Echols Leads Offensive Attack for U-19 Women’s National Team

HOUSTON – An 11-run fourth inning highlighted the U-19 Women’s National Team (U-19 WNT) summer opener Friday evening defeating Scrapyard International, 17-2.

The Red, White and Blue exploded for 14 hits, six of which were extra bases, at the plate. Charla Echols (Newnan, Ga.) led the way with a 4-for-5 performance as the cleanup hitter falling a home run shy of the cycle. Julia Cottrill (Stillwater, Okla.) got a hold of the first pitch she saw in the fourth recording the first home run of the year coming with the bases loaded. Taylor Pleasants (Houston, Texas) drove in four runs in her 2-for-3 performance while Jayda Coleman (The Colony, Texas) was 3-for-3 with three runs and two RBIs.

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Echols put the Red, White and Blue on the board scoring Skylar Wallace (Woodstock, Ga.) on a double to the gap in right. USA loaded the bases before Pleasants cleared them on a sharp grounder through the left side making it 4-0 after one.

Back-to-back ground outs by Wallace and Cottrill brought in two more for the U-19 WNT expanding their lead to six heading into the third.

Montana Fouts (Grayson, Ky.) picked up the start and win in the circle tossing four innings of one-hit ball. The lone hit was a one-out solo shot in the third. ScrapYard International put their leadoff hitter on third in the opening two frames before Fouts picked up a strikeout to cap off the first and snagged a liner right at her to end the second.

Two-out production was the name of the game in the fourth. All 11 runs came with two outs on the board and was sparked by Echols triple before Bailey Dowling (St. Joseph, Ill.) drove her in on a single up the middle. Coleman’s two-RBI triple to center made it 13-1 before Cottrill’s grand slam cleared the base paths.

In relief, Callie Turner (Land O’ Lakes, Fla.) tossed two innings giving up one run on three hits and struck out one. Kathryn Sandercock (McLean, Va.) tossed the seventh where she struck out a pair.

The U-19 WNT makes a quick turnaround returning to action Saturday morning against Mizuno Impulse at 10 a.m. CDT. The Red, White and Blue then take on Texas Bombers GOLD Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. CDT.

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 through a network of Local Associations, which includes all 50 states and select metro associations.  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. 
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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.