Todd Fraizer, Scott Fisher, Casey Gaynor, and Chris Cardone all had homeruns for Toms River, New Jersey on their way to a 12-9 victory over Kashima, Japan.

For Japan, Tetsuya Furukawa tied a single-game record with three homeruns. Tatsuya Sugata, also of Japan, added two of his own.

Fraizer’s shot came four pitches into the game giving the East a 1-0 lead. The East scored two more in the first via two walks and a RBI single by Gaynor.

"I just wanted to get things started and get everyone excited," Fraizer said. "After the hit, it meant a lot to me that I could show off my homerun ball to everyone."

The Japanese came back with two runs of their own. Tetsuya Furukawa and Tatsuya Sugata hit back-to-back homers that brought the score to 3-2. In the third, Furukawa hit his second homerun of the game to put the Japanese in the lead 4-3.

But back came the U.S. East when they scored four in the fourth. Fisher and Gaynor both hit two-run homers to put the East back on top 7-4.

"I knew my teammates and I could hit the ball," Fisher said. "….but not that much."

In the fifth, Chris Cardone hit his first of two homeruns. In the bottom of the inning, Furukawa and Sugata hit back-to-back homeruns again, tying the score at eight.

Chris Cardone's fifth inning homer

"I felt if the coach put me in, I would do something good," said Cardone. "When the ball hit the bat I knew it was gone."

"Chris is just a lot of fun," said Mike Gaynor, manager of the East. "It was great to see him hit."

In the top of the sixth, Cardone hit his second homer, but it was a two-run shot this time around. The two homeruns were his first and second of the post-season. The East picked up two more runs in the inning on a Gabe Gardner single.

Toms River, New Jersey then held Kashima, Japan to one run in the bottom of the sixth, giving them a 12-9 victory.

"I thought if we held them to two or three homeruns we might have a chance," said Atsushi Okawa, manager of the Far East. "It was unfortunate that their homeruns were hit with people on base. It was fun playing here, but now I have to worry about getting back to my job."

--Mark Rogoff
   Special Correspondent