Team USA posts pair of shutout wins on opening day of 2019 Japan Cup

August 30, 2019

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Team USA posts pair of shutout wins on opening day of 2019 Japan Cup

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 30, 2019 Web Release: Link

Takasaki, Japan – The USA Softball Women’s National Team (WNT) opened the 2019 Japan Cup in dominating fashion, recording a 13-0 (four innings) run-rule victory over No. 15 Czech Republic and an 8-0 (six innings) run-rule win over No. 6 Chinese Taipei. The U.S. bats were hot, combining for 10 hits in the win over the Czech Republic while once again recording double-digit hits with 14 in the win over Chinese Taipei.   “It was nice to come off a two-week break following the Pan American Games and not allow a run today,” said WNT Head Coach, Ken Eriksen (Tampa, Fla./Head Coach at South Florida). “I thought we played really, really relaxed, but we’re still working on a lot of things and seeing what our players can do.”   USA 13, Czech Republic 0 (four innings)   Team USA recorded their first run-rule victory of the day in a 13-0 (four innings) shutout over No. 15 Czech Republic. Taking advantage of nine walks and two Czech errors, the offense for the Red, White and Blue was relentless at the plate as nearly all batters reached base in the contest.   The U.S. wasted no time getting on the board, quickly putting up four runs in the top of the first inning. A leadoff walk to Haylie McCleney (Morris, Ala.) and stolen base put a runner in scoring position for Kelsey Stewart (Wichita, Kan.), who laid down a sac bunt that was overthrown to put two on. Ali Aguilar (Orangevale, Calif.) and Valerie Arioto (Pleasanton, Calif.) hit back-to-back ground outs to bring in both runners, putting Team USA up 2-0.   The scoring continued with a triple from Michelle Moultrie (Jacksonville, Fla.) and a walk to Jazmyn Jackson (San Jose, Calif.) before Shelby Pendley (Rio Rancho, N.M.) singled to right field to drive in Moultrie and Sahvanna Jaquish (Highland, Calif.) doubled to plate Jackson.   Rachel Garcia (Palmdale, Calif.) recorded a pair of strikeouts in the circle, but a single and double by Czech Republic looked to threaten in the bottom of the first inning. A heads-up play by Pendley at shortstop on a softly hit grounder got the runner out at third attempting to advance on the play, ending the threat with a zero on the board for Czech Republic.   McCleney led off the top of the second inning with a solo blast on her second pitch of the at-bat. Back-to-back walks to Aguilar and Moultrie put two on with two outs while a pair of wild pitches allowed Aguilar to score to extend the U.S. lead to 6-0.   Another four-run outing by the WNT in the top of the third continued the offensive momentum. McCleney dropped down a bunt for a single and advanced to third on walks to Stewart and Aguilar. A groundball to shortstop allowed McCleney to score from third and leave runners on the corners with two outs for Moultrie, who doubled to plate two. A dropped pop fly by the second baseman allowed Moultrie to score from second, giving the U.S. a comfortable 10-run lead.   Garcia picked up her second three-up, three-down outing in the circle in the bottom of the third with three-consecutive strikeouts. The final three runs of the contest for the U.S. came in the top of the fourth inning on a two-out rally. Jaquish led off the at-bat with a single, but a double play cleared the bases. McCleney picked up her third hit of the contest with a single to right field, advanced to second on a walk to Stewart and scored on a double from Aguilar. Ally Carda (Elk Grove, Calif.) drove in a pair of runs with a double to left field, putting Team USA up by 13 runs.   Garcia and the U.S. defense shut down Czech Republic with a popup, groundout and strikeout for the final out of the game.   At the plate, McCleney went 3-for-3 with four runs scored, a walk and one RBI while Moultrie had a 2-for-3 outing with two RBI and two runs scored. Garcia earned the complete-game win, striking out eight batters with two hits allowed in four innings of play.   USA 8, Chinese Taipei 0 (six innings)   It took seven innings for the U.S. to plate a run in their last meeting with No. 6 Chinese Taipei at the USA Softball International Cup, but that would not be the case in today’s contest as the U.S. put up eight runs over six innings to pick up their second shutout win of the day. With all but one batter recording a hit in the win, Keilani Ricketts (San Jose, Calif.) and the U.S. defense kept a strong Chinese Taipei offense off the scoreboard.   Scoring in all but one inning, the U.S. drove in their first run of the game in the top of the first inning. Janie Reed (Placentia, Calif.) walked, moved to second on a bunt single by Moultrie and scored on a single up the middle from Arioto. Ricketts and Team USA’s defense put up a zero for Chinese Taipei in the bottom of the frame despite a two-out hit batter.   Pendley drove in the second run of the game in the top of the second, taking advantage of a leadoff single from Jackson with a single up the middle. A solo home run by Arioto in the top of the third put Team USA up by three runs.   Another two runs crossed the plate in the top of the fourth inning for the Red, White and Blue. Reed delivered a triple to the outfield to bring Pendley home after she had reached earlier in the at-bat with a double. A single from Aguilar brought in Reed, giving the U.S. a five-run edge.   Chinese Taipei got their first hit of the game in the bottom of the fourth with two outs, but a ground out to the infield ended the inning with Team USA up 5-0. Both sides were kept off the board in the fifth until the U.S. broke the game open in the top of the sixth.   Singles from Delaney Spaulding (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) and Aubree Munro (Brea, Calif.) put two on with one out for Jaquish, who delivered a three-run home run.   Needing three outs to earn the run-rule victory, Chinese Taipei managed a two-out single but a fly ball to the outfield ended the game with the U.S. earning the 8-0 (six innings) win.   Jaquish drove in three runs while Arioto plated two. Both Arioto and Moultrie went 2-for-4 in the contest while Munro and Pendley each went 2-for-3. Ricketts earned the complete-game win, tossing six scoreless innings with four strikeouts and two hits.   Up next for Team USA is a matchup against No. 2 Japan on Saturday, August 31 at 12 p.m. JST (August 30 at 10 p.m. CT). Live stats and live streaming will be available and links can be found at USASoftball.com.   About USA Softball USA Softball (USAS) 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 & Paralympic Committee. One of the nation’s largest sports organizations, USAS sanctions competition through a network of Local Associations, which includes all 50 states and select metro associations.  USAS 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.  USAS annually conducts thousands of tournaments throughout the country including over 100 National Championships.  The USAS 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, USAS 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 USAS, including its founding and history as the Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA), please visit, www.USASoftball.com.

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