Guatemala City, Guatemala - Canada was the away team in their second game against Cuba as they battled for a chance to play in the Championship game.   

They wasted no time breaking the game open as they opened the game with back-to-back doubles by Larissa Franklin (Maple Ridge, B.C.) and Kelsey Harshman (Delta, B.C.) to take the early 1-0 lead.  Alysen Febrey (Peachtree City, GA). promptly hit her second home run of the day over the right field fence.  Janet Leung (Missisauga, Ont.) then worked a walk and was scored when Emma Entzminger (Victoria, B.C.) hit the second 2-run home run of the inning for Canada.  When all the dust had settled Canada held a 6-0 lead.  

Sara Groenewegen (Surrey, B.C.) got to start for the Canadians in the circle.  After allowing a leadoff triple, she shut the door on any rally when she recorded a ground out and back-to-back strike outs to end the inning.  
 
Canada was able to push across another run in the top of the second inning.  Larissa Franklin recorded her second hit of the game with a single to left field and was brought home when Janet Leung hit a 2-out triple down the left field line, Leung was cut down at the plate trying for the inside-the-park home run.  

Groenewegen worked a perfect 1-2-3 inning in the second.  A strike out started the inning and a one out walk was erased when Canada turned an inning ending 5-4-3 double play.  

Canada added to its tally in the third inning.  Erika Polidori (Brantford, Ont.) worked a leadoff walk, Emma Entzminger reached on an error and Kianna Jones (Surrey, B.C.) also walked to load the bases.  A wild pitch brought in the 8th run for Canada and an RBI ground out by Natalie Wideman (Mississauga, Ont.) made the score 9-0.  

Sara Groenewegen recorded two more strike outs in the bottom of the third to work around a one-out double.  It was the second time she was able to work out of a runner in scoring position opportunity.  Morgan Rackel  (Calgary, Alta.) came on to relieve Groenewegen in the bottom of the fourth inning.  Groenewegen's final line was 3.0 innings pitched, zero earned runs and five strikeouts.  

Rackel came on and pitched two complete innings in relief for Canada. She gave up only two hits, limiting any threat from Cuba.  Four out of the six outs she recorded came via the strike out.  

The game once again finished after five innings as Canada was ahead 9-0 after five complete innings as they booked their ticket to the championship game against Team U.S.A.  

Emma Lindblad
Manager - Communications
Softball Canada
p: (613) 523-3386 ext. 3106 | m: (819) 743-2056
w: www.softball.ca | e: elindblad@softball.ca