Duensing Carries U.S. to Win over Canada

Beijing ? Behind a strong relief performance from Brian Duensing, the U.S. Olympic Baseball Team kept its medal hopes alive with a 5-4 comeback victory over Canada Saturday morning.

Duensing was dominant out of the bullpen, retiring 10 of the 11 Canadian hitters he faced to pick up the victory. The left-hander from Omaha, who pitched at Nebraska from 2002 until 2005, fanned three, including a big strikeout of former Husker Adam Stern to stymie a Canada ralliy in the sixth. Duensing has allowed just one hit in two relief appearances, tossing 4.2 innings of one-hit relief in the Olympics.

With the U.S. trailing 4-3 and with runners on the corners with two outs in the top of the sixth inning, Duensing came in for starter Brett Anderson looking to keep the Red, White & Blue in the ballgame. Stern, who went 1-for-3 with an RBI in a losing effort, worked the count full, but Duensing got Stern to look at a slider for strike three to end the rally.

"It was a pretty tough situation," said Duensing. "I am not accustomed to relieving. Coming in, Stern is a pretty fast guy and a lot of their lefties were taking some pitches to left field. We were pitching them out a lot and I was just trying to keep him off balance by throwing a slider and something hard outside. Fortunately on that last pitch, I froze him with that slider."

Team USA (2-2) tied the game on an RBI double from Brian Barden before Terry Tiffee’s run-scoring double put the United States ahead to stay. Barden and Tiffee both drove in a pair of runs in the victory.

The cushion would be enough for Duensing, who retired the Canadians in order in the eighth and on just one hit in the ninth. The ninth inning wasn't without its tense moments though as Stubby Clapp came close to tying the game. With two outs and a runner on first base, Clapp ripped a 3-2 pitch from Duensing down the right field line only to see the ball trail just foul. Duensing then ended the game for the U.S. as he forced Clapp into flying out to left field to secure a USA win.

The United States will take on China on Sunday night, while Canada (1-3) will take on Japan Sunday evening.