Skirrow shines on mound in win over Colombia
PHOENIX Otto Lopez hit a threerun homer, former Stoney Creek resident Noah Skirrow threw five quality innings and Canada shut Colombia 5-0 Tuesday at the World Baseball Classic.
Canada led 1-0 going into the eighth inning, but Owen Caissie had a two-out RBI single to push the lead to 2-0. Lopez’s three-run shot in the ninth gave them an even bigger cushion.
Canada’s pitching staff gave up just five hits and one walk, bouncing back from a 12-1 loss to the United States on Monday.
“I couldn’t ask for much more, really,” Skirrow said. “I mean, went about as good as you could ask for it to go. Just trying to be as aggressive as I could and give us a chance to win and give us as much length as possible.”
Colombia’s Oscar Mercado had two hits. Adrian Almeida took the loss, giving up one run over three innings.
Canada first baseman and Los Angeles Dodgers star Freddie Freeman left the game in the fourth inning because of a hamstring injury. He ran gingerly out of the batter’s box after popping up in the third.
“Right now he had tightness in his hammy. And, of course, for precautionary reasons we took him out of the game right away,” Canada manager Ernie Whitt said. “He felt something on one of his swings, his second at-bat. So again we would do that to anyone if there’s discomfort or something like that, we’re going to take them out.”
Whitt said Freeman would likely miss Canada’s final Pool C game Wednesday against Mexico.
“We’re waiting from the doctors to see what they say and also the Dodgers,” Whitt said.
Canada improved to 2-1 in Group C, while Colombia is 1-2. Canada can advance to the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals for the first time with a win over Mexico.
Venezuela 4, Nicaragua 1
Eugenio Suárez and Anthony Santander had two hits each as Venezuela beat Nicaragua 4-1 Tuesday and improved to 3-0 in the World Baseball Classic.
Venezuela was in position to reach the quarterfinals with a game to spare if the Dominican Republic defeated Israel later Tuesday in a matchup of teams with 1-1 records in Group D.
Suárez’s two-run single capped a three-run fourth that overcame a 1-0 deficit. Andrés Giménez’s runscoring single tied the score, and Suárez’s lined a ball to right-center that scored Santander and Giménez.
For all of Tuesday’s results at the World Baseball Classic, visit thespec.com.