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14 Mar 2008
Ottawans Help Canada Get in The Games
Burton, Kusiewicz pitch in ninth with trip to Olympics on the line.
Source:
The Ottawa Citizen
Friday, March 14, 2008
Sports Section - Page B2
Ottawa sometimes takes its knocks as a baseball town. But two national capital Little League products were on top of the world on a mound yesterday in Taiching, Taiwan, locking down a berth for Canada at the Beijing Olympic Games in a 4-3 win over South Korea at the final Olympic qualifier.
Pinecrest Little League's T.J. Burton handed the ball to East Nepean's Mike Kusiewicz with two out and a man on first in the ninth inning. Kusiewicz then enticed In Sung Cho to hit a comebacker to the mound, fielded it and threw over to first baseman Jimmy VanOstrand for the final out as the celebration began.
"This is what we've been pointing to for a year-and-a- half now," said Team Canada manager Terry Puhl, the former big league standout from Melville, Sask. "I've never been in this type of baseball atmosphere. It's very exciting."
With the win over the previously undefeated South Koreans, Canada improved its record to 5-1 and moved into a tie with South Korea and Taiwan atop the tournament standings. South Korea and Taiwan also earned Olympic berths.
Canada entered the ninth with a 4-1 lead, but South Korea gave the Canadians a scare, scoring one run on a groundout and another on a single to cut the lead to one against Burton, a Double-A reliever for the Cleveland Indians organization.
Enter Kusiewicz, the one-time Ottawa-Nepean Canadian, 1994 Colorado Rockies draft pick and present-day Ottawa Rapid, to close the door. Both Kusiewicz and Burton still live in Ottawa.
South Korea got the first run on the board in the top of the first inning with a pair of doubles to produce a 1-0 lead. But the Canadians responded in the bottom of the first when Matt Rogelstad, of New Westminster, B.C., belted a three-run homer.
From there, James Avery, of Moose Jaw, Sask., shut the door. Avery threw four innings, allowing one run on four hits, with four strikeouts. "That was a big game for us. We wanted to take care of business (yesterday) and not leave it until (today)," said Avery, who played college ball at Niagara University with Stittsville's Ryan Virtue, a former Kanata Little League player and another former Ottawa-Nepean Canadian.
"We wanted to show that we're not just here to beat the teams that we're supposed to beat, but that we can beat the best teams. I'm speechless. I don't even know what to say. Being a part of something with 30 guys is pretty special. I've never been in a pile like that before. I can barely think."
In the fourth, Canada added an important run to its lead on the third home run of the tournament (and third in as many days) for Nick Weglarz, the former Ontario Premier League standout.
"I guess I'm just seeing the ball well," said Weglarz, who was 2-for-3 in the game. "(The coach) told me just pretend like you're swinging in your back yard. That way you don't over-think, you're just swinging. I don't think there are words to describe how I feel right now. It's a dream come true."
Scott Richmond, of Langley, B.C., threw four shutout innings, giving up only a pair of hits, with three strikeouts, in relief of Avery.
"We had good pitching when we needed good pitching," Puhl said. "The bullpen was outstanding, and I can't say enough about our hitters and how they took care of the left-handed pitching we faced."
Ottawans Help Canada Get in The Games
Burton, Kusiewicz pitch in ninth with trip to Olympics on the line.
Source:
The Ottawa Citizen
Friday, March 14, 2008
Sports Section - Page B2
Ottawa sometimes takes its knocks as a baseball town. But two national capital Little League products were on top of the world on a mound yesterday in Taiching, Taiwan, locking down a berth for Canada at the Beijing Olympic Games in a 4-3 win over South Korea at the final Olympic qualifier.
Pinecrest Little League's T.J. Burton handed the ball to East Nepean's Mike Kusiewicz with two out and a man on first in the ninth inning. Kusiewicz then enticed In Sung Cho to hit a comebacker to the mound, fielded it and threw over to first baseman Jimmy VanOstrand for the final out as the celebration began.
"This is what we've been pointing to for a year-and-a- half now," said Team Canada manager Terry Puhl, the former big league standout from Melville, Sask. "I've never been in this type of baseball atmosphere. It's very exciting."
With the win over the previously undefeated South Koreans, Canada improved its record to 5-1 and moved into a tie with South Korea and Taiwan atop the tournament standings. South Korea and Taiwan also earned Olympic berths.
Canada entered the ninth with a 4-1 lead, but South Korea gave the Canadians a scare, scoring one run on a groundout and another on a single to cut the lead to one against Burton, a Double-A reliever for the Cleveland Indians organization.
Enter Kusiewicz, the one-time Ottawa-Nepean Canadian, 1994 Colorado Rockies draft pick and present-day Ottawa Rapid, to close the door. Both Kusiewicz and Burton still live in Ottawa.
South Korea got the first run on the board in the top of the first inning with a pair of doubles to produce a 1-0 lead. But the Canadians responded in the bottom of the first when Matt Rogelstad, of New Westminster, B.C., belted a three-run homer.
From there, James Avery, of Moose Jaw, Sask., shut the door. Avery threw four innings, allowing one run on four hits, with four strikeouts. "That was a big game for us. We wanted to take care of business (yesterday) and not leave it until (today)," said Avery, who played college ball at Niagara University with Stittsville's Ryan Virtue, a former Kanata Little League player and another former Ottawa-Nepean Canadian.
"We wanted to show that we're not just here to beat the teams that we're supposed to beat, but that we can beat the best teams. I'm speechless. I don't even know what to say. Being a part of something with 30 guys is pretty special. I've never been in a pile like that before. I can barely think."
In the fourth, Canada added an important run to its lead on the third home run of the tournament (and third in as many days) for Nick Weglarz, the former Ontario Premier League standout.
"I guess I'm just seeing the ball well," said Weglarz, who was 2-for-3 in the game. "(The coach) told me just pretend like you're swinging in your back yard. That way you don't over-think, you're just swinging. I don't think there are words to describe how I feel right now. It's a dream come true."
Scott Richmond, of Langley, B.C., threw four shutout innings, giving up only a pair of hits, with three strikeouts, in relief of Avery.
"We had good pitching when we needed good pitching," Puhl said. "The bullpen was outstanding, and I can't say enough about our hitters and how they took care of the left-handed pitching we faced."