July2015

Women’s National Team Earns Big Win over Japan at Canadian Open

July 10, 2015

Surrey, BC

 

Women’s National Team Earns Big Win over Japan at Canadian Open

The following is a media release issued by Softball Canada.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 10th, 2015
 

Women’s National Team Earns Big Win
over Japan at Canadian Open

(Surrey, BC) The Canadian Women’s National Team kept rolling at the Canadian Open Fastpitch International Championship by earning a big 7-5 win against Japan last night. Team Canada fell behind 5-0 after three innings of play but came roaring back with a seven run fourth before Canadian reliever Sara Groenewegen (Surrey, BC) shut Japan down for the last four innings.
 
In the top of the first, Kaleigh Rafter (Guelph, ON) hit a two-out single but the next batter flew out, and in the bottom of the inning Japan went to work quickly by scoring four runs. The first batter reached on a single and immediately scored on a double, and after an error put runners on first and third, a single brought in Japan’s second run. The runners were sacrificed to second and third and Saki Yamazaki hit a two-run double as Japan took an early 4-0 lead. After both teams went down in order in the second, Japan added another run on a solo homerun by Yamato Fujita in the bottom half of the third.
 
Canada got things going in a big way in the top of the fourth. Joey Lye (Toronto, ON) led off with a single, advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored Canada’s first run on a single by Rafter, who was replaced by Chelsea Jenner (Abbotsford, BC) on the bases. Erika Polidori (Brantford, ON) sacrificed Jenner to second, and Jenn Salling (Port Coquitlam, BC) pushed her in to score with a single before Carey-Leigh Thomas (Ohsweken, ON) smashed a two-run homerun to pull Canada within one. After a pitching change, Megan Gurski (Dalmeny, SK) worked a walk followed by singles by Logan White (Brantford, ON) and Larissa Franklin (Maple Ridge, BC) to load the bases. Jen Yee (North Delta, BC) singled to score Gurski and tie the game, with Lye producing the go-ahead run by grounding into a fielder’s choice. Yee also scored on a fielder’s choice as Canada took a 7-5 lead.
 
Groenewegen took over from there, as she retired Japan in order in the fourth and the fifth innings. Canada got two runners on in the fifth on a walk by Salling and a single by Gurski, and also in the sixth on a single by Franklin and a walk by Rafter, but was unable to add to its lead. Japan got a pair of singles off Groenewegen in the bottom of the sixth but went down on two strikeouts and a groundout. Thomas hit a one-out double in the seventh but was left stranded, and Groenewegen allowed a leadoff single in the bottom of the frame before closing it out with a pop out, a strikeout and a groundout to end the game.
 
Box Score: Canada 7 vs. Japan 5
 
Jenna Caira (Toronto, ON) started the game in the pitcher’s circle, yielding five runs – four earned – on five hits and a walk while striking out three batters in three innings. Groenewegen picked up the win with four solid innings of relief, allowing three hits and striking out four. Thomas had a homerun and a double with two runs batted in at the plate and Rafter had two singles and drove in a run. Franklin also collected a pair of singles, with other hits going to Yee, Lye, Salling, Gurski and White, as Canada produced 11 hits.
 
Team Canada (5-0) is the only undefeated team and will play a doubleheader on Friday, taking on Spain – Basque Country (1-4) at 1:00pm PDT before playing Puerto Rico (4-1) at 6:30pm PDT.

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For more information, please contact:

Gilles LeBlanc
Manager - Marketing and Communications
Softball Canada
(613) 523-3386 ext. 3105
gleblanc@softball.ca
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