Enoka home run seals Black Sox win in World Cup opener

A Ben Enoka home-run blast clinched the Black Sox’s opening game win at the men’s Softball World Cup.

The two-time gold medallist smashed a solo shot over the leftfield fence at Whakaata Ma¯ori Stadium in Auckland yesterday in New Zealand’s 3-1 victory over the

Czech Republic. Enoka’s effort embellished his reputation as the Black Sox’s best player of the past decade and gave the home crowd a lift in the pool A curtain raiser.

The Kiwis always looked in command, but needed his home run highlight to seal the deal.

The 33-year-old outfielder – at his sixth World Cup – played down his king-hit, saying it was ‘‘third time up’’ at the plate and he had ‘‘just tried to hit strikes and leave the balls . . . I got lucky on that’’.

But he did admit it was ‘‘a game-changing aspect’’ and ‘‘lit a spark for us to stay up through the seven innings’’.

Coach Mark Sorenson felt it was a ‘‘pretty classy’’. ‘‘He comes up in a situation where we had a one-run lead. He’s looking for a particular pitch and he’s able to take it out over the fence.’’

The Black Sox started Daniel Chapman on the pitching mound and the Aucklander – on the comeback trail after spinal surgery – snared 10 strikeouts while conceding just two hits.

The Black Sox meet the United States today.