Surrey, B.C – The Canadian Women’s National Team bounced back from a tough loss Tuesday night by earning two dominant wins over the White Rock Renegades (10-0) and China (13-0). Meanwhile, the Canada Elite team stayed undefeated at the tournament after doubling New Zealand 14-7 and defeating Korea 6-1.
In Team Canada’s first game against the White Rock Renegades, Victoria Hayward (Toronto, Ont.) led off the bottom of the first with a double, was sacrificed to third and scored on a sacrifice fly to right by Jenn Salling (Port Coquitlam, B.C.) to open the scoring for Team Canada. Kelsey Jenkins (Delta, B.C.) followed with a single and crossed the plate on a double by Holly Speers (Surrey, B.C.) and Jenny Gilbert (Saskatoon, Sask.) hit a two-run homerun to give Canada an early 4-0 lead. In the third, Jenkins and Salling drew a pair of walks before Speers hit a three-run blast, with Team Canada loading the bases on singles by Gilbert, Larissa Franklin (Maple Ridge, B.C.) and Natalie Wideman (Mississauga, Ont.) before Hayward hit a two-run single to increase Canada’s lead to 9-0. Speers hit a solo homerun in the bottom of the fourth to end the game on the run-ahead rule.
Box Score: Canada 10 vs. White Rock Renegades 0
Danielle Lawrie (Langley, B.C.) fired the four-inning perfect game, retiring all twelve batters she faced with three of them on strikeouts. Speers led Canada at the plate by going three-for-three with two homeruns, a double and five runs batted in. Gilbert contributed a homerun, a single and drove in two runs, with Hayward delivering a pair of doubles and a single with two RBIs. Jenkins, Franklin and Wideman each added singles.
Against China, Canada got on the board quickly again as Hayward led off with a double to left and scored after a pair of errors on the same play. The red and white put a pair of runners on base with a hit by pitch and an error with the runners advancing to second and third on a wild pitch before scoring on a two-run double to right by Gilbert as Canada built a 3-0 lead. After being retired in order in the second, Canada exploded for ten runs in the bottom of the third. Salling led off with a single and scored on a two-run homerun by Jenkins, followed by a pair of walks and a two-run triple by Franklin. Team Canada proceeded to load the bases on a walk and two singles by Kaleigh Rafter (Guelph, Ont.) and Janet Leung (Mississauga, Ont.) before Salling hit a sacrifice fly to left. After a walk loaded the bases again, Speers drilled a game-ending grand slam as Canada won the game in three innings on the run rule.
Box Score: Canada 13 vs. China 0
Karissa Hovinga (Edmonton, Alta.) picked up the win in the pitcher’s circle, allowing no runs on three hits with a strikeout in three innings of work. Speers went deep for the third time on the day and drove in four runs on her grand slam, with Jenkins adding a two-run blast of her own. Franklin drove in two with a triple, with Gilbert adding a two-run double. Eight of Canada’s nine starters registered a hit in the contest.
The Canada Elite team stayed hot by defeating the New Zealand and Korea National Teams.
New Zealand opened the scoring with a run in the bottom of the first, but Canada Elite got that run right back in the top of the second when Victoria Rumph (Drayton, Ont.) led off with a single and later scored on an error. After New Zealand regained the one-run lead, Canada scored four runs in the top of the third by loading the bases when two batters were hit by a pitch followed by a single before scoring runs on a pair of singles by Callum Pilgrim (Abbotsford, B.C.) and Courtney Gilbert (Delhi, Ont.), then adding one on a bases-loaded walk and another on a passed ball. New Zealand battled back with four runs of their own in the bottom of the inning to regain the one-run lead, but Canada tied the game with a run in the fourth when Grace Messmer (Surrey, B.C.) led off with a double and later scored on a sacrifice fly.
The following inning, Joey Lye (Toronto, Ont.) hit a two-run triple and scored on a passed ball to give Canada a 9-6 lead. New Zealand got one run back in the bottom of the sixth, but Canada put the game out of reach by scoring five runs in the top of the seventh with one scoring on an error, a two-run single by Erika Polidori (Brantford, Ont.) and a two-run homerun by Alysen Febrey (Peachtree City, Ga.).
Box Score: Canada 14 vs. New Zealand 7
Sierra Bertrand (Stirling, Ont.) got the start for Canada Elite and allowed six runs (only one earned) on six hits with a walk and a strikeout in three innings, while Kenzie Friesen (Saskatoon, Sask.) allowed one run on three hits and two walks with three strikeouts in three innings.
The game against Korea was held scoreless through three innings before Canada Elite opened the scoring with a run on a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the fourth. Messmer led off the following inning with a triple and scored on a double by Polidori, who crossed the plate on a double by Febrey. Shianne Brannan (Chino, Calif.) later singled to score Febrey as Canada Elite built a 5-0 lead. After Korea got their run in the top of the sixth, Canada got it back immediately in the bottom of the inning on an RBI double by Pilgrim.
Box Score: Canada 6 vs. Korea 1
Brianna Aguilar-Beaucage (Fort McMurray, Alta.) earned the complete game winning, allowing a run on four hits and three walks to go along with five strikeouts.
Both Team Canada and Canada Elite have advanced to the top division of the third round-robin along with Triple Crown Colorado, with all three teams earning double life in the playoff round that will begin on Friday. Team Canada plays Canada Elite at 6:00pm PDT, with Canada Elite playing Triple Crown Colorado at 8:30pm PDT. Team Canada will square off with Triple Crown Colorado est 1:00pm PDT on Friday.
In Team Canada’s first game against the White Rock Renegades, Victoria Hayward (Toronto, Ont.) led off the bottom of the first with a double, was sacrificed to third and scored on a sacrifice fly to right by Jenn Salling (Port Coquitlam, B.C.) to open the scoring for Team Canada. Kelsey Jenkins (Delta, B.C.) followed with a single and crossed the plate on a double by Holly Speers (Surrey, B.C.) and Jenny Gilbert (Saskatoon, Sask.) hit a two-run homerun to give Canada an early 4-0 lead. In the third, Jenkins and Salling drew a pair of walks before Speers hit a three-run blast, with Team Canada loading the bases on singles by Gilbert, Larissa Franklin (Maple Ridge, B.C.) and Natalie Wideman (Mississauga, Ont.) before Hayward hit a two-run single to increase Canada’s lead to 9-0. Speers hit a solo homerun in the bottom of the fourth to end the game on the run-ahead rule.
Box Score: Canada 10 vs. White Rock Renegades 0
Danielle Lawrie (Langley, B.C.) fired the four-inning perfect game, retiring all twelve batters she faced with three of them on strikeouts. Speers led Canada at the plate by going three-for-three with two homeruns, a double and five runs batted in. Gilbert contributed a homerun, a single and drove in two runs, with Hayward delivering a pair of doubles and a single with two RBIs. Jenkins, Franklin and Wideman each added singles.
Against China, Canada got on the board quickly again as Hayward led off with a double to left and scored after a pair of errors on the same play. The red and white put a pair of runners on base with a hit by pitch and an error with the runners advancing to second and third on a wild pitch before scoring on a two-run double to right by Gilbert as Canada built a 3-0 lead. After being retired in order in the second, Canada exploded for ten runs in the bottom of the third. Salling led off with a single and scored on a two-run homerun by Jenkins, followed by a pair of walks and a two-run triple by Franklin. Team Canada proceeded to load the bases on a walk and two singles by Kaleigh Rafter (Guelph, Ont.) and Janet Leung (Mississauga, Ont.) before Salling hit a sacrifice fly to left. After a walk loaded the bases again, Speers drilled a game-ending grand slam as Canada won the game in three innings on the run rule.
Box Score: Canada 13 vs. China 0
Karissa Hovinga (Edmonton, Alta.) picked up the win in the pitcher’s circle, allowing no runs on three hits with a strikeout in three innings of work. Speers went deep for the third time on the day and drove in four runs on her grand slam, with Jenkins adding a two-run blast of her own. Franklin drove in two with a triple, with Gilbert adding a two-run double. Eight of Canada’s nine starters registered a hit in the contest.
The Canada Elite team stayed hot by defeating the New Zealand and Korea National Teams.
New Zealand opened the scoring with a run in the bottom of the first, but Canada Elite got that run right back in the top of the second when Victoria Rumph (Drayton, Ont.) led off with a single and later scored on an error. After New Zealand regained the one-run lead, Canada scored four runs in the top of the third by loading the bases when two batters were hit by a pitch followed by a single before scoring runs on a pair of singles by Callum Pilgrim (Abbotsford, B.C.) and Courtney Gilbert (Delhi, Ont.), then adding one on a bases-loaded walk and another on a passed ball. New Zealand battled back with four runs of their own in the bottom of the inning to regain the one-run lead, but Canada tied the game with a run in the fourth when Grace Messmer (Surrey, B.C.) led off with a double and later scored on a sacrifice fly.
The following inning, Joey Lye (Toronto, Ont.) hit a two-run triple and scored on a passed ball to give Canada a 9-6 lead. New Zealand got one run back in the bottom of the sixth, but Canada put the game out of reach by scoring five runs in the top of the seventh with one scoring on an error, a two-run single by Erika Polidori (Brantford, Ont.) and a two-run homerun by Alysen Febrey (Peachtree City, Ga.).
Box Score: Canada 14 vs. New Zealand 7
Sierra Bertrand (Stirling, Ont.) got the start for Canada Elite and allowed six runs (only one earned) on six hits with a walk and a strikeout in three innings, while Kenzie Friesen (Saskatoon, Sask.) allowed one run on three hits and two walks with three strikeouts in three innings.
The game against Korea was held scoreless through three innings before Canada Elite opened the scoring with a run on a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the fourth. Messmer led off the following inning with a triple and scored on a double by Polidori, who crossed the plate on a double by Febrey. Shianne Brannan (Chino, Calif.) later singled to score Febrey as Canada Elite built a 5-0 lead. After Korea got their run in the top of the sixth, Canada got it back immediately in the bottom of the inning on an RBI double by Pilgrim.
Box Score: Canada 6 vs. Korea 1
Brianna Aguilar-Beaucage (Fort McMurray, Alta.) earned the complete game winning, allowing a run on four hits and three walks to go along with five strikeouts.
Both Team Canada and Canada Elite have advanced to the top division of the third round-robin along with Triple Crown Colorado, with all three teams earning double life in the playoff round that will begin on Friday. Team Canada plays Canada Elite at 6:00pm PDT, with Canada Elite playing Triple Crown Colorado at 8:30pm PDT. Team Canada will square off with Triple Crown Colorado est 1:00pm PDT on Friday.
