Angels 13, South Africa 6

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TEMPE, Ariz. -- The South African flag graced the flagpole behind center field. The players stood for the national anthems of South Africa and the United States.

And then the game started and, well, South Africa has a long way to go.

The Angels beat the South Africa entry in the World Baseball Classic, 13-6, in an exhibition in which the Angels started All-Star Joe Saunders and South Africa started Barry Armitage, a middle reliever in an independent league last season. Saunders pitched two innings in his spring debut, striking out three. Saunders said he had experienced shoulder soreness earlier this spring and worried that he might not be able to let loose today, but he said he pitched with full power and chalked up the soreness to nothing more than the usual spring conditioning.

‘You’re not going to feel 100% the whole way through,’ he said. ‘Something’s always going to go wrong.’

The Angels played no regulars. Infielder Matt Brown had three hits, and outfielder Terry Evans drove in three runs.

The Angels play the Mariners tomorrow, with Shane Loux scheduled to start for the Angels. South Africa, which lost its last game in the inaugural WBC, 17-0, to the United States, opens this year’s WBC Saturday -- against powerhouse Cuba. Oy.

-- Bill Shaikin