SURREY, B.C. — Team Canada enjoyed another successful day at the 2026 Canada Cup Women’s International Softball Championship on Wednesday as both the Women’s National Team and Women’s Elite Team picked up victories.
The Elite Team rallied from an early deficit to defeat American Samoa 5-3, while the National Team improved to 3-0 with a 12-2 run-rule victory over New Zealand in four innings.
Team Canada Elite 5 – 3 American Samoa
The Elite Team erased an early three-run deficit and scored five unanswered runs to earn their second win of the tournament.
American Samoa struck first in the top of the third inning. A two-run double by Kailee Cuico put the visitors on the board before Charity Sevaaetasi followed with an RBI single to give American Samoa a 3-0 lead.
Canada mounted its comeback in the bottom of the fourth. Jana Want started the rally with a double before Caitlin Colley singled. Natasha Limbani brought home Canada’s first run with a sacrifice fly, and Avery Hess followed with an RBI triple to cut the deficit to 3-2. Moments later, Donnalea Barnett doubled to score Hess and tie the game before Avery Tucker delivered an RBI single to center field to give Canada its first lead of the contest at 4-3.
The Elite Team added an insurance run in the fifth inning. Julia Knowler singled and later advanced to third before coming home on a passed ball to extend the advantage to 5-3.
Canada’s pitching staff shut the door the rest of the way. Lauren Schurman kept the game within reach after taking over in the circle before Nicola Simpson closed out the victory. Schurman and Simpson did not allow a run over the final four innings while striking out five.
Offensively, Colley and Knowler each recorded two hits, while Hess, Barnett, Limbani and Tucker each drove in a run during Canada’s decisive four-run fourth inning.
Canada National Team 12 – 2 New Zealand
The Women’s National Team continued its perfect start to the tournament with another impressive offensive performance, defeating New Zealand 12-2 in four innings.
Canada wasted little time jumping ahead in the opening frame. Emma Entzminger was hit by a pitch and later scored on an RBI single by Grace Messmer. After Kianna Jones added an RBI groundout and CC Wong chipped in with a run-scoring single, Zoe Hicks capped the inning with a three-run home run to left field, giving Canada a commanding 6-0 lead.
The National Team added another run in the second when Entzminger came around to score on a groundout by Kelsey Harshman, making it 7-0.
In the third inning, Wong tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly by Callum Maskill to extend the lead to 8-0.
New Zealand broke through with two runs in the fourth inning, but Canada responded immediately. Entzminger doubled to begin the bottom half before Erika Polidori launched a two-run home run to center field. Two batters later, Messmer added a two-run shot of her own to give Canada a 12-2 lead and bring the game to an early conclusion via the run rule.
Messmer finished the game with two hits, including a home run, and three RBIs. Hicks also drove in three runs with her first-inning homer, while Polidori added a two-run blast. Wong collected two hits, including a triple, and scored twice.
In the circle, Morgan Reimer was dominant, striking out five and allowing just two runs on four hits over four innings to earn the win.
BY THE NUMBERS
Canada National Team
- Grace Messmer: 2-for-2, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R
- Zoe Hicks: 1-for-2, HR, 3 RBI
- Erika Polidori: 1-for-3, HR, 2 RBI
- CC Wong: 2-for-2, 3B, RBI, 2 R
- Morgan Reimer: 4.0 IP, 5 K
Canada Elite Team
- Caitlin Colley: 2-for-3, 2B, R
- Julia Knowler: 2-for-3, R
- Avery Hess: 1-for-3, 3B, RBI, R
- Donnalea Barnett: 1-for-2, 2B, RBI, R
WATCH AND FOLLOW ALONG
Fans can watch and rewatch games from the 2026 Canada Cup on the CBC Sports YouTube channel and follow all the action through Softball Canada’s social media channels.
Team Canada returns to the field today as they continue round-robin action at the 2026 Canada Cup Women’s International Softball Championship. Both teams will play a double header with the National Team taking on Czechia and China, while the Elite team face TC Colorado and Peru.
