July2015

Team Canada Surprises United States at US World Cup of Softball

July 4, 2015

Irvine, CA

 

Team Canada Surprises United States at US World Cup of Softball X

The following is a media release issued by Softball Canada.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 4th, 2015
 

Team Canada Surprises United States
at US World Cup of Softball X

(Irvine, California) The Canadian Women’s National Softball Team bounced back from a tough loss to Venezuela to defeat the United States 4-1 on Friday. Team Canada used a pitching by committee approach, with all four pitchers getting into the game to weather the American bats, while two key hits by Kaleigh Rafter (Guelph, ON) and Jenn Salling (Port Coquitlam, BC) was all Canada needed to get the job done offensively.
 
Team USA got a leadoff single to start the game, but Canadian starting pitcher Jenna Caira (Toronto, ON) got two ground outs and a strikeout to leave the runner stranded on third. In the bottom of the inning, Jen Yee (North Delta, BC) walked followed by a single to left by Rafter, but a fly out to center ended the inning. The Americans got a two-out hit the following inning but couldn’t get anything else as they went down on a line out and two ground outs.
 
In the top of the third, the United States got another leadoff single that was wiped out on a double play, and a two-out single with the runner getting caught stealing at second as Canada’s defence held strong. The red and white got a pair of two-out walks by Joey Lye (Toronto, ON) and Yee but a ground out got USA out of the inning. Jocelyn Cater (Delta, BC) came on in relief of Caira but the Americans were able to open the scoring in the top of the fourth as the first two batters reached with singles and advanced on a wild pitch before Valerie Arioto hit a sacrifice fly to right field, giving Team USA a 1-0 lead. Cater struck out the next two batters to keep the game close.
 
Karissa Hovinga (Edmonton, AB) replaced Cater to begin the fifth and allowed a leadoff single and the runner was sacrificed to second, but Hovinga struck out the following hitter and got a weak pop up to shortstop to end the inning. Canada was then able to string some hits together to score all four of their runs in the bottom of the fifth. Megan Timpf (Port Dover, ON) led off with a walk, and after a strikeout, Erika Polidori (Brantford, ON) was hit by a pitch. After a fly out for the second out, Yee fouled off a few pitches and worked a walk to load the bases before Rafter drove a two-run single to center and advanced to second on the throw home. Salling followed up by dropping a single near the first base line in right field to cash in two more runs as Canada took the 4-1 lead.
 
Looking to respond, the Americans got a leadoff double but Hovinga was able to avoid any damage, as she got a ground out to third, a strikeout, and after walking a batter, Hovinga was replaced by Sara Groenewegen (Surrey, BC) who notched a strikeout to leave two runners on base. Larissa Franklin (Maple Ridge, BC) hit a two-out triple in the bottom half of the sixth but was left on third after the next batter lined out. Groenewegen retired the side in the seventh with two strikeouts and a ground out to end the game.
 
Box Score: Canada 4 vs. United States 1
 
Caira allowed four hits and struck out two over three innings of work, with Cater allowing a run on two hits with two punch outs in one inning of relief. Hovinga allowed two hits and struck out two in an inning and two thirds to pick up the win, while Groenewegen struck out three in an inning and a third of hitless relief to earn the save. Rafter had two hits and two runs batted in, Salling had a two-run single and Franklin tripled for Canada, making the most of only four hits. Yee drew three walks in the game.
 
Team Canada (4-2) will play its final game of the preliminary round at the US World Cup of Softball X against Argentina (0-6) at 2:00pm PDT on Saturday. Live scoring and web streaming is available through USA Softball’s website.
 
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For more information, please contact:

Gilles LeBlanc
Manager - Marketing and Communications
Softball Canada
Cell: (613) 797-7171
gleblanc@softball.ca
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