FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 10th, 2011
Team Canada Rebounds with 2-0 Win Over Australia at Canadian Open (Surrey, BC) After coming out on the wrong end of a 2-0 loss against Japan earlier in the day, the Canadian Senior Women's National Team rebounded with a 2-0 win of their own against Australia in a game filled with spectacular plays. Both teams had their chances to score, but also played extremely well in the field before Canada finally broke through in the top of the seventh inning.
Canada started things off well in the top of the first when Melanie Matthews (Surrey, BC) started the game with a single and moved all the way to third, but was not able to score. Australia used that momentum to their advantage, notching a double and getting runners on second and third with only one out, but Canadian starting pitcher Jenna Caira (Toronto, ON) forced a ground out back to the pitcher's circle and a fly out to center field to strand two runners in scoring position. The following inning, Kelsey Haberl (Burnaby, BC) and Heather Ebert (Rosthern, SK) each managed to reach with singles, but Canada came up short once again. Canada was able to get the leadoff batter on base in each of the first five innings, but was unable to move the runners around the bases to score as the game was scoreless after five innings.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, the Australian bats finally woke up against Caira, but center fielder Joey Lye (Toronto, ON) made two highlight reel plays to hold Australia off. Leadoff hitter Chelsea Forkin smashed a deep fly ball that Lye crashed into the fence to catch, and after a single by Jodie Bowering, Lye made an incredible diving play to rob an extra base hit and very likely the first run of the ball game.
With the game still up for grabs in the sixth, Canada received an enormous boost as 16 year old Jocelyn Cater (Delta, BC) made her senior team debut in the pitcher's circle in front of a large hometown crowd. Cater showed why she made the team out of camp, striking out the first two batters she faced before forcing a ground out back to her for the third out. That seemed to spark the Canadian offence, as Kelsey Haberl hit her third leadoff single of the game to put the pressure on the Australian defense. After a fielder's choice retired Haberl at second, Heather Ebert notched her second hit of the game with a hit that just made it over the third baseman's head, placing runners on first and second. Meagan Baird (Ajax, ON) then delivered a key one-out RBI single to center field to open the scoring, and the runner advanced on the throw to home to place runners on second and third. Victoria Hayward (Toronto, ON) then hit a sacrifice fly to right field to add an important insurance run, as Canada took a 2-0 lead into the bottom of the seventh.
Cater came back out for the bottom of the seventh, forcing two quick ground outs and striking out Stacey Porter - one of the world's best hitters - to end the game.
Jenna Caira was solid for Canada in the pitcher's circle, scattering six hits and three walks in five innings of work with two strikeouts. Jocelyn Cater earned the win with two innings of hitless relief, striking out three batters. At the plate, Haberl paced Canada with three hits, while Ebert had two. Melanie Matthews and Meagan Baird also each had singles, with Baird's being the game-winning hit.
Team Canada (2-1) now sits in a tie for second place with the United States (2-1), with the two teams playing each other at 6:30pm PDT on Monday.
Canada 2 vs. Australia 0 - Box Score and Play by Play For more information, please contact:
Gilles LeBlanc
Manager - Marketing and Communications
Softball Canada
(613) 797-7171
gleblanc@softball.ca
