Tuesday, November 11, 2003
Hill brilliant in finale
By BOB ELLIOTT -- For SLAM! Canadian Baseball
Right-hander Shawn Hill went toe-to-toe with Cuban great Lopez Palma.
After six innings each had put up six zeros.
And it was almost seven zeros apiece before Juan Pedrosa hit a two-out, two-run homer to left centre field. Pedrosa's hit paved the way for a 5-0 Cuba win in the Americas Olympic qualifier Monday night at Panama City, Panama.
Both teams clinched berths in the 2004 Athens Olympics -- Canada with an 11-1 win over Mexico and Cuba blanked Puerto Rico 10-0 in the semi-finals on Sunday.
Hill (Georgetown, Ont.) was every bit the equal of Palma for almost seven innings.
The Canadians could do little against Palma after homering early and often to clinch the Olympic berth. DH Rob Ducey (Cambridge, Ont.) hit a one-out double to right centre in the sixth inning. Peter Orr (Richmond Hill, Ont.) pinch ran for Ducey and shortstop Kevin Nicholson (Surrey, B.C.) delivered a hard smash to the right of shortstop and it looked as if the ball was headed for left field.
Not only did shortstop Eduardo Paret make a diving stop, but he righted himself and threw out Orr at third. Palma then fanned second baseman Stubby Clapp (Windsor, Ont.) to end the inning.
Cuba had its first base runner in the second inning when Ariel Pestrano reached on a Nicholson error and Martinez Videaux doubled setting up a second-and-third situation. Hill recovered by getting the next two hitters on a line drive to Clapp and a ground ball to Nicholson.
Pedroso doubled with one out inside the third-base bag in the fifth, but Hill retired the next two hitters on ground balls to Nicholson and first baseman Matt Logan (Brampton, Ont.).
Yulieski Gourriel singled off Hill with one out in the sixth, but third baseman Todd Betts (Scarborough, Ont.) turned a 5-4-3 double play.
Then, came the seventh as Hill issued a lead-off walk to Frederic Cepeda, who advanced on a ground ball. Then, Cepeda was hit by a ground ball to short. Two out. Up stepped Pedrosa with his home run bat.
Hill worked 6 2/3 innings allowing five hits and one walk, while fanning three.
Reliever Chris Begg (Sunderland, Ont.) escaped the seventh, but Eduardo Paret singled leading off the eighth. Begg retired the next two before Eriel Sanchez hit a run-scoring single. Chris Mears (Victoria, BC) took over for Begg after an intentional walk and Prestano lined to right, the ball skipping past Ryan Radmanovich (Calgary, Alta.) to allow two runs to score for a 5-0 lead.
Orr and Clapp each singled in the ninth. The other Canada hits went to Nicholson and Ducey.
