Argentina and New Zealand in Final with Ticket to World Cup at Stake
In a sunny afternoon game in Prince Albert, Canada, ARGENTINA emerged victorious over the New Zealand Black Sox, 4-1. The win gave Argentina the best record for pool play, but the two will play a rematch Sunday in the playoff round at 4PM, with a ticket to next year’s World Cup at stake. The loser of that game will face the winner of third place Canada and fourth place Canada.
Argentina’s offense was led by Manuel Godoy, who hit a home run and drove in 2 runs. Ladislao Malarczuk also had a strong game, going 2-for-2 with a stolen base and scoring 2 runs. Federico Olheiser chipped in with a triple and 2 RBIs. On the mound, Argentina’s pitching staff was dominant. Starter Martín Gonzalez threw 5 shutout innings, allowing no hits and striking out 7 while walking 6. Pablo Migliavacca closed out the final 2 innings, giving up 1 run.
For New Zealand, Cole Evans provided their only run with a solo home run. He also drew 2 walks in the game. Brothers Ben Enoka and Thomas Enoka each walked twice as well, but the New Zealand offense struggled overall, managing just 1 hit as a team.
New Zealand used three pitchers in the losing effort. Starter Liam James Potts went 4 innings, allowing 1 run. Nik Hayes was tagged for 3 runs in 1.1 innings of relief. Thomas Enoka threw 1.2 scoreless innings to finish the game.
Game Stats
- Argentina Pitching: 7 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 6 BB, 10 K
- New Zealand Pitching: 7 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 6 K
- Argentina Offense: 7-for-26, 2B, 3B, HR, 4 RBI, 3 BB, SB
- New Zealand Offense: 1-for-21, HR, 6 BB