FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 18, 2017

 

Junior Women’s National Team claims 8-0 victory in final game at the JWNT Friendlies in OKC

 

OKLAHOMA CITY — The USA Softball Junior Women’s National Team (JWNT) swept the field at the JWNT Friendlies as the team ended the tournament with an 8-0 (five inning) win over the Lady Gators.  The U.S. shut out the Gators while the Red, White and Blue combined for eight hits in the contest.

 

The Gators would put two base runners on early in the game after back-to-back singles with two outs.  With runners on the corner, Julia Cottrill (Stillwater, Okla.) picked off a stolen base attempt to keep the Gators off the board.  The U.S. scored a run in the bottom of the first inning after Elissa Brown (Eclectic, Ala.) reached on a bobbled ball at first base.  Using her speed to her advantage, Brown made a heads up base running decision to swipe second base to put a runner in scoring position.  A walk to Hannah Adams (Hoschton, Ga.) put two runners on before a single from Jessica Harper (Stevenson Ranch, Calif.) plated Brown to make it a 1-0 lead.

 

The U.S. added five more runs in the bottom of the second inning.  Kaylee Tow (Madisonville, Ky.) walked to start the at-bat and came around to score after a blast over the left field fence by Cottrill.  Another two runs were added by the second two-run home run of the inning via Adams and a solo shot from Bubba Nickles (Merced, Calif.) made it a 6-0 lead. 

 

Team USA tacked on two more runs in the bottom of third inning after Lou Allan (Hesperia, Calif.) doubled off the center field fence and scored on a single from Sis Bates (Ceres, Calif.).  A misplayed line drive single from Brown to left field also brought Cottrill around to score, pushing the lead to 8-0.  That lead would hold through the next two innings of play as the U.S. walked away with the shutout win.

 

Cottrill and Adams both picked up two RBI in the contest while two U.S. pitchers combined on the shutout.  Giselle Juarez (Glendale, Ariz.) got the start in the circle, pitching three innings with four strikeouts before Natalie Lugo (West Covina, Calif.) entered in relief.  Lugo recorded one strikeout in her two innings of work.

 

The USA Softball JWNT will take a brief break before heading to Concord, Mass. for an exhibition doubleheader on June 24.  Fans can follow along with the National Team program by visiting 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.

 

Codi Warren I Managing Director of Communications

USA Softball

2801 NE 50th Street

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73111
405-425-3431 (O)

Visit Us Online: USASoftball.com

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