Team Canada Shuts Out China at ISF Women’s
World Softball Championship

(Haarlem, Netherlands) The Canadian Senior Women’s National Team remained undefeated at the ISF XIV Women’s World Softball Championship by blanking China 2-0 early this morning in a game that was originally scheduled to be played yesterday but was postponed due to rain. Canadian pitcher Jenna Caira (Toronto, ON) fired a one-hitter to keep China from scoring, while Canada was able to manufacture two runs on four hits in the win.
 
Both Caira and Li Qi of China were on top of their game, with both pitchers retiring the side in order in the first two innings. After Caira got China out in order on three groundouts in the top of the third, Canada’s bats were able to open the scoring in the bottom of the inning. Erika Polidori (Brantford, ON) led off with a double down the line in left field and was sacrificed to third by Natalie Wideman (Mississauga, ON) before scoring on an infield single by Larissa Franklin (Maple Ridge, BC). Franklin was sacrificed over to second, but the next batter struck out.
 
In the fourth, Caira and Qi each retired the side in order again, and Wei Dongmei got a leadoff double of her own in the top of the fifth for China’s first hit of the game. The next batter reached on an error to put runners on the corners, and after Caira struck out the next batter, the runner on first stole second but catcher Kaleigh Rafter (Guelph, ON) caught the runner on third leading too far off the base on the play, leading to a rundown that eventually saw the baserunner on second getting tagged for the second out. Caira then struck out the next batter to get out of the inning with the tying run standing on third.  
 
China went down in order in the top of the sixth on two groundouts and a strikeout, and Canada took advantage of a costly Chinese mistake to add an insurance run. Joey Lye (Toronto, ON) led off with a popup that was dropped by the second baseman trying to make a play near the first base line in shallow right field, allowing Lye to race all the way around to third. Caitlin Lever (Buffalo, NY) later hit an opposite field single to left to push Lye in to score. Caira allowed a two-out walk in the top of the seventh, but the next batter grounded out to shortstop to end the game.
 
Box Score: Canada 2 vs. China 0
 
Caira only allowed one hit and a walk with six strikeouts in the complete game shutout win. Canada managed four hits off Qi, including a double by Polidori and singles by Lever, Wideman and Franklin, with Franklin and Lever each driving in a run.
 
In the games that were played in a day interrupted by rain delays yesterday at the ISF Women’s World Championship, all five games were shutouts as Russia defeated the Czech Republic 3-0, Japan blanked New Zealand 9-0, Italy shut out Botswana 6-0, Australia beat the Netherlands 4-0 and the United States bested Great Britain 11-0. Other games completed earlier today included Cuba defeating Puerto Rico 3-1, the Dominican Republic downing Chinese Taipei 7-0 and Italy defeating Great Britain 9-0.
 
Team Canada (4-0) is scheduled to play Japan (4-0) in a battle for first place in Group A at 1:00pm EDT this afternoon, but there is currently another lengthy rain delay that may force that game to be rescheduled. 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
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/SoftballCanada
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SoftballCanadaNSO