The Pan-American Games baseball tournament have seen their fair share of dramatic comebacks. On Wednesday afternoon, Puerto Rico overcame a 7-1 deficit in the seventh inning to defeat Colombia 8-7. In a semifinal game on Saturday, the USA trailed 5-3 in the seventh but came back to walk-off over Cuba 6-5. Hours ago, Cuba won the bronze medal game by scoring four runs in the ninth inning to topple Puerto Rico 7-6.

Canada saved the most important comeback for the final game of the tournament.

After going to extra innings with the USA in the gold-medal game, the Canadians saw their hopes at first place diminished when they surrendered two runs in the top half of the 10th inning. But, continuing the trend of dramatic and shocking comebacks at the Pan-American Games, Canada struck three times in the bottom half of the frame to claim the gold medal of the United States 7-6 in 10 innings. The United States struck first in the game, scoring twice in the second inning off of Canadian starter Jeff Francis. The two runs came on a blast from Patrick Kivlehan. USA made it 3-0 on a sacrifice-fly from Jacob Wilson in the third inning.

The lead did not last as the Canadians made their first of two comebacks in the game, plating three runs in the third inning to tie the game. USA starter Josh Hader was extremely close to getting out a jam but failed to escape the inning with the lead. A walk and single started the inning, but Hader bore down to retire the next two batters on a line out and a ground out that advanced the runners. Unfortunately for Hader, Canadian right fielder Rene Tosoni walloped a three-run blast to tie the score. The long inning was Hader’s undoing and he exited after just four innings. Canada got their first lead of the game in the fifth inning when Jordan Lennerton slapped a deep fly which USA center fielder Travis Jankowski tracked down but a run scored on the sacrifice fly, making it 4-3.

USA managed to mount a small rally in the seventh inning which ultimately forced extra innings. Left fielder Albert Almora collected his lone hit of the contest by grounding a single through the hole and into left field, scoring Kivlehan with the tying run. The run knocked Francis out of the game who went an excellent seven innings but did give up four runs. The game went to extras when the Americans took advantage of Canada’s tiring reliever Andrew Albers who had pitched both the eighth and ninth innings.

Bizarre rules at the Pan-American baseball games state that when a game reaches extra innings, the first two batters be played on second base and first base respectively. Jankowski came up with runners on first and second and nobody out and sacrificed successfully, advancing runners to second and a third. Albers intentionally walked Andrew Parrino to load the bases, setting up a potential double play with Tyler Pastornicky coming up. Instead, Pastornicky doubled in two runs. They could have added more with runners on second and third with just one out. But a foul out, intentional walk, and pop out got the Canadians out of the jam but still down two runs.

However, with the same rules, the Canadians got to put runners on first and second with nobody out. Jake Barrett struck out the lone batter he faced in the 10th after holding the Canadians scoreless in the ninth inning. Then, for unknown reasons, David Huff replaced Barrett, and couldn’t retire a single batter. Third baseman Peter Orr singled a run home, cutting the USA lead in half. Runners were on first and second with one out but Huff still had a chance to get out of it. He tried to pick Orr off first base but it turned out to be the last play of the game. Duff’s throw went wild and Orr ran to second and headed for third while teammate Skyler Stromsmoe scored the tying run. Brian Bogusevic, the USA right fielder, backed up Huff’s wild throw and made a bad throw of his own, and was charged with the game-ending error as Orr scampered home, setting off a wild and improbable celebration.

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