(Story by Marco Stoovelaar)
  USA and Canada meet in exhibition series to prepare for Premier12
Nederlands
 PHOENIX, Arizona (USA) -
The teams of USA and Canada that will participate in the upcoming Premier12 have concluded an exhibition of three games against each other.
The three games were played at Maryvale Baseball Park in Phoenix.
Team USA is led by former Major Leaguer and New York Yankees-great second baseman Willie Randolph.
Former Major League-catcher Ernie Whitt (twelve years Toronto Blue Jays) returns as Manager of Team Canada.
In the first game, played on Saturday (October 31), the final score was 2-2.
Canada took an early 2-0 lead in the second inning, scoring on a basesloaded walk for Kellin Deglan and grounder by Skyler Stromsmoe.
Team USA got one run back in the third inning on an RBI-single by Tyler Pastornicky.
Scoring on that hit was Jacob May, who had reached on an error, then stole second base and moved to third on a passed ball.
In the seventh inning, the Americans tied the score.
Brett Phillips then led off with a single, stole second base and scored on a single by May.
In the second game, on Sunday (November 1), the American squad won 2-0.
The USA loaded the bases in the fourth and fifth inning, but was unable to score.
The Americans stranded nine runners in scoring position.
Both runs were scored in the sixth inning.
Dan Black led off with a walk and Brett Eibner doubled, then the bases got loaded when another walk followed.
Next, Black was forced out at home on a grounder, but then Elliot Soto followed with a 2-run single.
30-year old lefthander Aaron Laffey started for Team USA.
He pitched in the Major League in eight seasons, including full seasons with the Cleveland Indians (2008-2010), Seattle Mariners (2011), New York Yankees (2011) and Toronto Blue Jays (2012).
He briefly pitched in the Majors in 2007 (Cleveland Indians), 2013 (Toronto Blue Jays/New York Mets) and this year (Colorado Rockies).
This season, he appeared as reliever in three games for the Colorado Rockies and was 1-0.
On Monday (November 2), the two teams played their third and final game against each other.
That game ended in a 3-3 tie.
Canada opened the score in the first inning on a 2-out single by Jordan Lennerton.
Hereafter, the game remained scoreless, but in the eighth inning, the USA came alongside, thanks to a 2-out single by Joe Sclafani.
The teams then decided to play the international tie-break rule.
The Americans took a 3-1 lead via a grounder by Jacob May and a double by Joe Sclafani.
However, Canada then tied the score on a wild pitch and a grounder.
In the final seven innings, Canada was held hitless by the American pitching.
Team USA will meet the Netherlands Kingdom-team in an exhibition game on Saturday in Taipei.
While in Taiwan, Canada will play an exhibition game on Friday vs. Mexico, then meets Venezuela on Saturday.
In the preliminary round of the Premier12, the USA-squad plays in Pool B.
They will play their first game next Tuesday against the Dominican Republic.
Canada plays in Pool A and will meet the Netherlands-squad on November 15 in its final game of the preliminary round.
Canada opens next Tuesday against Cuba.
(November 4)
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