Patrick Burns (Saskatoon, Sask.) retired New Zealand in order with two strikeouts and a fly out in the top of the first, while Mathieu Roy (St-Gervais, Que.) led off the bottom of the inning with a single but a fly out and a double play ended the inning. In the second, Burns struck out the first two batters followed by a ground out to short as he made quick work of New Zealand, with Canada also going down in order on a pop out to second and a pair of good plays on ground balls by shortstop Cole Evans.

In the top of the third, New Zealand got a one-out single, but the runner was called out for a lead off on an attempted steal. The next batter drilled a triple to centerfield but Burns notched an important strikeout to leave the runner stranded on third. After Canada was sit down in order once again, Reilly Makea led off the top of the fourth with a homerun to left to give New Zealand a 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the frame, Roy led off with a walk, moved up to second on a ground ball and scored on a triple down the third base line by Steve Mullaley (Freshwater, N.L.) to tie the game.

Burns issued a leadoff walk to start the fifth with the runner being sacrificed to second. After a strikeout for the second out, the runner advanced to third on a wild pitch but Burns struck out the next batter to keep the game tied. Jeff Ellsworth (St. Lawrence, PEI) led off the bottom of the inning with a single and stole second after a pair of fly outs, with Roy drawing a walk to put two runners on base. Bradley Ezekiel (Harbour Main, N.L.) then stepped up and laced a single to left to score Ellsworth from second to give Canada a 2-1 lead.

In the sixth, Nathan Nukunuku got a two-out walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch but Burns came up with another big strikeout to hold the lead. The following inning, Burns got a ground out and a pair of strikeouts to close out the game.

Burns allowed a run on three hits and two walks to go along with 12 strikeouts in the complete game win. At the plate, Mullaley’s triple was Canada’s only extra-base hit with Ezekiel, Roy and Ellsworth each hitting singles. Roy also drew two walks, with Jason Hill (St. John’s, N.L.) also doing the same.

Argentina got a lead off walk to start the game and the runner stole second and advanced to third when the throw from the catcher rolled away from the middle infielders. Devon McCullough (Saskatoon, Sask.) retired the next two batters, but Bruno Motroni hit a towering fly ball to left that travelled over the fence for a two-run homerun as Argentina took an early 2-0 lead. After Canada went down in order in the bottom of the first, Argentina got another leadoff walk and Federico Eder hit a two-run blast to left to double Argentina’s lead. The following batter singled which led to a pitching change to Sean Cleary (Harbour Main, N.L.), with the runner moving up to second on an illegal pitch before advancing to third on a sacrifice bunt and scoring on a wild pitch. A walk and a single put runners on second and third, but Cleary got the next batter to pop out to escape the inning trailing 5-0.

In the top of the third, Cleary hit a batter and a bunt single put runners on the corners with two outs before Alan Peker tripled past the centerfielder to score two more runs. In the bottom of the inning, Shane Boland (St. John’s, N.L.) drew a leadoff walk for Canada’s first base runner but the next three batters struck out to leave him stranded at first. Canada held Argentina off the board in the fourth, and Steve Mullaley (Freshwater, N.L.) hit a two-out double to break up Huemul Mata’s no-hit bid but the next batter struck out.

Patrick Burns (Saskatoon, Sask.) came in to pitch in the fifth and allowed a walk and a single but notched three strikeouts to give Canada a chance to extend the game trailing by seven runs. Shane Boland was hit by a pitch with one out and was replaced by pinch runner Tyler Pauli (Mitchell, Ont.), who advanced to third on a single by Bryan Abrey (Richmond, B.C.) to breathe some life into the Canadian offence. Pinch hitter Jason Hill (St. John’s, N.L.) appeared to have walked to load the bases on a 3-1 pitch, but the umpire called a foul tip on the pitch late which allowed Mata to regroup and strikeout Hill. The next batter hit a chopper to third and was retired on the throw to first to end the game on the run rule.

McCullough took the loss in the pitcher’s circle, allowing five runs on three hits and two walks and he struck out two, while Cleary allowed two runs on three hits and four walks with a four strikeouts. Burns gave up a hit and a walk and struck out three. At the plate, Mullaley’s double and a single by Abrey were the only two hits Canada managed to produce.

Both teams put runners on base early, but the game remained scoreless through two innings of play. After Sean Cleary (Harbour Main, N.L.) struck out the side in the top of the third, Canada opened the scoring when Mathieu Roy (St-Gervais, Que.) hit a one-out triple and scored on a single by Derek Mayson (North Vancouver, B.C.). The following inning, Jeff Ellsworth (St. Lawrence, PEI) led off with a single, stole second and advanced to third on a passed ball but was left stranded on third after the three next batters were retired.

Bradley Ezekiel (Harbour Main, N.L.) hit a one-out double in the fifth but was unable to come in to score, with the Czech Republic getting a leadoff single to start the top half of the sixth but the runner was quickly erased on a great double play by Shane Boland (St. John’s, T.-N.-L.) at shortstop. In the bottom of the frame, Canada added an insurance run when Blake Hunter (Nanaimo, B.C.) was hit by a pitch, was sacrificed to second and scored on a single by Shane Boland. Byan Abrey (Richmond, B.C.) then stepped up to the plate as a pinch hitter and drove a ball over the leaping right fielder and raced around the bases for a two-run inside-the-park homerun, giving Canada a late 4-0 lead.

Devon McCullough (Saskatoon, Sask.) came in to pitch the final inning, striking out two batters followed by a lineout to shortstop to end the game.

Cleary picked up his fourth win of the tournament in the pitcher’s circle. Roy had a triple and a single for Canada, with Abrey adding a homerun and Bradley Ezekiel delivered a double. Mayson and Shane Boland each hit RBI single while Ellsworth chipped in with a single.

Scott Lieph (Sooke, B.C.) started in the pitching circle for Canada and kept South Africa off the scoresheet for two innings. In the top of the second, Jeff Ellsworth (St. Lawrence, PEI) reached on an error by the shortstop, stole second and scored on a double to left by Ryan Boland (St. John’s, N.L.) to open the scoring. Canada added a run to its lead the following inning, as Mathieu Roy (St-Gervais, Que.) led off with a walk, stole second and later scored on a single through the left side of the infield by Blake Hunter (Nanaimo, B.C.). In the bottom of the frame, South Africa put two runners on base with a leadoff single and an error before hitting a three-run homerun to take a 3-2 lead.

Canada responded in a big way in the top of the fourth. With two outs, Ryan Boland hit a single and was replaced by pinch runner Kris Walushka (Victoria, B.C.) who moved up to third on a single by Kyle Ezekiel (Holyrood, N.L.). Roy singled to score Walushka, while Bradley Ezekiel (Harbour Main, N.L.) followed up with a two-run double to the left-center field gap. Hunter doubled to score Bradley Ezekiel and scored on a wild pitch to give Canada a 7-3 lead.

In the top of the fifth, Canada added two runs when Walushka singled and scored on a triple by Tyler Pauli (Mitchell, Ont.), who crossed the plate on an error on the play. Team Canada added another run the following inning when Derek Mayson (North Vancouver, B.C.) led off with a walk and later scored on a single by Walushka. South Africa scored on a run on a wild pitch in the bottom of the sixth, but that was as close as they would get.

Lieph started for Canada but did not factor into the decision, allowing three runs – two earned – on three hits and a walk, striking out seven batters over three innings. Devon McCullough (Saskatoon, Sask.) picked up the win by allowing one run on three hits and struck out eight in four innings of relief. Bradley Ezekiel and Hunter each had a double and two runs batted in for Canada, while Ryan Boland added a run-scoring double of his own and Pauli drove in a run with a triple. Walushka singled twice and produced a run, with Roy, Ellsworth, Hunter, Ryan Boland and Kyle Ezekiel each adding a single.

In the top of the first, Derek Mayson (Vancouver, B.C.) drew a two-out walk and scored from first on a double to the right-center field gap by Blake Hunter (Nanaimo, B.C.). After sitting out three games nursing an injury, Shane Boland (St. John’s, N.L.) was back in the Canadian lineup and hit a leadoff homerun to left center in the top of the second, followed by a solo blast by Patrick Burns (Saskatoon, Sask.) as Canada took a 3-0 lead.

Canada added a run in the third on a single by Burns and tacked on four more in the fourth on a pair of two-run homeruns by Mayson and Bryan Abrey (Richmond, B.C.). Singapore drew a walk in each of the fourth and fifth innings and tried using their speed to move those runners but was unable to push either of them across to score.

Sean Cleary (Harbour Main, N.L.) got the start in the pitcher’s circle to get some work in ahead of the playoff round that will start on Friday, allowing only one walk and striking out six batters in four innings. Burns struck out three batters and gave up one walk in one inning of relief. Burns went 2-for-2 at the plate with a homerun and two runs batted in, with Mayson and Abrey adding two-run blasts and Boland hitting a solo shot. Hunter had a double and a single, while Kris Walushka (Victoria, B.C.) chipped in with a single.