After 8 games of round robin, the medal playoff round for the top 4 teams at the 2005 ISF Jr. Men’s World Championships at Summerside, Prince Edward Island begins Saturday, July 2, 2005 at 6pm and 8pm ADT (5pm and 7pm EST, and 2pm and 4pm on the west coast, PST)

Saturday, 2nd July 2005
Game Time Team Team
37 6:00pm Canada vs New Zealand
38 8:00pm Australia vs Japan

Japan defeated the USA Jr. Men Friday afternoon in Prince Edward Island, Canada, the final day of pool play, eliminating them from playoff contention.

The USA Jr. Men finished the tournament with a respectable 4-4 record, good for a 5th place finish, a dramatic improvement on their 9th place finish just four years ago. The USA team defeated Mexico (3-5) Argentina (2-6), Czech Republic (1-7 and Denmark (0-7), while losing to the four teams entering the playoff round. The USA lost to New Zealand by a 2-1 score, while playing Canada tough, taking a 2-0 lead into the 6th inning before Canada rallied before the home town fans, to win 6-2.

Australia (7-0), Japan (6-2), Canada (5-2) and New Zealand (5-2) will advance to the playoff round, and compete for gold, silver and bronze. The Canada-New Zealand game tonight will determine seeding for the playoffs, to be held over the weekend. The playoff schedule is as follows, with game times, ADT (one hour ahead of EST and four hours ahead of us on the west coast, PST)

Saturday, 2nd July 2005
Game Time Team Team
37 6:00pm – Third Place vs – Fourth Place
38 8:00pm – First Place vs – Second Place

Sunday, 3rd July 2005
Game Time Team Team
39 12:00am – Winner 37 vs – Loser 38
40 3:00pm – Winner 38 vs – Winner 39

The USA Jr. Men take on Japan in a crucial, “must win” game Friday morning at 8am. The USA is 4-3 in the tournament, with losses to the top three, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, while Japan is 5-2. A win by the USA would make tonight’s New Zealand-Canada game determinative as to who gets the final spot in the playoff round, which takes the top four teams.

Australia has locked up the top spot, with a perfect 7-0 record and only winless Denmark remaining on their schedule. Japan beat Canada and New Zealand and appeared to be cruising to a playoff spot — until Argentina (2-5) upset them, and opened the door again for the USA team.

Four teams are battling for the remaining three spots, with all four going head to head today, Japan (5-2) v. USA (4-3) and Canada (5-2) v. New Zealand (5-2).

Here are the possible scenarios:

If USA beats Japan, then tonight’s Canada v. New Zealand will send the winner of that game into the playoff round, joining Australia which has already locked up the top spot, and leave the USA, Japan and the loser of Canada-New Zealand sorting out a three way tie for the remaining two playoff spots.

If Japan were to beat USA, then it’s over, and Japan would join Australia, Canada and New Zealand in the playoff round.

Mexico (3-5), Argentina (2-5), Czech Republic (1-6) and Denmark (0-7) have been eliminated from playoff contention.

Update: 8:05am PST/11:05am EST: We’re getting reports from the press box during the game. Game just getting underway. Here we go !

Update: 8:19 am PST/11:19am EST
SUMMERSIDE PEI –

USA –
JAPAN –

USA is the home team

First inning

Japan was held scoreless in the first inning despite an illegal pitch call
by the men in blue.

USA BATS

JASON LOE – reached on a walk
Next guy k’d
KEVIN CASTILLO – sends a hard single to center. Safe at first, Loe to second
CURTIS LEAVITT – hit single; runner Castillo out at second..after long
battle at plate; Loe to third
BOBBY OLSEN – struck out looking on pitch that caught the inside corner.
NO SCORE after one, USA leaves two men on base

Update: 8:28amPST: 0-0 after one inning of play;

2ND INNING

KOJI ITO – THIRD TO FIRST OUT; Ito said it was off his foot, umpire
disagreed, he’s out #1.

Masyuki Shimoto – hit to left field, single. On first.

SHINJI KAWAMURA – Kelly gets in jam 3-0…but a ball off the foot goes into
fair and the ump says it didn’t hit foot (it did) and runner out..SHIMOTO
goes to second
DAISUKE KITAKOA – hits to short, over to first inning over
NO SCORE AFTER 1 AND A HALF INNINGS . USA coming to bat

USA

EVAN O’REILLY – fly out to centerfield
MATT BEZZANT – shortstop gets ball behind second; out
ANDY MATTHEWS – fly out to right field

AFTER TWO innings, the score remains tied at 0-0

not tied anymore JASON LOE SOLO SHOT to the vendor tent in bottom of the
third. 1-0.

MORE TO COME USA threatening for more..

Update: 8:47amPST/11:47am EST

3rd Inning

AKIHUMI HORITA – pop up to the second basemen, out

MASAKI SAWADA – slap bunt to second, thrown out at first by three steps.

SHIGERU HIGASHI – two hopper to third, over to first out.

USA

BRANDON HUERTA – made contact with the ball, out at first

LOE – sends a no doubter over the left field scorebolard…it was gone as
soon as Loe cracked the bat. About 250 feet…near one of the vendor tents.
To the rora of the USA fans (with a good crowd piling in on Canada Day)

DECKER – walks to first

JAPAN changes pitcher to Toshyuki Sakamoto. Fans give Hakahashi a huge
ovation for his work.

CASTILLO – strikeout, hard swing but he got nothing but air

LEAVITT – strike out on an outside looking call that split and caught
corner of the plate

After three innings, USA leads 1-0 in this “must win crucial game”

4th inning – Japan Ties it up 1-1

JAPAN

Takuto Tsutsui – Kelly walks him…

Norihiko Aoyama – strikeout swinging; out no. 1

Koji Ito – sends hopper to short; runner advances to second; out at first
no. 2

MASAYUKI Shimoto – shot up the middle, brings home Tsutsui to tie the
game at 1-1.

Shinji Kawamura – flied out to right field as the US halted the damage
US Pitcher John Kelly is on today…he is rolling through the Japanese
lineup with relative ease, knowing what is at stake for him and his
teammates in this game.

USA

OLSEN – strikes out swinging at a high ball

O’REILLY – strikes out looking

BEZZANT – fly out to second base

Game has been on for just over an hour and we’re thru four innings already..
Game tied 1-1

5th inning

Japan at bat:

KITAKOA – flied out to left fielder Bobby Olsen.

HORITA – ground ball to second basemen, over to first out.

SAWADA – Huerta over to Castillo, out by a long shot

Three up three down fifth inning for Kelly; game moving along nicely

USA at bat

MATTHEWS – NICE RUNNING CATCH BY THE Japan cf to out Andy.

HUERTA – hit by pitch, didn’t move out of the pitch’s way

LOE – walks, Huerta moves to second

DECKER – US charged for one meeting before Decker’s at bat; one out;
walks; bases loaded

CASTILLO – fly out, no runners tag up.

Leavitt – strikes out to end the threat

U.S. leaves the bases loaded, game remains tied 1-1 heading to the sixth
inning

Update: 9:28amPST/12:28pm EST Sixth inning

HIGASHI – shot to third, first basemen almost misplayed the ball

U.S.A. makes change in defensive fielders; Castillo out; Drew Bode in to
CF; Evan O’Reilly to RF and Decker to DP

Zach Warne comes in to pitch replacing Kelly after a strong outing

Japan takes a 5-1 lead in 6th inning on 3 run homer

6th inning

U.S.A. makes change in defensive fielders; Castillo out; Drew Bode in to
CF; Evan O’Reilly to RF and Decker to DP

Tsutsui – walks on four pitches; goes to second on a passed ball;

Aoyama – stand up double to left field corner brings home Tsutsui to give
Japan a 2-1 lead

Zach Warne comes in to pitch replacing Kelly after a strong outing
About 1000 fans in the stands now as they prepare for the 2, 4, 7 p.m. games

Ito – popup in foul territory; out no. 2

Shimoto – issues the free pas; shows four fingers, he takes his base

KAWAMURA – makes USA pay for walking Shimoto; three run blast to the Coors
Light inflatable beer can; 5-1 lead

KITAKOA – Flys out to right field; out

USA

OLSEN – strikes out looking; three pitches no swings

O’Reilly – strikes out; thrown out of the game for arguing call on the
outside corner of the plate. Replaced by Brian Malakowsky in the field

Bezzant – strike out

Update: 9:45amPST/12:45pmEST

7th inning

Japan batting

Horita – flied out to the left fielder

Sawada – line out to first base out no. 2

HIGASHI – out no. 3

USA coming to bat in the bottom of the 7th, down 5-1

US has one last chance to remain in the hunt for a top four; as it is now,
Japan and Aussies for first and second and tonight’s CAN-KIWI game will go
in the three and four game, it will determine who is third and who is
fourth

Matthews – re-enters the game; flied out to centerfielder

Huerta – fly out to centerfielder behind second

Loe – pop up in foul, out.

WP – Sakamoto; LP – Kelly