Guatemala City, Guatemala – The Canadian U17 Junior Men’s National Team lost 10-5 in eight innings against the United States to open the Pan American Softball Championship. Team Canada took a 3-0 lead into fifth but saw the Americans score two runs in each of the fifth and sixth innings before Canada tied the game with a run in the bottom of the seventh to force the extra inning.
 
Canada opened the scoring with a run in the bottom of the second. After loading the bases on a pair of walks and a bunt single by Mason McKay (Tavistock, Ont.), Andrew Van Boekel (Bright, Ont.) lifted a sacrifice fly to centerfield. The following inning, Ryan Bicknell (Prince Albert, Sask.) led off with a walk and scored on a double over the first baseman by Connor Brooks (Napanee, Ont.). Jackson Pegelo ( Cargill, Ont.) followed with a single to center to score Brooks and give Canada a 3-0 lead.
 
Reese Yantzi (Shakespeare, Ont.) started the game in the pitcher’s circle for Canada and held the United States scoreless through four innings before being replaced by Brooks. The first two American batters drew walks to start the fifth and both scored on a triple over the left fielder as USA cut the lead to 3-2. The following inning, USA loaded the bases with no outs on three walks as Nathan Running (Innerkip, Ont.) came out in relief of Brooks. Running got two big strikeouts, but the next batter chopped a single through the middle of the infield to push two runs in to score as the Americans took a 4-3 lead. The following batter also singled to center, but McKay threw a runner out at the plate to keep it a one run game.
 
In the bottom of the sixth, Joey Rousseau (St-Charles-de-Bellechasse, Que.) hit a one-out double to the right field corner and advanced to third on a ground out, but the next batter flew out on a great catch by the left fielder. In the seventh, Brooks was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and was sacrificed to second. With two outs, pinch-hitter Owen Rahn (Durham, Ont.) lined a single over the first baseman to score Brooks and tie the game, sending the game to an extra inning.
 
Starting with a runner on second due to the international tie-breaker rule, the United States got a walk followed by a single, with an error on the centerfielder allowing the go-ahead run to score and putting runners on second and third. Three walks forced two more runs in to score, followed by an RBI single to left and another walk to make the score 10-4. Canada scored a run on a fielder’s choice and had two runners on base after an error in their half of the eighth, but a ground out to third ended the game.
 
Box Score: United States 10 vs. Canada 5
 
Yantzi allowed two hits and struck out six batter over four innings, while Brooks allowed four runs on a hit and five walks with three strikeouts in an inning of work. Running took the loss, allowing six runs (four earned) on five hits and five walks with four strikeouts in two innings and two thirds. Brody Fraser (Upper Nine Mile River, N.S.) retired the only better he faced. Offensively, Brooks had a double, a walk, a hit by pitch, drove in a run and scored twice, while Pegelo and Rahn each had a single and an RBI. Rousseau added a double, McKay had two singles and Bicknell had three walks and a run batted in.
 
Team Canada (0-1) will be looking to bounce back when they play Guatemala (1-0) at 8:00pm CST (9:00pm EDT) on Monday. Live streaming is available on the Pan American Softball Facebook page. The event can also be followed through the WBSC Americas social media channels on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the #U17SoftballPanam hashtag, as well as the Softbol Guatemala Facebook page.