Nate Freiman drove in all four runs for Israel with two homeruns to lead Israel over Spain 4-2. The two homeruns give Frieman four homeruns for the tournament. Homeruns are not unusual to Freiman. At 6′7″ he can carry the ball a long ways when he hits the ball. In AA this year for the San Diego Padres he had 24 homeruns. In his four year minor league career he has hit 71 homeruns. He was voted to the Texas League post season all star team this year and was drafted by the Padres in the eighth round in 2009. He has never made the Padres prospect list, but the Padres brass has taken note of his outburst.
Richard Salazar had shut out Israel the first five innings, but in the sixth Frieman hit the first of his 2-run homeruns. He hit another 2-run homer in the eighth off Ivan Granados.
Justin Schumer got the victory for Israel pitching five plus innings to get the win. Spain scored one more in the ninth after an Adrian Nieto double, but Josh Zied retired the next three hitters to pick up the save. There were 814 who attended the game.
There were over 3,000 who watched Germany wallop the Czech Republic 16-1. The game lasted only six innings, Mike Bolsenbroek tossing five plus of them to get the win. Matt Weaver hit a grand slam homerun in the eight run fifth inning. Germany managed to collect only 10 hits, but six walks and three hit batsmen helped extend their rallies.
In a losers bracket game South Africa and France were tied at 2-2 at the end of nine when rain suspended the game. South Africa managed only two hits in the game, but both their runs were scored without benefit of a hit. French pitchers issued 10 base on balls, half of them in the fifth inning when South Africa scored both their runs. The French scored two runs in the first, but then were shut down by the South African pitching staff. Hein Robb pitched five innings of shutout relief to keep the South Africans tied after nine.
In Florida, Spain will have to wait for South Africa and France to finish off their losers bracket game to play the winner. Israel, under manager Brad Ausmus, who recently turned down the Houston Astros managerial job sits undefeated at 2-0. There will be a number of more attractive managing jobs open next year, including that of the Red Sox, if one can call that job attractive.
In Germany, the doubleheader sees Germany doing battle with Canada in the winner’s bracket game while the Czech Republic and Great Britain try to fight off being eliminated in the losers bracket contest. The loser of the Germany/Canada battle will play the winner of the Czech Republic/Great Britain duel.