FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 27, 2012

Canada Improves Record to 3-0 at AAU Men's International Tournament

(Lake Buena Vista, Florida) The Canadian Men's Development Team picked up their third win of the 48- team AAU Men's International Fastpitch Tournament in Lake Buena Vista with a 14-1 win over Los Venezolanos. Canada finished first in their divisions and will play its first playoff game at 3:00pm EST on Saturday against an undetermined opponent. The playoff round will be single elimination for the top 36 teams from the preliminary round.

Canada banged out 16 hits, including a seven run fourth inning to run-rule the Venezuelans. Adam Hiller (Elmira, ON) and Mark Johnson (Glencoe, ON) led the way with three hits each, while Jason Hill (St. John's, NL) drilled two doubles. Brandon Horn (Waterloo, ON) and Jeremy Tracy (Waterville, NB) chipped in with two hits including a double. Jeff Ellsworth (St. Lawrence, PEI) and Ryan Boland (St. John's, NL) each had a triple, and Brennan Pokoyoway (Saskatoon, SK) and Ben Wideman (Elmira, ON) each added a single to round out the hits.

Brady Woods (Stonewall, MB) picked up the win in the pitcher's circle, going three innings allowing one run on one hit while striking out seven and walking two. Tyson Barkman (Abbotsford, BC) finished the game by striking out two in his one inning of relief.

In the first inning, Mark Johnson doubled with one out but was stranded on second. Canada got things going in the second by scoring five runs. Jason Hill led off with line drive double to right field. Hill moved to third on a Jeremy Tracy ground out to second, and with two outs, scored on a wild pitch to put Canada up 1-0. Adam Hiller singled to right field, Brennan Pokoyoway walked and Hiller scored on a double to center field by Brandon Horn. Mark Johnson then lined a single to right to score both Pokoyoway and Horn. Jeff Ellsworth tripled to left-center to score Johnson and complete the five-run inning.

In the third, Canada added two more as Hill hit his second double of the game and moved up to third on a passed ball. Tracy then drilled a double off the left field fence to score Hill. Adam Hiller followed with a single to left field to score Tracy and put Canada up 7-0. Canada gave up the only run they have conceded in the tournament in the third as Woods walked the leadoff batter and gave up a one-out double to right field that scored the runner from first base. Woods then struck out the next two batters to get out of the inning.

Canada put the game away with a seven run fourth inning. Blair Ezekiel (Harbour Main, NL) drew his first of two walks and Ben Wideman hit a single to right field to move him to third. With two outs, Ryan Boland tripled down the left field line to score Ezekiel and Wideman. Hiller then got his third hit of the game with a line drive to left field to score Boland. Pokoyoway singled to left, and with runners on first and second, Horn beat out an infield hit to first base to load the bases. Johnson then grounded a single through the left side to score two more runs. Canada drew three walks to Ezekiel, Wideman and Mathieu Roy (St-Gervais, QC) to score two more runs. Tracy finished off the scoring with a single to centre to score two more.

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For more information, please contact:

Gilles LeBlanc
Manager - Marketing and Communications
Softball Canada
(613) 523-3386 ext. 3105
gleblanc@softball.ca