UM Baseball Defeats Canadian Jr. National Team, 9-3

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Junior outfielder Chantz Mack was 3-for-3 on Saturday night as the University of Miami baseball team took down the Canadian Junior National Team by a 9-3 score in an exhibition contest played at Alex Rodriguez Park.

Playing its last exhibition game of the fall campaign, Miami (2-0) used solid pitching once again Saturday night en route to the win. The Hurricanes pitching staff combined for 12 strikeouts without allowing a single walk. That gives the Canes pitching staff a two-day total of 23 strikeouts and zero (0) walks issued to Miami Dade and the Canadian Junior National Team, respectively.
                       
With the game tied at 1-1 entering the sixth inning, Canada’s second baseman Kyle Hann (Oakville, Ontario) and first baseman Brendan Hendriks (Cochrane, Alberta) scored a pair of runs on a Justin Marra (Toronto, Ontario) single down the right field line to give Canada a 3-1 advantage.

UMiami proved resilient in the bottom-half of the frame bouncing back for six runs to erase the deficit.

Canada’s Tom Robson (Ladner, British Columbia) entered the game on the mound in place of starter Skylar Janisse (Maidstone, Ontario) to start the frame. The Hurricane hitters would waste little time getting to the reliever who is projected to sign with the Toronto Blue Jays.

After a walk to Chantz Mack and a wild pitch allowed him to move into scoring position, junior second baseman Michael Broad delivered a single to right that put runners on the corners with one out. Shortstop Jarred Mederos plated Mack to bring the score down to 3-2 with a single past third baseman Daniel Pinero (Toronto, Ontario), followed two batters later by Cade Kreuter’s three-run double down the left field line to score Esteban Tresgallo, Broad and Mederos for the go-ahead runs, 5-3, in favor of UMiami.

Canes catcher Garrett Kennedy would later come across for the 6-3 advantage after Tyler Palmer hit a high shot to right field that was dropped by Canada’s Gareth Morgan (Toronto, Ontario). Palmer would score the final run of the inning off a wild pitch by reliever Jake Hansen (Fort Macleod, Alberta) when Robson was chased after throwing 0.2 innings, allowing six runs (four earned) on four hits and walking two.

The Hurricanes would score single runs in the seventh and eighth, respectively, as Tresgallo scored Mack with a single past first. The second run was plated via Rony Rodriguez’s single shot back up the middle to score Julian Santos who reached a batter earlier on a triple to right field.

UMiami relievers Eric Nedeljkovic, AJ Salcines and E.J. Encinosa combined to throw the final three frames, allowing just one hit and striking out six.

The win went to sophomore Javi Salas who threw three frames, allowing three runs on six hits and fanning four batters. The loss went to Canada’s Robson.

Canada was led at the dish by three players with two hits apiece, including Hendriks with a run scored in four at-bats. Justin Atkinson (Surrey, Ontario) added a 2-for-4 night and a run scored, as well as teammate Pinero with a pair of hits in three trips with a RBI.

Miami was led offensively by Mack with a perfect 3-for-3 night at the plate, in addition to two runs scored and drawing two walks. Rodriguez, Broad and Mederos each added two hits and a RBI apiece.

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