Â
2015 Pan American Games - Women’s Softball Day 4 Summary
Â
Puerto Rico 2 vs. Brazil 0
Â
The first match-up of the day proved to be a tight one, with Puerto Rico coming out ahead 2-0 over Brazil. Puerto Rico made quick work of the Brazilian offence in the top of the first with two groundouts and a strike-out to start off the game. In the bottom half of the frame, Puerto Rico put up a bit of a fight, getting two runners on base but leaving them stranded heading into the second inning. In the top of the second, Puerto Rico’s defence was strong yet again and Brazil went down in order on a strike-out and two groundouts. Puerto Rico got on the board in the bottom half of the second. Pitcher Aleshia Ocasio hit a solid triple to left field, and was followed by Dayanira Diaz reaching on a walk. A sacrifice bunt by Monica Santos eventually scored Ocasio, leaving the score 1-0 for Puerto Rico heading into the third. Brazil managed to get a runner on base in the top of the third inning, but left her stranded. In the bottom of the third, Puerto Rico scored their second and final run of the game with Karla Claudio reaching on a double, and Ocasio picking up another RBI on a double. Brazil found themselves down 2-0 after three complete innings of play. The fourth inning remained scoreless with Puerto Rico leaving one runner on in the bottom of the frame. Innings five and six remained scoreless as well, with the Puerto Ricans shutting down the Brazilian offence and the Brazilians fending off the Puerto Rico batters allowing two runners to be left on in the bottom of the sixth. Brazil’s last chance to get on board in the top of the seventh proved unsuccessful yet again, despite a two-out single to right field by Vivian Morimoto. Three groundouts ended the inning, giving Ocasio the win with seven innings pitched, allowing 2 hits and striking out five. Nile Higa suffered the loss with six innings pitched, giving up five hits and two earned runs.
Â
United States 9 vs. Cuba 2
Â
The second game of day four at the 2015 Pan American Games featured Cuba and the United States. In the top of the first, the United States drew two walks but eventually left the runners stranded after a couple smart plays by the Cuban defence. In the bottom half of the frame, Cuba’s Yuselys Acosta and Maylin Sanchez put together a couple singles, and were eventually cashed in off a single by Leanneyi Gomez. Cuba left the first inning with a 2-0 lead over the USA. The Americans responded quickly in the top of the second, stringing together three singles to score Lauren Gibson after she reached on a walk. A single up the middle by Haylie McCleney scored two more runs, while a triple shortly after by Valeria Arioto extended the United States’ lead to 5-2. Another single for the Americans by Amanda Chidester scored Arioto, leaving the score 6-2 going into the bottom of the second. Cuba wasn’t able to get anything going despite back-to-back singles at the top of the half. Cuba made quick work of the American offence by finishing off three batters right away. They then put up a bit of a fight in the bottom half third with a lead-off single to right field by Katia Coello, but ultimately left her stranded. The fourth inning passed quickly, with each team only seeing three batters for their outs. The fifth was a quick one as well, with the United States leaving one runner on base in the top half of the frame and Cuba unable to get on base in the bottom half. In the top of the sixth, the Americans extended their lead by drawing a walk with the bases loaded, and a single up the middle for two more runs by Arioto. In the bottom half of the inning, the Americans were able to fend off the Cuban offence once more despite another single Gomez, leaving the final score 9-2 for the United States after six complete innings of play.
Â
Canada 9 vs. Dominican Republic 7
Â
Team Canada got things going early in the game with a single by Kaleigh Rafter, who would later score on a wild pitch. The Dominican Republic came out strong in the bottom of the first as well, with a lead-off triple by Danelis Ramirez, but they were unable to cash her in. The second inning remained scoreless for both teams, with each leaving one runner on base at the end of their at-bat. In the top of the third inning, Larissa Franklin got to first on a bunt. Followed by a RBI double by Rafter. A single from Polidori then brought Rafter around the bases for another run. Continuing the hits, a RBI single for Natalie Wideman scored Polidori, extending Canada’s lead to 4-0 over the Dominican Republic. In the bottom of the third, Canada finished off the Dominican Republic offence quickly, including two strikeouts. In the top of the fourth, Canada added to their total yet again with Franklin reaching first on a walk and later being cashed in on a sacrifice fly by Polidori. In the bottom of the fourth, the Dominican Republic got on the board with a two-run home run by Geraldina Feliz, leaving the score at 5-2 after four complete innings. Canada was unable to score in the top of the fifth, leaving two runners on base. In the bottom half of the fifth, the Dominican Republic came full-force, putting the ball in play and forcing errors in the infield to score four more runs, bringing the score to a tight 6-5 in the Dominican Republic’s favour heading into the sixth. Canada went scoreless in the top of the sixth, while the bottom of the sixth allowed the Dominican Republic to extend their lead to 7-5 with a triple by Yuderca Matos and an error allowing her to score. Canada’s last chance at-bat started off with Timpf connecting for a triple, then scoring on a wild pitch. With two out and Canada still down by one run, Jen Yee drew a walk to reach first, followed by Franklin reaching on a bunt. Rafter then stepped up to the plate and smacked a single to left field, where Elizabeth Vicioso committed an error allowing Rafter to reach third and two runs to score. Salling followed with a RBI single to bring Rafter home for a 9-7 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh. Sara Groenewegen came out strong in the bottom half of the inning, giving the Dominican Republic’s batters no chance and striking out the side, leaving the final score at 9-7 for Canada.
Â
Day Five Match-Ups:
Â
2:00pm EST: Dominican Republic (0-4) vs. United States (4-0)
4:30pm EST: Cuba (1-3) vs. Brazil (1-3)
7:00pm EST: Canada (3-1) vs. Puerto Rico (3-1)
