Keshane throws eight inning no-hitter atUnited States

june2008

Keshane throws eight inning no-hitter atUnited States

June 28, 2008

Whitehorse, YK

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 27, 2008

Keshane throws eight inning no-hitter atUnited States

(Whitehorse, Yukon) – The game between Canada andthe United States had no playoff implications, but neither team backed down ina thrilling 1-0 Canadian win in eight innings. Starting pitchers Dustin Keshane(Norquay, SK) of Canada and Benjamin Hunhoff of the United States quickly gotinto a heated pitching duel, each shutting out the opposing hitters throughseven innings of play. In fact, Keshane did not allow a single hit in the game,and only walked two American batters all night, striking out an outstanding 16batters. In the top of the eighth inning, pinch hitter Joran Graham (Micksburg,ON) delivered the key hit to drive in the only run of the game.

Both pitchers simply took over the game right fromthe first pitch, combining for no hits and only one runner reaching basethrough the three opening frames. Canada finally broke into the hit column inthe top of the fourth, when Jessin Potskin (Prince George, BC) hit a singlethrough the left side after Mike Noftall (St. John’s, NL) was hit by a pitch,placing runners at second third with two outs. However, the red and white wasunable to push either of them home.

Dennis Iron (Canoe Narrows, SK) singled in thefifth, and Devon McCullough (Saskatoon, SK) singled in the seventh, but againCanada was not able to score them, extending the game into extra innings. Witha runner starting on second base due to the International Softball FederationTie-Breaking Rule, Joran Graham hit a pinch hit single just past a diving asecond baseman to allow Iron to score from second. Keshane then struck out theside in amazing fashion to strand an American runner on second base and hold onfor the 1-0 eight inning victory.

Keshane also struck out the side in the fifth andseventh innings, increasing his intensity with the game on the line.

On the final day of round-robin play, Japan won bothits games to secure the second seed with a 9-2 record. Although Canada alsofinished at 9-2, Japan took the tie-breaker as they beat Canada head-to-head.Australia finished in first place with a 10-1 record, while New Zealand (8-3)lost a tight 7-6 game to Argentina, who turned a game-ending triple play.Despite the loss, New Zealand had already clinched a playoff berth

The playoff round will kick off tomorrow at thePepsi Softball Center, as third place Canada will take on fourth place NewZealand at 3:00pm PDT, with the loser being eliminated. Then, first placeAustralia will take on second place Japan at 5:30pm, with the winner earning adirect berth to Sunday’s Championship game. The winner of the first contest andthe loser of the second will square off at 1:00pm on Sunday, with the winningteam of that game moving on to the Championship game at 4:00pm. All four gameswill be aired live on Ballpark Radio through the internet. Visit www.softball.ca for a link to Ballpark Radio,and be sure to visit the Multimedia section for pictures from the event!

Final Round-Robin Standings

Team Wins Losses Runs For Runs Against