Chiba, Japan – The Canadian Women’s National Team got back on track with a 7-0 run rule win over China at the WBSC Women’s Softball World Championship. Danielle Lawrie (Langley, B.C.) got Canada back in the win column by firing a six inning two-hitter, while the top of Canada’s batting lineup did most of the offensive damage.
Team Canada did not waste any time getting on the scoreboard, as Victoria Hayward (Toronto, Ont.) led off the game with a double to right, was sacrificed to third and scored on a fielder’s choice by Jenn Salling (Port Coquitlam, B.C.). China got a leadoff walk in the bottom of the inning, but the very next batter grounded into a double play as Canada’s defence kept its stellar play going. Kaleigh Rafter (Guelph, Ont.) started the third inning with a single, with Joey Lye (Toronto, Ont.) coming in to pinch run for her and stole second base. Hayward singled to right-center field to bring Lye in to score, followed by a fielder’s choice by Erika Polidori (Brantford, Ont.) that moved Hayward to third before she scored on a sacrifice fly to center by Salling. Polidori stole second, moved up to third on a single by Holly Speers (Surrey, B.C.) and crossed the plate on a single to center by Kelsey Jenkins (Delta, B.C.) as Canada built a 4-0 lead.
In the top of the fourth, Larissa Franklin (Maple Ridge, B.C.) led off with a single, was sacrificed to second by Rafter and moved ahead to third when Hayward reached on a fielder’s choice. After Hayward stole second, Polidori singled up the middle to score Franklin with Salling hitting another sacrifice fly to bring Hayward in to score from third, increasing Canada’s lead to 6-0. Meanwhile, Lawrie was keeping China’s bats silent, allowing only two hits and striking out five batters over the first five innings.
Hayward stayed hot at the plate by hitting a one-out triple to right in the top of the sixth and scored on a single through the right side of the infield by Polidori to score Canada’s seventh run. Lawrie retired China in order in the bottom of the inning, notching two strikeouts to end the game on the run rule.
Box Score: Canada 7 vs. China 0
Lawrie earned the win by allowing only two hits and two walks while striking out seven batters in six innings. Hayward led Canada at the plate from the leadoff spot by registering a triple, a double and a single, driving in a run and scoring four times. Polidori had two hits and two runs batted in out of the second spot in the lineup, while third batter Salling drove in three runs. Speers and Jenkins each added two singles, with Rafter and Franklin each contributing one hit to Canada’s 11-hit attack.
Team Canada improved its record to 4-1 and remains tied with Australia for second place in Group B, with the Aussies currently holding the head-to-head tie-breaker. Both Canada and Australia have a game remaining against first-place Japan, who currently sit at 4-0. Canada will be the first of the two teams to take on Japan with a matchup at 7:00pm JST (6:00am EDT) on Tuesday. Live scoring is available through the WBSC Women’s Softball World Championship website, with live streaming available at FloSoftball.com (paid subscription required).
Other complete games on Day 4 saw Puerto Rico staying undefeated with a 9-0 win over Mexico, Australia shut out Botswana 14-0, New Zealand blanked South Africa 6-0, the Netherlands edged Chinese Taipei 6-5, Italy got by Great Britain 1-0, and the United States beat the Philippines 12-0.
Team Canada did not waste any time getting on the scoreboard, as Victoria Hayward (Toronto, Ont.) led off the game with a double to right, was sacrificed to third and scored on a fielder’s choice by Jenn Salling (Port Coquitlam, B.C.). China got a leadoff walk in the bottom of the inning, but the very next batter grounded into a double play as Canada’s defence kept its stellar play going. Kaleigh Rafter (Guelph, Ont.) started the third inning with a single, with Joey Lye (Toronto, Ont.) coming in to pinch run for her and stole second base. Hayward singled to right-center field to bring Lye in to score, followed by a fielder’s choice by Erika Polidori (Brantford, Ont.) that moved Hayward to third before she scored on a sacrifice fly to center by Salling. Polidori stole second, moved up to third on a single by Holly Speers (Surrey, B.C.) and crossed the plate on a single to center by Kelsey Jenkins (Delta, B.C.) as Canada built a 4-0 lead.
In the top of the fourth, Larissa Franklin (Maple Ridge, B.C.) led off with a single, was sacrificed to second by Rafter and moved ahead to third when Hayward reached on a fielder’s choice. After Hayward stole second, Polidori singled up the middle to score Franklin with Salling hitting another sacrifice fly to bring Hayward in to score from third, increasing Canada’s lead to 6-0. Meanwhile, Lawrie was keeping China’s bats silent, allowing only two hits and striking out five batters over the first five innings.
Hayward stayed hot at the plate by hitting a one-out triple to right in the top of the sixth and scored on a single through the right side of the infield by Polidori to score Canada’s seventh run. Lawrie retired China in order in the bottom of the inning, notching two strikeouts to end the game on the run rule.
Box Score: Canada 7 vs. China 0
Lawrie earned the win by allowing only two hits and two walks while striking out seven batters in six innings. Hayward led Canada at the plate from the leadoff spot by registering a triple, a double and a single, driving in a run and scoring four times. Polidori had two hits and two runs batted in out of the second spot in the lineup, while third batter Salling drove in three runs. Speers and Jenkins each added two singles, with Rafter and Franklin each contributing one hit to Canada’s 11-hit attack.
Team Canada improved its record to 4-1 and remains tied with Australia for second place in Group B, with the Aussies currently holding the head-to-head tie-breaker. Both Canada and Australia have a game remaining against first-place Japan, who currently sit at 4-0. Canada will be the first of the two teams to take on Japan with a matchup at 7:00pm JST (6:00am EDT) on Tuesday. Live scoring is available through the WBSC Women’s Softball World Championship website, with live streaming available at FloSoftball.com (paid subscription required).
Other complete games on Day 4 saw Puerto Rico staying undefeated with a 9-0 win over Mexico, Australia shut out Botswana 14-0, New Zealand blanked South Africa 6-0, the Netherlands edged Chinese Taipei 6-5, Italy got by Great Britain 1-0, and the United States beat the Philippines 12-0.
