Adam Prudhomme
Editor
Already down three runs and facing elimination in the Super Round of the U23 Men’s National Softball World Cup in Argentina, Team Canada called upon Riley Manion to put out the fire.
The Napanee native did his part, allowing Team Australia just one run over five innings while striking out 11. Unfortunately the damage had been done and the Aussie pitching was literally unhittable as they kept the Canadians out of the hit column en route to a 4-0 victory.
That loss ended Canada’s bid for a medal at the tournament, placing them fifth overall.
After going 3-2 in the opening round of the tournament, Canada dropped all three of its Super Round matches, losing 3-1 to Argentina and 1-0 to Mexico before the 4-0 loss to eventual gold medal winning Australia. Japan earned silver while host Argentina claimed bronze.
Napanee’s Connor Brooks finished the tournament 2-for-15 with a double, driving in three runs while scoring a pair. Manion finished with a record of 2-2 in a team high 20.2 innings pitched, posting an ERA of 1.69 with 32 strikeouts.