hit, a couple of stolen bases and a throwing error. Then again in the 8th, a costly error with two out allowed another two runs to cross the plate and the score had got out to 6-0.
To our kids’ credit, they showed a ton of character in the 9th scoring two runs from a Josh Kennelly double which brought in Shepherd and Sayers who had both walked. In fact the U.S. had to throw three pitchers in the last innings and we had loaded bases and the potential tying run at the plate when the final out was made.
This result meant we did not finish in the top three in our pool and so cannot progress through to the medal rounds. Ironically enough, Colombia finished third in our pool and we had easily accounted for them on day one. But that is what tournament play is all about ..... you have to be at your best every day of competition and unfortunately we just didn’t do that.
We play Italy tomorrow morning at 10.00am, 11:00am AEST.
