Back-to-back RBI Doubles brought in a pair of Tampa Bay Rays runs in the top of the ninth as they fought back to tie Adam Hall and his Canadian Junior National Team teammates as the teams played to a 4-4 draw.
Clayton Keyes went 3-for-5 with a triple, RBI and two stolen bases to pace the Junior National Team offence.
The Rays opened the scoring plating an unearned run in the fourth. An error and a catcher’s interference call put runners on first and second before a two-out single to right field off reliever Cade Smith brought in a Rays runner from second.
The juniors responded in the bottom of the inning as Clayton Keyes ripped a triple to centre and beat the throw home when Edouard Julien grounded to second with a pulled in infield. With Julien on second, after the throw home went to the backstop, a two-out double to left from Dondrae Bremner brought him in to give the juniors a 2-1 lead.
Clayton Keyes picked up his third hit of the game in the fifth as he lined a single to left to score a run a put the juniors up by two.
Garrett Nicholson took over on the mound in the seventh and ran into some trouble after an error and walk before a pair of wild pitches brought Rays to within one.
The juniors restored the two run lead in the seventh as Victor Cerny lined an opposite field double to right that scored Hall.
A ball that handcuffed first baseman Michael Stovman put the Rays’ lead off runner on in the top of the ninth before a pair of back-to-back double tied things up.
