Canterbury Baseball Club
by Sean Callahan 29 January 2006
Joshua Batchelor pitched five and a third innings of two-hit, shutout ball, Yoshimitsu Fuchigami crushed a three-run home run and David Roche went 3 for 4 in his return as the Pilots downed the Expos 17-6.
Batchelor faced the minimum through four, taking advantage of two double plays, and faced just one over the minimum after five before tiring in the sixth. He needed just 60 pitches through the first five innings.
Fuchigami took Chad Denny deep with two outs in the seventh for a three run bomb. Roche tripled in his first at-bat back after ten weeks off with a broken finger and added two more singles in the Expos 19-hit attack.
Sam Ballinger stayed one inning too many, as the Pilots put the game out of reach with a five-run sixth to make it 12-0. Ballinger struggled with his control in the second inning, walking the first two batters, before surrendering three consecutive singles and a sacrifice fly to make it 5-0.
Ballinger struck out 10 in six innings, but also gave up 13 hits.
The Expos ran the bases too aggressively throughout the game.
In the first, Nick Prince was hung off first when Batchelor snared Stephen Phillips' liner back to the box. Batchelor flipped to first for an inning-ending double play.
In the third, Takashi Inagawa tried to score from second on an infield grounder to short. After getting the out at first, Ryota Kadowaki gunned him out at home.
In the sixth, the Expos had three walks, but got nothing to show for it. Junichi Tomonaga was caught stealing third, while Inagawa was doubled off first when Prince flied out to right.
Denny was caught stealing third to end the fifth inning, while Inagawa was picked off first in the ninth.
The Expos picked up four runs in the eighth off Kadowaki, as Prince singled, Phillips doubled, Denny singled and Andy Alsop tripled home two runs.
Notes: The Expos were missing two of their national rep players, Justin Holcroft, out with a hamstring injury, and Scott Woyak, AWOL. Mark Harbott left the game early with other commitments.
Batchelor faced the minimum through four, taking advantage of two double plays, and faced just one over the minimum after five before tiring in the sixth. He needed just 60 pitches through the first five innings.
Fuchigami took Chad Denny deep with two outs in the seventh for a three run bomb. Roche tripled in his first at-bat back after ten weeks off with a broken finger and added two more singles in the Expos 19-hit attack.
Sam Ballinger stayed one inning too many, as the Pilots put the game out of reach with a five-run sixth to make it 12-0. Ballinger struggled with his control in the second inning, walking the first two batters, before surrendering three consecutive singles and a sacrifice fly to make it 5-0.
Ballinger struck out 10 in six innings, but also gave up 13 hits.
The Expos ran the bases too aggressively throughout the game.
In the first, Nick Prince was hung off first when Batchelor snared Stephen Phillips' liner back to the box. Batchelor flipped to first for an inning-ending double play.
In the third, Takashi Inagawa tried to score from second on an infield grounder to short. After getting the out at first, Ryota Kadowaki gunned him out at home.
In the sixth, the Expos had three walks, but got nothing to show for it. Junichi Tomonaga was caught stealing third, while Inagawa was doubled off first when Prince flied out to right.
Denny was caught stealing third to end the fifth inning, while Inagawa was picked off first in the ninth.
The Expos picked up four runs in the eighth off Kadowaki, as Prince singled, Phillips doubled, Denny singled and Andy Alsop tripled home two runs.
Notes: The Expos were missing two of their national rep players, Justin Holcroft, out with a hamstring injury, and Scott Woyak, AWOL. Mark Harbott left the game early with other commitments.
Box Score