Team Japan saved its best for last Friday night at the World Baseball Challenge.
Tied 6-6 with two out in the bottom of the eighth, Japan scored five runs on Canada Sidearm Nation reliever Bo Lewington, who took over from Riley Schaap trying to get the final out of the inning.
Toshiyaki Hayashi singled in the go-ahead run, a wild pitch scored Kimio Watanabe and Shoji Kitamura launched a three-run home run to put Japan ahead 11-6.
J.P. Wilner got one back with a solo home run, but the damage was done.
An 11-7 loss to Japan overshadowed a great day at the plate for Sidearm Nation right fielder Billy Clapperton. He came close to hitting for the cycle with a single, triple, and a home run.
The 22-year-old from Calgary, who played summer ball for the Yorkton Cardinals of the Western Baseball League, thought his team performed well in the tournament opener at Citizen Field but was unable to prevent the late-game surge from their opponents.
“It’s all about tacking on hits in the right situations and they did that,” said Clapperton.
“We got up early and they strung hits together late and ended up pulling it out.”
Sidearm Nation drew the Team Canada slot when the national team decided not to come to Prince George. For Clapperton the nine–day tournament is an experience he’s never had in his baseball career.
“I’ve never played against Japan before and it’s a thrill getting to play against other countries, getting to wear the Canada flag, it’s a lot of fun,” Clapperton said.
He already had a single and a triple when he knocked out a solo shot in the sixth inning. All that was missing for his first-ever cycle was a double, but he didn’t get much of a chance to complete the set. He was walked in his last at-bat in the seventh inning.
Justin Johnston picked an opportune time to belt the first home run of the tournament. It came with the bases juiced to give Sidearm Nation a 4-0 lead in the second inning. Daiki Tajima, a 20-year-old pitcher projected as the first-over pick in the 2017 pro draft in Japan, left the ball hanging in a sweet spot for Johnston and he cleared the fence over the Michael’s Jewellers sign, scoring Clapperton, Kevin Czernecki and Joey Underwood, who all reached base on singles.
Clapperton caused some excitement in the third inning when he fouled off a Tajima pitch into the light standard, shattering two high-power halogen bulbs, resulting in a shower of glass shards coming down just beside the Sidearm Nation dugout. Clapperton then hit a one-out triple to right field, but was left stranded.
Takuma Hasagawa has a reputation as a heavy hitter and showed that power when he clubbed a triple off the right field wall in the fourth inning, allowing Yuishi Tabata to score from first base. Tatsuya Naruko drove in the second run for Japan with a single. Underwood dove to stop the ball but was unable to make the throw to get Naruko for the third out.
Leading 5-2, the game started to change when Sidearm starter Ryan Johnson left the game with one out in the sixth after giving up just five hits. Reliever Dirk Dombroski was a bit wild and walked the first two batters he faced to load the bases. Shunta Tanaka scored on a wild pitch and Katayama Junichi flied out to score Hasagawa to make it a 5-4 game.
Japan threatened to tie it when catcher Joey Underwood dropped a pitch from Riley Schaaf, who took over from Dombroski. But Underwood made a nice play to grab the ball and apply the tag on Tatsuya Maruko sliding in from third to end the inning.
Clapperton drew a walk from Yuki Sameshima in the seventh inning with the bases loaded to bring in the sixth Sidearm Nation run. But Japan tied it 6-6 in the bottom of the seventh when Shunta Tanaka doubled off the wall, scoring two runs.
n Just four of the five teams lined up on the field for the tournament opening ceremony just before the game. The Roswell Invaders and the Kamloops Sun Devils made it in time but not the Thurston County Generals. They had bus troubles on the trip up from Seattle and were delayed but did check into their hotel rooms later Friday night.
n Kamloops and Roswell take the field today at 4 p.m. at Citizen Field, followed by the Thurston County-Sidearm Nation game at 8 p.m.
On Sunday, Japan plays Roswell at 4 p.m., then Kamloops meets Thurston County at 8.
Then on Monday, Sidearm Nation plays Roswell at 4 p.m. and Japan takes on Kamloops at 8 p.m.
