Team Canada Keeps Rolling at ISF Women’s
World Softball Championship

(Haarlem, Netherlands) The Canadian Senior Women’s National Team kept its perfect record intact at the ISF XIV Women’s World Championship with an 8-1 win in five innings over New Zealand, improving its record to 3-0 on the tournament. Canadian pitcher Sara Groenewegen (Surrey, BC) overcame a long first inning due to a rain delay and had a no-hitter going into the fifth before New Zealand registered a pair of singles. Canada got key hits from Jenny Gilbert (Saskatoon, SK) and Natalie Wideman (Mississauga, ON) to put the game out of reach.
 
New Zealand opened the scoring in the top of the first inning without registering a hit. After a quick groundout, the next batter worked a walk, and the game was stopped for a 40 minute rain delay. When play resumed, the next batter also walked, followed by a pair of batters getting hit by a pitch to score the first run of the game. Groenewegen followed up by striking out the next two batters to leave the bases loaded. In the bottom of the inning, Joey Lye (Toronto, ON) drew a leadoff walk, and after a popped up bunt attempt, Jen Yee (North Delta, BC) singled through the left side of the infield. Kaleigh Rafter (Guelph, ON) singled up the middle to score Lye, and both runners moved up on a wild pitch before Gilbert hit a two-run triple to the right field fence. Carey-Leigh Thomas (Ohsweken, ON) then hit a sacrifice fly to right field to score Gilbert, increasing the lead to 4-1.
 
In the bottom of the second, Erika Polidori (Brantford, ON) reached on a two-out error, stole second and scored on a single up the middle by Yee, followed by a single by Rafter and a walk by Gilbert to load the bases, but the next batter struck out. After Groenewegen retired New Zealand in order in the top of the top of the third, Sara Hopwood (Richmond, BC) reached on an error on a drag bunt followed by a bunt single by Caitlin Lever (Buffalo, NY), a sacrifice bunt by Wideman to move the runners ahead to second and third, and yet another bunt single by Lye to load the bases. However, the next two batters grounded into fielder’s choices to end the inning.
 
Groenewegen sat New Zealand down in order again in the top of the fourth on two strikeouts and a fly out to left, and Rafter led off the bottom of the frame with a double to the left-center field fence and was replaced on the bases by Victoria Hayward (Toronto, ON). Hayward later moved over to third on a single by Thomas and scored on a sacrifice fly by Hopwood. Lever singled through the right side of the infield, and Wideman drove a pitch to the left-center field gap for a two-run double to increase Canada’s lead to 8-1. Lye reached on another bunt single, and Polidori forced a walk to load the bases, but the next batter flew out to center to end the inning. New Zealand broke up Groenewegen’s no-hit bid with two singles in the top of the fifth, but was unable to score to extend the game
 
Box Score: Canada 8 vs. New Zealand 1
 
Groenewegen allowed a run on two hits and three walks, striking out eight batters in the five inning win. Rafter had a double, two singles and run batted in, with Yee, Lye and Lever each chipping in with two singles. Gilbert contributed with a two-run triple and Wideman added a two-run double, and Thomas had a single and a run batted in.
 
In one late scores at the ISF Women’s World Championship yesterday, Australia blanked Italy 10-0. Earlier today, the Dominican Republic defeated Botswana 11-1, Cuba got by Russia 5-3, Australia shut out Great Britain 9-0, the Netherlands beat Italy 8-1, the United States bested Chinese Taipei 5-1, Japan run ruled Puerto Rico 9-2, and the Czech Republic shut out China 2-0.
 
Team Canada (3-0) will be back in action when they take on China (1-2) at 10:30am EDT on Monday. Live scoring will be available on the event website at http://www.wcsoftball2014.com/en/home, with webstreaming available for purchase through http://isf.sportzcast.net/.

The event can also be followed on Facebook (World Championship Softball 2014) and Twitter (@WCSoftball2014).
 
How to Follow Team Canada
Softball Canada Website: http://www.softball.ca
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