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ORIGINAL STORYÂ by Tony Smith in Auckland
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Black Sox suffer extra inning defeat to Canada
NOT ENOUGH: A standout performance from big hitter Brad Rona wasn't enough to get the Black Sox past Canada.
A Donny Hale dinger and two big Brad Rona blasts could not prevent the Black Sox from a tiebreaker defeat to the power-hitting Canadians in a World Softball Championship thriller in Auckland.Â
   The Black Sox looked dead and buried after trailing Canada 6-4 in the bottom of the seventh inning with two outs in a see-saw, thrill-a-minute 3hr 25minute ball game which featured five automatic home runs.Â
   But Hale - rated the best hitter in the world last year - stepped up and slammed the ball into Rosedale Park's centrefield bleachers where the Black Sox's family and friends celebrated a two-run game-tying miracle hit.Â
   It was all to no avail when Brad Ezekiel hammered Canada's second home run of the game with Bryan Abrey on base in the top of the eighth tiebreaker when Canada scored three runs to New Zealand's one for a heartstopping 9-7 victory.Â
   Rona had earlier smashed big home runs in his own ball yard - a two-run effort in the first inning - to give the Kiwis a 3-0 lead and repeated the dose with a solo shot homer in the bottom of the fourthÂ
   Rona now has three home runs from the last two games.Â
   But Canada caned the four New Zealand pitchers, mustering a mammoth 17 safe hits to New Zealand's nine.Â
   New Zealand now need to beat Argentina Tuesday night to guarantee the top-two seeding from their section. But if Canada continue to go unbeaten, the Black Sox could end up facing world champions Australia in the first round of the playoffs.Â
   Last night's game started dramatically with Black Sox starting pitcher Penese Iosefo called for an illegal delivery on the first pitch of the game before recovering to get the first two hitters to ground out.Â
   But he got the hook after giving up back-to-back centrefield singles to Jeff Ellsworth and Ezekiel and walking Ian Fuhrman to load the bases.Â
   Pitching coach Chubb Tangaroa wasted no time bringing on fastballer Nik Hayes, who struck out Stephen Mullaley to get out of a jam.Â
   The Black Sox made Canada pay with three runs in the bottom of the first off three safe hits, including Rona's second home run of the tournament.Â
   Canada pulled back a run to catcher Ryan Boland in the second inning after he and number nine hitter Brandon Horn produced infield singles.Â
   Boland plated on Matthieu Roy's sacrifice fly but further damage was averted by a remarkable recovery by Rona to get an out at home plate after a wild throw by third baseman Tyron Bartorillo.Â
   The Black Sox were shut out in the bottom of the second and Hayes' cameo role was over after he walked Ellsworth. Tangaroa brought on his third hurler, Jeremy Manley, who immediately gave up a hit to Ezekiel, his second of the game.Â
   But a double play after a tagged runner impeded Nathan Nukunuku's chance of an out at first base and Manley's first strikeout got the home team out of a hole.Â
   Boland, Horn and Roy hit back-to-back hits for Canada in the top of the fourth to load the bases with one-down. But Manley came up with two clutch strikeouts to fan Bryan Abrey and danger hitter Ellsworth.Â
   The Rona roadshow continued when he put the ball into orbit in left-centrefield to extend the lead to 4-1.Â
   But Canada struck back with the biggest blast of the night, a towering three-run king hit by catcher Boland over the right-field fence to tie the ball game as Manley yielded six hits in two innings.Â
   Roy rapped a triple into right-centrefield to lead off Canada's sixth inning and Abrey batted him in for the go-ahead run and Ryan Wolfe scored the sixth run on a Horn hit off the recalled Iosefo.Â
   But Hale's homer with Nukunuku aboard took the game into the tiebreaker before Canada closed it out with three runs in the tiebreaker.Â
Day Four results: Pool A: Great Britain 10 Indonesia 0, United States 10 Czech Republic 7, Australia 9 South Africa 1, Venezuela 4 Samoa 3. Standings: Australia, Venezuela 4 runs-0 losses, Samoa 3-1, Czech Republic 2-2, United States , South Africa, Great Britain 1-3, Indonesia 0-4.Â
Pool B: Argentina 11 Netherlands 1, Mexico 8 Philippines 6 (8 innings), Japan 9 Colombia 2, Canada 9 New Zealand 7. Standings: Canada 4-0, New Zealand Argentina 3-1, Japan, Colombia, Mexico 2-2, Philippines 0-4, Netherlands 0-4.