Canada takes a perfect 7-0 record into their quarter-final game at the World Baseball Softball Confederations men’s softball world championship in Prague, Czech Republic on Friday against the host country.
St. Lawrence, P.E.I.'s Jeff Ellsworth scored Canada’s first run Thursday, June 20, in their 10-4 victory over South Africa. That win gave the Canadians a perfect record in Pool B round-robin play.
The Pool B champions play the fourth-place team from Pool A, the Czechs, in the 2:30 p.m. AST time slot Friday, with the winner moving on to Saturday’s semi-finals and the loser to a placement round.
The Czech Republic advanced to the playoff round on the strength of a two-run walk-off homer by Maly Marek, a 5-4 win over Cuba. Three teams finished Pool A tied at 3-4 in the standings, but it was the host Czechs who advanced on the tie-breaking formula over Cuba and Mexico.
Canada went into the tournament ranked second in the world behind New Zealand for a second year in a row. Pool A winners, Japan (7-0), were ranked third.
Argentina, New Zealand and the Czechs hold down the other three playoff positions in Pool A while Canada was followed by Australia, the US and Venezuela in Pool B standings at the end of round-robin play Thursday.
