Click on this logo to watch a complete video of the game NOTE #1 - this video is in Windows Media Player 'wmv' format NOTE #2 - link active as at Thursday 15th November 2007 I have no idea how long it will remain available

Playing first base
Batting #6

First plate appearance - first innings
----------Righthanded pitcher
----------Runner at third base - two down
----------Ball - low
----------Called strike
----------Swing and a miss - ball in the dirt
----------Foul ball - off the wall down the leftfield line
----------Swing and a miss - ball in the dirt and tagged by the catcher
----------Strike out
Second plate appearance - fifth innings
----------Righthanded pitcher
----------Bases empty - one down
----------Ground ball to third base and out 5-to-3
Third plate appearance - sixth innings
----------Lefthanded pitcher
----------Runners at first base - two down
----------Ground ball to second base and reached on an error by the second-baseman
----------Advanced to second base on a hit
----------Left stranded at the end of the innings
Fourth plate appearance - eighth innings
----------Righthanded pitcher
----------Bases empty - one down
----------Called strike
----------Ball - low
----------Ball - check swing
----------Foul ball
----------Swing and a miss
----------Strike out

Play-by-play of Canada batting in the bottom of the sixth innings
----------Taylor Green - grounds out to second base
----------Chris Robinson - grounds out to first base, unassisted
----------Sebastian Boucher - reaches on a throwing error by shortstop Brad Harman
----------Matt Rogelstad - singles on a line drive to leftfield - Boucher scores - Canada lead 4 runs to 3
----------Kevin Nicholson - strikes out swinging to end the innings
Should Brett have handled the throw from Brad Harman?
According to the commentators ...... "Roneberg feels he should have done more"
According to lip-reading ...... Brett's feels he should have too!!!
Now watch the video above!!!

The Australian Baseball Team has put the finishing touches on a drama filled first round of the 2007 World Cup by eliminating pre-tournament hopefuls Canada in a nail biting 7-6 victory in Taipei on Wednesday

In a game that saw the lead change four times, Australia just barely managed to hold out a late Canadian surge to schedule a quarter final berth against Japan on Friday

While the ebb and flow was intense throughout; the bulk of the heart pounding action came in the final inning as, first Australia, then their opponents, had the game within their grasp

With the scores tied at four after eight completed innings, the Australian team’s catch-cry “Mangy Dog” attitude came to fore, plating three runs to take a seemingly comfortable 7-4 lead

But Canada had a little bark left of their own, and were just inches away from tying the game with one out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning
The Canadian rally came to an abrupt end when slick fielding Aussie shortstop, Brad Harman, fielded a ground ball chopped toward second base and relayed the throw to first while stepping on the bag for the game ending double-play
Replays were inconclusive as to whether Harman’s foot was in contact with second base when he had the ball, but the umpire’s ruling stood despite a bevy of agitated protests from the Canadian camp

And the drama didn’t end on the field, with Canadian Manger Greg Hamilton storming out of the post match press conference livid with the decision that eliminated his team from World Cup contention
“It’s one of the worst calls I’ve ever seen,” Hamilton said moments before storming out of the media scrum

Irrespective of the ruckus to end the game, the Australian’s dug deep at several stages; tying the game twice, before taking the lead in the frenetic final frame
Second baseman Luke Hughes started the ninth inning rally with a one-out double that flirted with the right field line
Hughes, who has consistently come through in clutch situations during the World Cup, then deferred to his team mates to provide what would ultimately be the game winning buffer
After an intentional walk to “white-hot” leadoff man Trent Oeltjen, defensive prodigy Brad Harman showed he is more than capable of shouldering his fair share with the bat, stroking an RBI double to centerfield that gave the Aussies their first lead since the top of the third inning
And when Justin Huber, who had already hurt Canada twice in key situations, was walked to load the bases, Ben Risinger smashed the first pitch he saw from relief pitcher Mike Johnson, driving in two more runs for the Green and Gold

On the mound it was again a collective effort from the Aussies as six different pitchers all contributed to the vital win which has now guaranteed that Australia avoid both the United States and host nation Chinese Taipei in the elimination Quarter Final

Head Coach Jon Deeble was pleased with the win, but is now focused on the next stage of the tournament
“It was great to get up tonight, especially considering we were no where near our best” Deeble said
“It doesn’t really make a lot of difference who we play next when you consider how close teams are at this level
I mean look at the Canadians tonight ... they win, they finish second ... they lose, they go home” he said

Australia’s quarter final match-up with Japan will re-ignite a rivalry that has seen the two sides virtually inseparable in international competition dating back to the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens
In fact since 2004, Australia and Japan have shared the bragging rights in official international competition, winning two games each in recent meetings, with the last three contests separated by two runs or less

Australia, who has never finished higher than seventh at the World Cup, will have their chance to improve on that record this Friday at 3.00pm AEST
The game against Japan will be shown LIVE on www.Stadeo.tv, and a win will guarantee the Aussies a top-four finish

Canada was facing elimination tonight at Tien-Mou stadium and was unable to knock-off Australia in an exciting 7-6 loss sending the Canucks home early here at the 37th Baseball World Cup

The game went back and forth all night and went right down to the wire as Canada had the bases loaded with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning but grounded into a controversial double play to end the ballgame

Australia improves to a 6-1 record entering the second round with a number two seed behind Cuba

Justin Huber, who had four RBI's on the night, ended getting the game winning single as he drove home two Aussie players in the top half of the ninth with the score even 4-4

Brad Thomas was on to pick up the save relieving Adam Bright who gets the win

Scott Richmond gets the loss for Canada pitching in relief after stater Jonathan Lockwood had a quality outing going 5-2/3 innings against a tough Australian lineup

Australia will play the #3 seed from Pool A after a day off tomorrow

Canada was eliminated Wednesday from the International Baseball Federation World Cup, dropping a 7-6 decision to Australia in Taiwan

Canada trailed 7-4 heading into the bottom of the ninth inning, but rallied for two more runs before loading the bases with one out for infielder Emmanuel Garcia of Montreal
Garcia's groundball was juggled by Australia shortstop Brad Harman, but he regained control just long enough to touch second base and fire a throw to first base for the game-ending double-play

Canadian manager Terry Puhl tried to dispute the call, but the umpires promptly left the field after the final out
"It's a disappointing loss" said Puhl
"The players did everything they possibly could and we get a very poorly called play at the end of the ball game
Our club is never out of any ball game as they showed again tonight
It's just a privilege to be a part of this team"

A victory Wednesday would have earned Canada a berth in the medal round of the 16-team tournament

The loss took away from a solid performance by Canadian pitcher Jon Lockwood of Toronto
He worked 5-2/3 innings, allowing three runs on four hits and three strikeouts
"I just pitched to my strengths today
I thought I executed pretty well and I felt I got stronger as the game got on" says Lockwood

The Canadian team finished the World Cup tournament with a 4-3 record, good enough for fifth place in Pool B

The team will gather again in March in Taiwan in preparation for an Olympic qualifier

"This team showed what it can do today" said shortstop Kevin Nicholson of Langley, BC
"The young guys showed that they can handle the pressure situations in this kind of an environment
It's unfortunate that our tourney was cut short due to a terrible call, because I felt we were just hitting our peak as a team"

Canada's run at the IBAF World Cup came to a controversial end Wednesday when a disputed call sealed a heartbreaking 7-6 loss to Australia in a must-win game

The Canadians trailed by three heading into the bottom of the ninth before RBI singles from Nick Weglarz of Stevensville, Ont., and Mike Saunders of Victoria narrowed the gap
They proceeded to load the bases with one out before New York Mets prospect Emmanuel Garcia of Montreal hit a ground ball up the middle to Aussie shortstop Brad Harman, who juggled the ball as he stepped on second base before making a relay to first
Although Harman didn't seem to have control of the ball, second base umpire Edgar Estivison called runner Jamie Romak of London, Ont out at second, while Garcia was called out at first, even though he appeared to beat the throw, to end the game

National team manager Terry Puhl wanted to argue the call but the umpire crew rushed off the field before he could get out of the dugout
"It's a disappointing loss" he said
"The players did everything they possibly could and we get a very poorly called play at the end of the ball game
Our club is never out of any ball game as they showed again tonight
It's just a privilege to be a part of this team"

The loss left Canada at 4-3 in Group B, tied for fourth with South Korea, an 8-1 winner over Germany (1-6)
But the South Koreans moved on to the quarter-finals thanks to their 5-0 win over the Canadians in the round robin

The must-win game for Canada was set up earlier in the day when the Netherlands (5-2) posted a 2-1 upset win over group-winner Cuba (6-1) to clinch third spot
The Cubans lost at this event for the first time since falling to Japan in November 2001

"The young guys showed that they can handle the pressure situations in this kind of an environment" said veteran infielder Kevin Nicholson of Langley, BC
"It's unfortunate that our tourney was cut short due to a terrible call"

Australia (6-1) finished second in the pool

The top four countries in each group at the 16-team tournament advanced to the quarter-finals

Canadian starting pitcher Jon Lockwood of Toronto allowed three runs - one earned - over 5-2/3 innings of work
He left with the game tied 3-3
"I just pitched to my strengths today" he said
"I thought I executed pretty well and I felt I got stronger as the game got on"

Despite the disappointing end, the tournament still provided a good evaluation tool for Baseball Canada ahead of next March's final Olympic qualifier, also in Taiwan
The core of this team will make up the club for that event, provided that big-league teams release the players
That's a big question mark, as the qualifier conflicts with North American spring training

In a must win game that went back and forth upto the bottom of the ninth, the Senior National Team fell one run short of moving on to the medal round at the 2007 IBAF World Cup due to a controversial play

Canada fell to Australia 7-6 at Tien-Mou Stadium

With the Netherlands upsetting Cuba earlier in the day, and Korea defeating Germany it set the following scenario
Should Canada win, they would finish second in Pool B and move on to the medal round
Should Canada lose, they would finish fifth in a tiebreaker with Korea and be eliminated from the tournament

The Canadians were trailing 7-4 going into the bottom of the ninth inning but were able to shorten the deficit to one on a pair of RBI singles from Nick Weglarz (Stevensville, ON) and Mike Saunders (Victoria, BC)
After a sacrifice bunt from Jimmy VanOstrand (Richmond, BC) and an intentional walk to Jamie Romak (London, ON), it was bases loaded with one out for Emmanuel Garcia (Montreal, QC)
Garcia grounded to shortstop Brad Harman, who juggled the ball while touching the second base bag and continued to juggle it after stepping of the bag, however second base umpire, Edgar Estivison of Panama called Romak out at second
Meanwhile, Harman was able to regain control of the ball and was able to throw out Garcia at first for the controversial game ending double-play

While Australia was celebrating their victory, Estivison and the rest of the umpires rushed off the field before SNT Field Manager Terry Puhl could argue the call
“It’s a disappointing loss
The players did everything they possibly could and we get a very poorly called play at the end of the ball game” says Puhl
“Our club is never out of any ball game as they showed again tonight
It’s just a privilege to be a part of this team”

The controversy overshadowed a great performance by the Canadians, especially from starting pitcher Jon Lockwood (Toronto, ON)
Lockwood allowed three runs, only one earned, on four hits with three strikeouts over five and 2/3 innings
“I just pitched to my strengths today
I thought I executed pretty well and I felt I got stronger as the game got on” says Lockwood

“This team showed what it can do today” says Kevin Nicholson (Langley, BC)
“The young guys showed that they can handle the pressure situations in this kind of an environment
It’s unfortunate that our tourney was cut short due to a terrible call, because I felt we were just hitting our peak as a team”

The Senior National Team finished the World Cup with a 4-3 record and in fifth place in Pool B

The players will head back to their respective hometowns and the team will meet up again in March for the final Olympic Qualifier here in Taiwan

Team Australia captured second place in Group B with a 7-6 win over Team Canada

Trent Oeltjen (Minnesota) reached on Matt Rogelstad's (Washington) fielding error, then stole second to open up a back-and-forth game between the two teams
Brad Harman (Philadelphia) then ground out but moved Oeltjen to third
Justin Huber (Kansas City) singled Oeltjen in, then came home on Ben Risinger's (San Diego) double to give the Aussies a 2-0 lead

Team Canada took one run back in the bottom of the second when Jimmy Vanorstrad singled and Jamie Romak (Pittsburgh) walked
A Chris Robinson (Chicago Cubs) double brought in Vanorstrand with one out, but starter Adrian Burnside (San Diego) got Sebastian Boucher (Baltimore) to ground out and Rogelstad to strike out to end the inning

Burnside found trouble in the bottom of the third though when he hit Kevin Nicholson (Independant) by a pitch
Jeremy Ware (Independant) grounded into a fielder's choice that took out Nicholson, then advanced to second on Mike Saunders (Seattle) bunt single
The pair then stole third and second respectively
Vanorstrand would single to bring in Ware, tying up the score
Romak would single to bring in Saudners, giving Canada a 3-2 lead before Taylor Green (Milwaukee) would ground into a double play

Josh Hill (Minnesota) came into the game for the bottom of the fifth, striking out Ware
Saunders would double and advance to third on Vanorstrand's right field fly out, but Romak ground out to end the scoring threat

Harman led off the top of the sixth when he reached on a throwing error, advancing to second on the play
Huber's fly out moved him to third
Risinger would get hit by a pitch
Glenn Williams (Minnesota) grounded into a fielder's choice which brought in Harman to tie the score up
Team Canada would switch pitchers, bringing in Mike Kusiewiecz with two outs on the board
A fielding error allowed Brett Roneberg (Pittsburgh) to reach for Team Australia, moving Williams to second
Tom Brice singled to load the bases, but Scott Richmond would come into the game for Team Canada, getting Andrew Graham (Detroit) to ground out to retire the side

Bourcher would reach on a throwing error by Harman in the bottom of the sixth with two outs and would come home on Rogelstad's follow up single to give the lead back to team Canada

Oeltjen doubled in the top of the seventh, then came home on Huber's line drive with two outs to tie the score up again

Greg Wiltshire replaced Hill on the mound for the bottom of the inning, getting three quick outs

The eighth would see Adam Bright (Colorado) coming in to pitch for Team Australia, but no change in the scoring

With one out in the ninth, Luke Hughes (Minnesota) doubled and then Oeltjen walked
Harman doubled in Hughes and Huber was issued an intentional walk as well to load the bags
Mike Johnson (Independant) would come into the game for Team Canada to try to hold the Aussie's at bay, but Risinger would single off him to score Oeltjen and Harman, making it 7-4 for the Boys from Down Under

Bright would walk Rogelstad before Brendan Wise (Detroit) would take over the mound for the the Aussies
Emerson Forstaad would walk and Nick Werglaz singled to bring in Rogelstad as the Canadians began a rally
Brad Thomas (Seattle) was brought into shut down Canada, but would give up a single to Sanders that scored Frostaad
But after a sac-bunt by Vanorstrand and a walk to Romak, Emmanuel Garcia (NY Mets) would hit into a double play, ending the game with the Canadians still down by one

The win means that Team Australia will face off with third placed Japan for the initial round of cross over play
Australia has won two of the last three games between these two countries in international play and will manage to avoid both USA and Chinese Taipei for the first of the elmination rounds