Canada wins Bronze medal at World Softball Championship (Caracas, Venezuela) Many people would have counted Team Canada out on Thursday when they were trailing Australia 2-0 heading into the bottom of the seventh, but the red and white fought back by scoring three runs to win that game, and went on to beat China that evening by scoring one run in the bottom of the seventh to take the 1-0 victory. It was an incredible Canada day for the Women's National Team, but they simply ran out of gas in the Bronze medal game against a rested Japan team by a score of 12-3.
Despite the loss, Canada accomplished what it set out to do by winning the Bronze medal at the event, which is the second Canadian Women's medal in International Softball Federation (ISF) World Championship history. It also marked the first Women's medal won by the Women's National Team program, as the Silver medal in 1978 was won by the Doc Blues club team, which was the last club team to represent Canada at the World Championship.
After quick work by both pitchers in the first inning, Japan led off the second inning with a single and that runner advanced to second on a passed ball. The umpires gathered and called for a rain delay, which lasted two and a half hours. After the long break, Canadian pitcher
Danielle Lawrie (Langley, BC) was able to notch the three outs without allowing a run to score.
However, Japan got to Lawrie early in the third, scoring three runs to chase her from the game before she could register an out.
Jenna Caira (Toronto, ON) came on in relief in the pitcher's circle, but the first batter she faced reached on an error, was sacrificed to second, moved up to third on a passed ball and scored on a double to the right-center field gap. Caira then struck out the next two hitters to close out the inning.
After Canada was retired in order, Japan added another run in the top of the fourth on a two-out single, a passed ball and an RBI single to increase the lead to 5-0. Canada showed life in the bottom of the inning, as
Jenn Yee (North Delta, BC) cracked a one-out single up the middle,
Sheena Lawrick (Calgary, AB) forced a walk, and
Jen Salling (Port Coquitlam, BC) singled to center field to load the bases.
Kaleigh Rafter (Guelph, ON) then hit a solid ground ball that was bobbled by the second baseman who recovered in time to throw Rafter out at first, but Yee was able to score from third. The next batter struck out, leaving runners on second and third with the score now 5-1.
Not to be outdone, Japan got that run right back. The leadoff hitter singled to left, but was retired on a fielder's choice as
Jill Russell (London, ON) threw the lead runner out at second. However, the other runner moved up on a passed ball, on scored on an error to restore the five-run lead.
Joey Lye (Toronto, ON) managed a one-out single through the right side in the bottom of the fifth, but was left stranded on second. Meanwhile, Japan kept pressuring and manufacturing runs, as they forced a one-out walk, the runner stole second, and scored on a single. Canada did not quit, as in the bottom of the sixth, Lawrick reached on an error, and Salling also reached base before Kaleigh Rafter drove a pitch to the right-center field gap to bring Lawrick in, but Salling was caught between third and home for an out, and the next batter was retired with the score now 7-2.
If their lead was not already big enough, Japan made sure Canada would not have any late inning heroics by scoring five more runs in the top of the seventh. A leadoff single followed by a double placed runners on second and third, and the next batter hit a sinking line drive to right field, which Joey Lye made an incredible dicing catch for the out but the runner on third scored easily on the tag. A single brought in another run, and the following hitter hit a solid ground ball to Jenn Yee at second that she blocked in front of her, but her throw to first was just late. The next batter promptly hit yet another RBI single, and a bloop hit fell in for another run, with an overthrow on the play at the plate allowing the 12th run in to score as Japan took a 12-2 lead into the bottom of the seventh.
Refusing to go away, Jill Russell reached on an error, was sacrificed to second by Lye, and scored on a single to left field by
Melanie Matthews (Surrey, BC). That was all for Canada, as they fell by a 12-3 score.
Later in the night, the United States defeated Japan 7-0 to claim the Gold medal for the sixth consecutive time.
With the Bronze medal, Canada has now won ISF World Championship medals in three consecutive years, as the Junior Men won a Silver medal in Whitehorse, YK in 2008, the Men won a Bronze medal in Saskatoon, SK in 2009 and the Women have won Bronze in Caracas, Venezuela in 2010. The Junior Women's National Team is set to participate in a Pan American Qualifier from August 6-15 in Bogota, Colombia.
Whitehorse will host the next ISF Women's World Championship in 2012.
Canada 3 vs. Japan 12: Box Score -SC-
For more information, please contact:
Gilles LeBlanc
Manager - Marketing and Communications
Softball Canada
(613) 523-3386 ext. 3105
gleblanc@softball.ca
