FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 15, 2017

 

Huge first inning propels USA Softball Women’s National Team to claim 14-2 win over Mexico

 

IRVINE, Calif. — Fans filled Deanna Manning Stadium for the second time this week and watched as the USA Softball Women’s National Team (WNT) put on an impressive offensive display in their 14-2 win over Mexico, USA Softball announced today. With the win, Team USA claims its second exhibition game win of the week and will look to continue preparations for the season ahead through training camp.

 

“The team has been working on creating offensive opportunities and they have also been working on defensive trust,” said Head Coach Ken Eriksen. “I think that was on display tonight. We still have a long way to go but within just three days of training, I have seen some good things.”

 

In the first inning, four different U.S. players blasted home runs over the outfield fence to help Team USA take an early 10-0 lead in the game. After Michelle Moultrie (Jacksonville, Fla.) hit an RBI single to put the Red, White, and Blue on the board first, Valerie Arioto (Pleasanton, Calif.) followed it up with a two-run homer. With the score set at 3-0, Ally Carda (Elk Grove, Calif.) singled to centerfield and was brought home after a two-run homerun by Kasey Cooper (Dothan, Ala.). Delaney Spaulding (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) got a piece of one herself, sending a solo homerun over centerfield and securing the sixth run for the WNT.

 

Team USA looked to strike again before the inning’s end. Aubree Munro (Brea, Calif.) was issued a walk and quickly advanced to third following a hard ground ball hit by Morgan Zerkle (Milton, W.Va.), who reached second on an error by Mexico. The U.S. would then load the bases following a walk by Janie Takeda (Placentia, Calif.). A fly out marked the second out of the inning but Moultrie remained red-hot at the plate, hitting a three-RBI triple and making it home on the throw.

 

Carrying a 10-0 lead into the second frame, the U.S. held strong and despite Mexico ripping off a two-run homer, the U.S. shut them down offensively and did not allow any additional runs to cross the plate.

 

Following a lead-off single from Carda in the bottom of the second frame, Cooper hit her second home run of the evening. The third inning came quick as Kelsey Stewart (Wichita, Kan.) and Moultrie started things off with back-to-back singles and went onto take an extra base on a passed ball. Carda took first on a hit-by-pitch and with the bases loaded, Jenna Lilley (North Canton Ohio) was issued a walk extending the U.S. extending the U.S. lead, 13-2. With two outs, Paige Halstead (Alta Loma, Calif.) singled up the middle and brought home Moultrie to mark the 14th of the night.

 

The USA Softball WNT threatened to strike once more a few more times but was unable any additional runs. The pitching staff of Ally Carda, Danielle O’Toole (Upland, Calif.) and Jessica Moore (Sutter, Calif.) combined to strikeout nine batters while issuing just five hits and zero walks in the circle.

 

Fans at home can follow along all summer long with the USA Softball National Teams at USASoftball.com.

 

About USA Softball
USA Softball is a 501(c)(3) not-for profit organization headquartered in Oklahoma City, Okla., and is designated as the National Governing Body (NGB) of Softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. One of the nation’s largest sports organizations, USA Softball sanctions competition in every state through a network of 70 local associations and has grown from a few hundred teams in the early days to over 150,000 teams today, representing a membership of more than 2 million.  USA Softball is dedicated to providing people of all ages the opportunity to play the game they love at a variety of levels by offering recreational, league, tournament and competitive play for fast pitch, slow pitch and modified pitch.  USA Softball annually conducts thousands of tournaments throughout the country including over 100 National Championships.  The USA Softball umpire program is among the nation’s largest and are widely known as the best trained umpires in the game.

As the NGB for the sport of softball, USA Softball is responsible for training, equipping and promoting the six USA Softball National Teams that compete in events such as the Olympics, Pan American Games, World Championships and other international and domestic events. For more information on USA Softball, including its founding and history as the Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA), please visit, www.USASoftball.com.

 

Katie Willis I Communications Coordinator

USA Softball

2801 NE 50th Street

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73111
405-425-3432 (O)

Visit Us Online: USASoftball.com

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