tead of dissecting how his club could blow a 5-1 lead late in Game

Four months ahead of the 2017 World Baseball Classic, Australia have impressively raised their profile in the sport.Australia claimed the silver medal at the U-23 Baseball World Cup in Monterrey, Mexico, a milestone result for a program ranked No. 13 in the world. The Aussies won six of eight games in the first two rounds of the tournament to earn a spot in Sunday nights championship game, where they lost 10-3 to top-ranked Japan.The loss is disappointing for Team Australia, but a second-place finish undoubtedly indicates tremendous progress. By winning the silver, Australia are likely to jump to No. 11 in the world rankings and appear to have a bright future.Its very significant, said Australia U-23 head coach Tony Harris. We couldnt be prouder of how the guys played in the entire tournament. Its a credit to this team, and for Australia baseball, its massive.Australia shortstop Jacob Younis was named the top hitter in the World Cup after posting a .571 batting average with seven RBIs. First baseman Connor MacDonald hit a tournament-high four home runs, including two against Panama on Saturday to help clinch a spot in the championship game. Four Aussies were named in the All-World Cup team: Younis, MacDonald, designated hitter Guy Edmonds and relief pitcher Joshua Guyer.Im super proud of these young men, Harris said. They were fantastic ambassadors for Australian baseball, the way they carried themselves on and off the field.Japans U-23 team have a bevy of professional talent, including players from the nations top pro level, the NPB. So Harris knew that his team, which had lost to Japan 11-2 in the opening round, would need to play flawlessly to have a chance to win gold.In the early innings, Australia did just that. Aaron Whitefiled gave the Aussies a 2-0 lead in the second inning with a single that scored Sam Kennelly and Ben Leslie. Zach Shepherd then led off the fourth inning with a home run to make it 3-0 and chase Japan starting pitcher Taiga Kasahara. Meantime, Aussie pitcher Nick Veale was sharp in facing the minimum number of batters through three innings.But Japan is ranked No. 1 in the world for good reason, and their explosive lineup broke through for four runs in the fourth inning and never looked back. Australia banged out 10 base hits, compared to just seven for Japan. But Japan were able to take advantage of four Australia errors to score five unearned runs.Japan first baseman Taishi Hirooka struck the biggest blow, hitting a three-run homer in the sixth inning. Left fielder Yusuke Masago, who hit a solo homer and scored two runs in the championship game, was named MVP of the 12-team tournament.Australia played the World Cup without the services of several key players because of injuries and professional commitments, making the silver-medal result even more impressive.It gave others players a chance to step up, Harris said. And boy did they step up.Australia beat Chinese Taipei, ranked No. 4 in the world, on its way to a 4-1 record in the opening round. The Aussies opened the second round with a loss to host Mexico, but rebounded with wins against No. 3 Korea and Panama to earn a spot in the championship game.Looking ahead, Australias senior team will play in the first round of the World Baseball Classic in Tokyo on March 7-10. The Southern Thunder are grouped with China, Cuba and Japan in pool play.Harris will be in Tokyo as an assistant coach, and about a half-dozen of his U-23 players are candidates to earn roster spots on the WBC team. But first, he will lend some perspective to what Team Australia just accomplished in Mexico.How significant is the achievement for the Australian players who just earned World Cup silver medals?They will carry this experience for the rest of their days and take it to the grave, Harris said.Jordan 1 Retro Sale Nz . -- The St. Johns IceCaps weathered a wild first period with the help of goaltender Jussi Olkinuora, before finding offensive inroads in the second. Air Jordan 1 Nz Cheap .ca look back at each of the Top 10 stories of 2013. Today, we look back at Boston Strong - a citys recovery from tragedy. http://www.cheapairjordan1nz.com/ . Detroit and Boston are deadlocked, 1-1, and Tigers manager Jim Leyland could be forgiven if he was caught rationalizing instead of dissecting how his club could blow a 5-1 lead late in Game 2. Cheap Authentic Jordan 1 Nz . Blackwood, 28, has played the last three seasons in the San Diego Padres system, including the past two summers with Class AA San Antonio of the Texas League. Authentic Jordans Shoes Wholesale . Jason Zucker and Matt Cooke also scored for Minnesota, which has won five of six. Kuemper made five saves in the first, nine in the second, and nine in the third. The rookies best save came with 2:17 left in the third period when he denied former Wild forward Matt Cullen from just outside of the crease on the right side.NEW YORK -- The New York Islanders agreed to a one-year deal with Pierre-Alexander Parenteau on Saturday, bringing the veteran right wing back for a second stint with the team.Parenteau had a career high-tying 20 goals and 21 assists for Toronto last season. His goals matched his high set in 2010-11 in his first season with the Islanders. Parenteau also had career highs of 49 assists and 67 points with the Islanders the following season.For his career, the 33-year-old Parenteau has 101 goals and 1677 assists in 424 games spanning eight seasons in the NHL.ddddddddddddParenteau is the Islanders third addition in the first two days of free agency. New York signed forwards Andrew Ladd and Jason Chimera on Friday, while losing Kyle Okposo (Buffalo), Frans Nielsen (Detroit) and Matt Martin (Toronto).Restricted free-agent Shane Prince was also re-signed to a two-year deal. ' ' '