Team Canada got a big offensive performance from 1B Marshall MacDonald (Dayton), and Mark Hardy (British Columbia), Kris Dabrowiecki (Northeastern), and Hiarali Garcia (Kansas) combined for a 7-0 win over the Burnaby Bulldogs of the (Vancouver-area) Pacific Metro Baseball League.
MacDonald hit a two-run home run, an RBI double, and a base hit, and was 3-4 for the game. Hardy went five innings, allowed four hits, struck out five. The Bulldogs hit loaded the bases in the fourth inning on a hit, an error that spoiled what should have been a double play, and a walk. However, a ground ball resulted in a force out at home, and another ground ball got Hardy out of the inning.
Dabrowiecki came in in the sixth inning, and struck out the side. He pitched two more innings, and got three more strikeouts. He allowed one hit and one walk. Garcia, who has pitched the ninth inning of all three of Canada’s games, retired all three batters he faced.
Team Canada got all the runs they needed in the first inning; Scott Webster (British Columbia) hit an RBI single, and Mike Glinka (Waterloo) got an RBI by reaching on an error. Webster hit a double late in the game, and finished 3-3. Glinka also got an RBI single in the fifth.
Hardy got the win, and Jordan Holloway got the loss for the Bulldogs.
Team Canada is now 3-0 in exhibition play. They have one more pre-tournament game on Saturday against the independent Burnaby Collegiate Bulldogs. They will leave for Prague Sunday morning, and their first game of the World University Games tournament will be against Chinese Taipei in Brno on Friday.
