ISF World SB Junior Champs - USA Game Recaps
* The most current game recap/stats is listed at the top, and prior games follow in chronological order.
December 17, 2011 - Game 11 Recap (Playoffs Game 4 - Gold Medal Game)
USA Softball (www.USAsoftball.org)
Tarango grand slam secures 2011 ISF Junior Women’s World Championship for USA Softball
CAPE TOWN —The United States claimed the 2011 International Softball Federation (ISF) Junior Women’s World Championship today in Cape Town, South Africa, with a 4-1 defeat of Japan in the Gold Medal Game. After a semifinal loss to Japan on Friday, the Americans topped Chinese Taipei 12-3 in the six inning Bronze Medal Game and then topped Japan to secure the Gold Medal.
“This is one of the greatest days of my life,” designated player Cheyenne Tarango (Anaheim Hills, Calif.) said.
Tarango provided all the offense the Americans needed to claim the title. With bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth, she hit the first home run of her USA Softball career, a grand slam home run over the left field fence.
“Honestly in my head, I was just thinking about a base hit,” said Tarango, who appeared in six games in the tournament. “I thought that if I could just get the first RBI, Lauren Haeger would be able to take care of the rest.”
Pitcher Haeger (Phoenix, Ariz.) did her part in the circle, allowing only five hits to a Japanese team that pounded three U.S. pitchers for 11 hits and nine runs Friday. The sole run crossed the plate in the sixth when a Kylee Lahners (Laguna Hills, Calif.) fielding error allowed third baseman Mina Yamashiro to cross the plate.
“I felt really honored that my team had faith in me,” Haeger said. “I was so excited. To get to pitch against Japan in any game is awesome, let alone the Gold Medal Game. I feel honored to have had the chance to pitch a game like this for my country.”
Haeger struck out eight batters including the last two.
“I was really excited to just get in the Gold Medal Game and play,” she said. “I was hitting my spots and doing everything right today. I was throwing hard. Everything, every pitch worked out.”
The United States finishes the tournament with a record of 10-1, the only loss being the 9-0 five inning loss to Japan.
“It is always tough to take a loss like we did to Japan last night but I think that it was good for them,” Head Coach Karen Johns (Whippany, N.J.) said. “It showed them how much they wanted to have a Gold Medal around their neck and gave them the motivation to fight for it. I am so proud of them and how they performed today. Without a doubt, they deserve to be called Junior Women's World Champions.”
It is the second consecutive title for the Americans. Team USA has played in each of the six previous Championship Games held, defeating China for the inaugural title in 1987, losing to Japan in 1991, defeating Japan in 1995 and losing to Japan in 1999 and 2003 before reclaiming the top spot from Japan in 2007.
The U.S. qualified for the Junior Women’s World Championship in August 2010 by winning the III Pan American Championships (18-Under) in Bogota, Colombia, with a 9-0 record that included two wins against Canada and another against Puerto Rico. In the Championship Game, Team USA defeated Canada 3-1. The two teams also met in pool play during that event with the U.S. claiming a 3-0 victory. In the semi-final, the Americans defeated Puerto Rico 6-1.
Since competing in Bogota, the USA Softball Junior Women’s National Team played in a summer exhibition series against the 2011 USA Softball Women’s National Team in Tampa, Salem, Va., and Bowie, Md. The team rejoined in Cape Town for the first time since early July.
The members of the USA Softball Junior Women’s National Team hail from seven states and 11 universities. Team members are Ally Carda (Elk Grove, Calif./UCLA freshman), Lauren Chamberlain (Trabuco Canyon, Calif./Oklahoma freshman), Cheyenne Cordes (Fairfield, Calif./California freshman), Cheyenne Coyle (West Hills, Calif./Florida sophomore), Jessica Damico (Gray Summit, Mo./Florida freshman), Escobedo, Amber Freeman (Lakewood, Calif./Arizona State freshman), Erin Gabriel (Poland, Ohio/Poland Seminary High School senior), Goodacre, Lauren Haeger (Phoenix, Ariz./Florida freshman), Kylee Lahners (Laguna Hills, Calif./Washington freshman), Destinee Martinez (Corona, Calif./Oklahoma sophomore), Kourtney Salvarola (Arnold, Md./South Florida sophomore), Cheyanne Tarango (Anaheim Hills, Calif./Tennessee freshman), Nyree White (Eugene, Ore./Stanford freshman), Hallie Wilson (North Tustin, Calif./Arizona freshman) and Chelsea Zgrabik (Nokomis, Fla./Florida Gulf Coast sophomore).
Coyle was named to the roster in late July by the USA Softball Women’s National Team Selection Committee (WNTSC) after Shelby Pendley (Albuquerque, N.M./Arizona freshman) withdrew from the team due to injury. Madison Shipman (Valencia, Calif./Tennessee sophomore) also withdrew from the team due to injury in September and was replaced by Damico.
The Junior Women’s National Team is coached by Johns with assistants Suzy Brazney (Huntington Beach, Calif./head coach Golden West College) and Tony Rico (Huntington Beach, Calif./coach Worth Firecrackers). Joe Salvatore (Monroe Township, N.J./coach New Jersey Breakers) serves as the volunteer assistant coach. Michael White (Eugene, Ore./head coach Oregon) is the batting practice pitcher.
December 17, 2011 - Game 10 Recap (Playoffs Game 3)
USA Softball (www.USAsoftball.org)
USA Softball tops Chinese Taipei, seeks second consecutive ISF Junior Women’s World Championship
CAPE TOWN — Two solo home runs from Hallie Wilson (North Tustin, Calif.) helped the United States advance to the Gold Medal Game of the 2011 International Softball Federation (ISF) Junior Women’s World Championship in Cape Town, South Africa. The Americans eliminated Chinese Taipei 12-3 in six innings in the Bronze Medal Game today to move on to the Gold Medal Game against Japan at 3 p.m. South African Standard Time/7 a.m. CT.
The winner of the ISF Junior Women’s World Championship will be decided on the result of the one Gold Medal Game, although Japan (9-0) defeated the U.S. (9-1) in semifinal action Friday. Team USA has played in each of the six previous Championship Games held, defeating China for the inaugural title in 1987, losing to Japan in 1991, defeating Japan in 1995 and losing to Japan in 1999 and 2003 before reclaiming the top spot from Japan in 2007.
Wilson led off the first against Chinese Taipei with a homer to make it a 1-0 contest. Kourtney Salvarola (Arnold, Md.) followed with a double to right center. A Kylee Lahners (Laguna Hills, Calif.) sacrifice bunt moved Salvarola to third. She scored on Ally Carda’s (Elk Grove, Calif.) double to left field.
The Red, White and Blue did not score again until Wilson homered to center field to leadoff the fifth. The Americans piled on four more runs in the inning, coming on Cheyenne Cordes (Fairfield, Calif.) two RBI double to left field, a Cheyenne Coyle (West Hill, Calif.) triple to left and an Amber Freeman (Lakewood, Calif.) sacrifice fly to center.
Five more runs crossed the plate in the sixth, starting with Cheyanne Tarango (Anaheim Hills, Calif.) scoring on a Lahners double. Nyree White (Eugene, Ore.) added an RBI single and Freeman added a two-RBI double. Coyle scored on a passed ball.
Dallas Escobedo (Glendale, Calif.) pitched the first four for the Red, White and Blue, improving her tournament record to 4-0. She allowed one hit in her performance, a solo home run to Lin Feng Chen in the bottom of the third. Escobedo struck out nine, bringing her total to 34 strike outs in Cape Town, and issued one walk.
Erin Gabriel (Poland, Ohio), the only member of the 2011 USA Softball Junior Women’s National Team still in high school, was in the circle for the remainder of the game. She issued an RBI single and hit a batter with bases loaded.
Subject to Internet availability, live stats for the Gold Medal Game will be available at USASoftball.com. The game is also scheduled for live streaming through the tournament website (http://jwwc2011.co.za/).
Play-by-Play
United States win 12 - 3 and advance to Gold Medal Game vs JAPAN
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R
United States 2 0 0 0 5 5 12
Chinese Taipei 0 0 1 0 0 2 3
Chinese Taipei line up: Lin FC (SS), Wan Jo An (LF), Tseng Chi (CF), Li Szu Shih (C), Lin T C (DP), Chen Y H (2B), Hsieh MT (1B), Kao YC (3B), Tseng YH (RF), Lin YS (P)
United States line up: Wilson H (CF), Salvarola K (LF), Lahners K (2B), Carda A (RF), Cordes A (3B), Coyle C (SS), Freeman A (C), Chamberlain L (1B), Tarango C (DP), Dallas E (P)
Match Officials: Mmakola, Ashley (HP), Hernandez, Gaby (1B), Dikgale, Thabo (2B), Machelet, Raoul (3B), Mataboge, Abel Amos (LF), Shedlock, David William (RF), Kavarin, Alexander (Clock)
Bottom 6:
Lin FC at the plate walks. Wang at the plate grounds to SS DOUBLE PLAY 6-4-3, 2 out. Tseng at the plate walks. Li SS returns to bat doubles off the LF fence, runners 2nd and 3rd. Lin TC at the plate, gets hit by pitched ball, bases loaded. Chen YH at the plate, Tsao YW runs for Lin TC from 1st. Chen grounds into the hole at SS, single and run scores, still bases loaded. Hsieh at the plate full count hit by pitch, run scores, still bases loaded. Kao at the plate STRIKES OUT that's the ball game. United States win,
Top 6:
New battery Shih JH pitching and Pai JH catching. Tarango doubles to RF along the foul line. Wilson at the plate flies to LF, 1 out. Salvarola at the plate grounds a single to LF. Runners 1st and 3rd. New pitcher Yang MC replaces Shih. Lahners at the plate doubles the first pitch in left-centre gap, scores the run. White N hits for for Carda, runners 2nd and 3rd. Hits a single to SS, run scored. 2B catches Cordes. Coyle at the plate runners 1st and 2nd, Walks. Freeman at the plate doubles to CF wall, scores. Martinez at the plate. Pass ball scores the run, runner on 3rd. Martinez grounds out 1-3.
Bottom 5:
Pitching change Gabriel E takes over from Escobedo who had 9 strikeouts. Chen at the plate pops one high towards 3B dougout, claimed by RB, 1 out. Hsieh at the plate. Positional change, Martinez in for Chamberlain and goes to CF and Wilson is now at 1B. Hsieh at the plate strikes out swinging. Kao at the plate, is hit by pitch. Tseng strikes out.
Top 5:
Wilson at the plate HOMERUNS over CF fence. Her 2nd for the game, currently 3 for 3 and 2 RBI. Savarola singles to CF. Lahners at the plate grounds up the middle for a single to CF. Carda has runner on 1st, no outs. Pitching change, Juan CH takes her turn. Corda at the plate, runners 1st and 2nd. Sacrifice bunts moves runners 2nd and 3rd. Cordes at the plate. Single to LF scores two runs. Coyle triples to LF scores two. Freeman sacrifice flies to CF, 5th run of inning is scored. Chamberlain flies to shallow CF, caught by the SS running back.
Bottom 4:
Tseng Chi at the plate strikes out looking. Li SS drives to CF, is caught. Lin TC at the plate grounds out 4-3.
Top 4:
Freeman opens the 4th inning. Strikes out swinging. Chamberlain grounds out. Tarango flies out to RF for the third out.
Bottom 3:
Kao at the plate strikes out. Tseng at the plate strikes out swinging. Lin FC at the plate. HOMERUN over deep CF. Wang at the plate. Strikes out swinging, ball in the dirt, catcher gathers and makes the out at 1st.
Top 3:
Lahners at the plate flies it high, 2B under it, caught, 1 down. Carda at the plate flies to CF, 2 out. Cordes at the plate grounds to CF. Chelsea Goodacre hitting for Coyle, grounds out 4-3.
Bottom 2:
Lin TC at the plate strikes out. Chen at the plate flies to SS. Hsieh at the plate strikes out swinging.
Top 2:
Freeman at the plate has a full count 3-2, grounds to 3B, throw is too high, safe at 1st. Chamberlain at the plate with Damica running for Freeman, caught stealing at 2nd, 1 out. Chamberlain grounds out. Tarango at the plate reaches on base with a hit to SS. Wilson's second turn at bat. Doubles off the left-centre wall, runners 2nd and 3rd, 2out. Salvarola grounds out 5-3.
Bottom 1:
Lin FC at the plate strikes out. Wan Jo An strikes swinging. Tseng at the plate walks. Li SS at the plate strikes out.
Top 1:
Hallie Wilson opens with a HOMERUN, RF. Salvarola doubles to CF. Forces a pitching change. Chen HW takes to the mound. Lahners at the plate, sacrifice bunts 2-4, runner moved to 3rd. Carda at the plate grounds to LF and reaches 2B, scores the run. Cordes at the plate grounds to SS who plays the runner going to 3rd, 6-5 out. Coyle at the plate with runner at 1st. Steals 2nd. Strike out.
December 16, 2011 - Game 9 Recap (Playoffs Game 2)
USA Softball (www.USAsoftball.org)
USA Softball heads to Bronze Medal Game at ISF Junior Women’s World Championship
CAPE TOWN — Japan shutout the United States 9-0 in five innings Friday in the semifinal of the 2011 International Softball Federation Junior Women’s World Championship in Cape Town, South Africa. The Americans (8-1) must beat Chinese Taipei in the Bronze Medal Game Saturday at noon South African Standard Time/4 a.m. CT to meet Japan in the Gold Medal Game at 3 p.m. SAST/7 a.m. CT.
Third baseman Mina Yamashiro, batting in the No. 2 spot, started Japan’s offensive surge with a single to center field. Center fielder Nozomi Nagasaki followed with a double to left field. Yukari Uno singled to left field to bring the first run across the plate. After Ayumi Suzuki struck out swinging, Nagasaki was caught off third base but beat the run down when catcher Amber Freeman’s (Lakewood, Calif.) tag missed her.
“When the team went down 2-0 to Australia yesterday, I was really proud of them for their ability to overcome those mistakes to take the lead,” Head Coach Karen Johns (Whippany, N.J.) said. “Unfortunately, they were not able to get past some of their mistakes today. I still completely believe in these young women and know that they have what it takes to win the Junior Women’s World Championship tomorrow.”
A failure to advance to the Gold Medal Game would mark the American’s lowest finish in the history of the event. Team USA has played in each of the six previous Championship Games held, defeating China for the inaugural title in 1987, losing to Japan in 1991, defeating Japan in 1995 and losing to Japan in 1999 and 2003 before reclaiming the top spot from Japan in 2007.
Nagasaki led off the third with a triple then made it a 3-0 advantage on a Uno bunt. Japan scored two more runs in the fourth off starter Ally Carda (Elk Grove, Calif.) then added two more with Nyree White (Eugene, Ore.) pitching in relief. Both pitchers had three earned runs in the contest.
Lauren Haeger (Phoenix, Ariz.) faced two batters in the fifth. On her first move in the circle, she threw a wild pitch to Nagasaki that allowed Yamashiro to advance to second and Yuka Ichiguchu to take third. A misplayed ball by shortstop Cheyenne Coyle (West Hills, Calif.) allowed Nagasaki to reach first, Yamashiro to take second and Ichiguchu to score Japan’s ninth run.
The Americans committed five errors in the contest.
Japan’s Kasumi Hirahara allowed a double to Cheyenne Cordes (Fairfield, Calif.) in the bottom of the fifth but it was the sole hit for the Americans. She issued a leadoff walk to Hallie Wilson (North Tustin, Calif.) in the first and Kylee Lahners (Laguna Hills, Calif.) in the fourth.
“I had no idea that she was throwing a no hitter,” said third baseman Cordes, who is 12-for-20 in the tournament with three doubles, two triples and two home runs. “Like usual, I went up to the plate relaxed, hoping to get on base so we could start scoring some runs.”
Lauren Chamberlain (Trabuco Canyon, Calif.) followed Cordes with a center field fly out. Shiho Kitaoka pitched to the final two batters but neither could advance Cordes. Freeman grounded out to shortstop and Haeger flied out to first base.
Although the Red, White and Blue had a lackluster outing against Japan, the team is hitting .472 in the tournament with 22 doubles, three triples and eight home runs. Led by Coyle (.643), Lahners (.632) and Cordes (.600), eight members of the 2011 USA Softball Junior Women’s National Team are batting .500 or better in Cape Town.
Subject to Internet availability, live stats for all of Team USA’s remaining games in Cape Town are available at USASoftball.com. Both medal games are also scheduled for live streaming through the tournament website (http://jwwc2011.co.za/).
Play-by-Play
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R
Japan 2 0 1 4 2 9
United States 0 0 0 0 0 0
United States line up: Wilson h (CF), Salvarola K (LF), Lahners K (2B), Carda, A (P), Cordes C (3B), Chamberlain L (1B), Freeman A (C), Haeger L (DP), Coyle C (SS), Martinez D (RF)
Japan line up: Ichiguchi Y (SS), Yamashiro M (3B), Nagasaki N (CF), Uno Y (C), Suzuki A (DP), Saito Y (LF), Matsuki E (1B), Yamane S (2B), Komatsu M (RF), Hirahara K (P)
Match Officials: Gaudrea, Genevieve (HP), Ribalkin-Zanon, Tonya Ann (1B), Zidek, Michal (2B), Mmakola, Ashley (3B), Zhang, Zhemin (LF), Hamamoto, Patricia Ogata (RF), Diaz, Walter (Clock)
Bottom 5:
Cordes at the plate doubles off the LF wall. Chamberlain up to hit, flies to shallow CF. Pitching change, Kitaoka takes to the rubber. Freeman at the plate grounds out 6-3, two out. Haeger in the box, pops one up behind 1st, 2B catches. Ball game.
Top 5:
Matsuki at the plate. Strikes out swinging. Brings up Yamane who hits deep left, LF reaches up hits the glove and tips out, double to LF. Gets Takasaka K to run for her from 2nd. Komatsu grounds out 4-3, Takasaka advances to 3rd, two out. Ichiguchi drives one up the middle for a RBI single to CF. Yamashiro drives one to the pitcher who takes it against the body, ball rolls past to 1B, no one at the base runner safe. Pitching changes Haeger takes over. Wild pitch moves the runners, 2nd and 3rd. Nagasaki hits to SS, error, run scores. Runner at 1st and 3rd. Runner takes 2nd unchallenged. Uno flies to LF, side out.
Bottom 4:
At bat Salvarola grounds out 4-3. Lahners at bat, walks. Carda is in next, flies to shallow centre, CF catches, throws to 1st OUT DOUBLE PLAY 8-3 side away.
Top 4:
Yamane in to bat, strikes out. Saito grounds to 3B, errors, safe at 1st. Ichiguchi singles past the 3B to LF. Pitching change White comes in. Yamashiro pops one over the diamond for single to CF, loads the bases. Nagsaki doubles off RF wall, scores the runs. Uno at the pate grounds out 5-3, run scores. Suzuki at the plate. Singles to LF, she misses, batter runs to 3rd, run scored. Saito's chopper is fielded by 1B who has to dive to tag Saito, side out.
Bottom 3:
Haeger pops one to 3B, 1 out. Coyle flies out to LF. Wilson at the plate slaps and is out 4-3
Top 3:
Nagasaki in to bat, TRIPLES to LF. Uno bunts rolls on the line, run scores, Uno safe at one. Suzuki sacrifice bunts to move Uno to 2nd. Saito strikes out swinging. Matsuki strikes out looking.
Bottom 2:
Cordes at the plate fouls both ways and strikes out swinging. Chamberlain strikes out swinging. Freeman flies to SS.
Top 2:
Matsuki at the plate gets a walk. Yamane slaps 2B changes direction to field and throws her out 4-3, runner at 2nd. Komatsu strikes out looking. Ichiguchi walks. Yamashiro grounds into a fielder's choice, SS gets the put out at 2B.
Bottom 1:
Wilson to bat. Walks on a 3-2 pitch. Salvarola at the plate bunts, sacrifice 5-4, runner at 2nd. Lahners at the plate goes to CF, tracks back and takes the catch, runner held at 2B. Carda drives deep to left-foul gap and is caught, side out.
Top 1:
Ichiguchi at the plate strikes out. Yamashiro at the plate singles to CF. Nagasaki doubles to LF, runners 2nd and 3rd. Uno at the plate single to CF scores the run. Suzuki at the plate, runners 1st and 3rd. Runner takes 2nd unchallenged. Suzuki working at the plate, fouls off a few, strikes out. Nagasaki caught off base, rundown, missed tag RUN SCORES. Saito in the box, runner on 3rd. Strikes out side out.
December 15, 2011 - Game 8 Recap (Playoffs Game 1)
USA Softball (www.USAsoftball.org)
Americans outlast Aussies to stay undefeated at ISF Junior World Championship
CAPE TOWN — The United States overcame a two-run deficit Thursday to beat Australia 7-4 in the first round of playoff action at the 2011 International Softball Federation (ISF) Junior Women’s World Championship in Cape Town, South Africa. On Friday at the 5:30 p.m. South African Standard Time/9:30 a.m. CT, Team USA (8-0) will play Japan with the winner advancing to Saturday’s Gold Medal Game.
Australia, the No. 2 seed behind Japan in Pool B, challenged the U.S., the top seed in Pool A, from the start. To lead off the first, left fielder Taylah Tsitsikronis hit a fly ball that landed between left field, center field and shortstop after it was lost in the sun. Tsitsikronis advanced to second on a passed ball and then third baseman Megan Home reached with a walk. Second baseman Georgia Casey slapped one to center field.
With bases loaded, Stacey Webber hit a two-run single to left field that scored Tsitsikronis and Home. It was the first time the U.S. trailed in the entire tournament.
“The start of the game was not what was expected,” Head Coach Karen Johns (Whippany, N.J.) said. “I am incredibly proud of these young women for not letting that bad start result in a bad finish. It would have been easy to give up but they kept their heads in the game. Their ability to make mistakes and then move forward is what made the difference.”
The U.S. went scoreless in the bottom half of the inning. Hallie Wilson (North Tustin, Calif.) drew a leadoff walk and moved to second on a Kourtney Salvarola (Arnold, Md.) sacrifice bunt. Wilson moved to third on a Kylee Lahners (Laguna Hills, Calif.) ground out but first baseman Lauren Chamberlain (Trabuco Canyon, Calif.) struck out to end the inning.
Catcher Amber Freeman (Lakewood, Calif.) put the Americans back on track in the second with the first home run of her USA Softball career. With the score even at two runs after the long ball over the center field wall, shortstop Cheyenne Coyle (West Hills, Calif.) singled to left field and stole second before center fielder Wilson walked for the second time. Salvarola drove in a third run with a grounder.
“Basically I was just thinking about my pitcher Dallas and how we were down two runs,” said Freeman, who went 2-for-3 against Australia. “I wanted to get the runs to get us back in the game.”
In the team’s five home run performance Wednesday against Puerto Rico, Freeman went hitless, hitting two fly outs and later grounding into a double play.
“I had a talk with my dad and he told me ‘You can do better’,” Freeman said. “I knew that I didn’t want yesterday to get me down so I used it as motivation for today’s game.”
Wilson and Salvarola scored when a Lahners fly ball was dropped by center fielder Jess Bahn. In the fourth, Team USA took a 6-2 when Coyle scored on a Lahners single up the middle. Wilson scored the seventh run on a passed ball.
Webber, who plays first base for Australia, collected her third and fourth RBI of the game with a home run in the seventh. She went 2-for-3 on the day with one walk.
The four Aussie runs marked the first earned runs of the tournament for Dallas Escobedo (Glendale, Ariz.), who improved to 3-0 with her eight strikeout performance. She leads the six member Team USA pitching staff with 25 strikeouts in the tournament.
“I started off a little shaky and I really just had to pace myself. I had to gather my thoughts and slow the game down,” said Escobedo, who has pitched 15 innings over four games in Cape Town. “I feel like as the game went on, I did much better than I did in the first inning. It just took me a few batters to get in my zone and focus mentally.”
Escobedo pitched the entire outing for the Americans, allowing 10 hits. She walked two batters in the first, one in the third and another in the seventh.
The U.S. returns to action with a semi-final match up against undefeated Japan. The winner of the Japan/USA game will advance to Saturday’s Gold Medal Game while the loser advances to the Bronze Medal Game. The Bronze Medal Game winner will advance to the championship.
Team USA came to Cape Town as the reigning Junior Women’s World Champions, having went 10-0 at the 2007 tournament in Enschede, The Netherlands. In the Championship Game, the U.S. topped Japan 3-1. Team USA has played in each of the six previous Championship Games held, defeating China for the inaugural title in 1987, losing to Japan in 1991, defeating Japan in 1995 and losing to Japan in 1999 and 2003 before reclaiming the top spot from Japan in 2007.
Live stats for all of the U.S. games in Cape Town are available at USASoftball.com. Playoff games are also streamed live through the tournament website (http://jwwc2011.co.za/).
Play-by-Play
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R
Australia 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 4
United States 0 5 0 2 0 0 7
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United States line up: Wilson H (CF), Salvarola K (LF), Lahners K (2B), Chamberlain L (1B), Carda A (RF), Haeger L (DP), Codes C (3B), Freeman A (C), Coyle C (SS), Escobedo D (P)
Australia line up: Tsitiskronis T (C), Horne M (3B), Casey G (2B), Webber S (1B), Meyer J (RF), Bahn J (CF), Sechi R (LF), Walker M (SS), Freegard J (DP) Tye L (P)
Match Officials: Machelet, Raoul (HP), Zhang, Zhemin (1B), Kavarin, Alexander (2B), Dikgale, Thabo (3B), Kamata, Shigeo (LF), Ceuppens, Rita (RF), Mmakola, Ashley (Clock)
Top 7:
Tsitsikronis at plate pops to 2B. Aimee P hitting for Horne, strikes out. Casey reaches base on a fly ball landing just short of CF. Webber rips one HOMERUN scores two runs. Meyer singles to RF. Ross E hits for Bahn. Runner 1st. Ross walks, runners 1st and 2nd. Sechi grounds into the hole, SS ranges, fields but not play. All safe, bases loaded. Walker grounds to 3B who dives to 3rd to get the final out. USA wins 7-4.
Bottom 6:
Flint B in to pitch. Lahners chops one up the middle for a single to CF. Chamberlain strikes out. Martinez grounds into a fielder's choice forcing out the runner at 2B, 6-4. SS comes into play again by throwing out Haegar.
Top 6:
Bahn grounds out 5-3. Sechi Strikes out. Walker singles to CF. Roberts hits for Freegard. Strikes out.
Bottom 5:
Haegar strikes out. Cordes bounces to SS who has to rush in, reaches 1st for an infield single. Freeman at the plate. Cordes caught stealing 2-6, 2 out. Freeman singles to RF. Damico J runs for Freeman. Coyle singles to LF, runners 1st and 2nd. Wilson walks. Bases loaded for Salvarola who flies out to CF. Side out.
Top 5:
Casey at bat. Strikes out. Webber fouls off a few, strikes out swinging. Meyers strikes out.
Bottom 4:
Coyle at the plate and lines one past the reaching SS to CF. Wilson comes up to hit with runner on 1st. Lines a single to RF, runners 2nd and 3rd. Salvarola grounds out 5-3, runners now 2nd and 3rd. Lahners at the plate with one out. Drives to CF, scores a run, runners 1st and 3rd. Chamberlain at the plate. Runner takes 2nd on fielder's choice. Chamberlain flies to shallow RF, 2 out. Batting for the first time Martinez D. Passball scores the run. Runner on 2nd. Martinez grounds out 1-3.
Top 4:
Martinez D is fielding for Corda. Walker at the plate hits one up the middle, SS scoops and throws her out 6-3. Freegard left handed slapper, pokes one to 3B who obliges with a catch. Tsitsikronis singles up the middle. Horne strikes out.
Bottom 3:
Carda at the plate, strikes out swinging. Haegar dribbles out 4-3. Cordes singles to LF. Freeman is struck out standing. Side out.
Top 3:
Weber hitting for Australia, walks. Meyer flies to 2B. Bahn slaps and SS scoops it and throws, just got her out. Runner on 2B, Sechi comes up to bat, grounds out 6-3.
Bottom 2:
Carda is next for USA with Haeger on deck and Cordes in the hole. Carda walks. Haegar steps up. Chops one that is fielded 3-4, runner at 2nd. Cordes flies out to 2B, runner still at 2nd. Freeman at the plate. Pass ball moves runner to 3rd. Freeman HOMERUN to deep CF, scores 2, tied game. Coyle singles to LF. Wilson at the plate, Coyle steals 2nd, throw not in time. Wilson walks. Next batter Salvarola has runners 1st and 2nd, 2 out. Grounds pass diving 2B to single to RF scoring one to assume the lead. Lahners at the plate flies to CF and who drops it at the wall, 2 bases and two runs scored. New pitcher for Australia, Roberts E. Chamberlain flies and is caught by LF.
Top 2:
Freegard leads off the 2nd inning. Slap is popped up to SS. Tsitsikronis at bat singles up the middle to CF for the single. Horne sacrifice bunts 5-3, runner at 2nd. Casey scoops one to RF, side away.
Bottom 1:
Webber re-enters on defense. Wilson batting for USA and walks. Salvarola at the plate, sacrifice bunts 5-4, runner safe at 2nd. Lahners grounds a changeup to a diving 2B who recovers to throw her out. Runner 3rd two out. Chamberlain is struck out standing, side out.
Top 1:
Leading off for Canada is the catcher, Tsitiskronis. A high fly ball is lost in the sun and lands between SS, LF and CF, safe on 1st. Pass ball moves runner to 2nd. Horne walks. And the Australian spectators are in full voice. Casey at bat, runners 1st and 2nd. Slaps to CF, bases loaded. Webber up to bat. USA calls a time out. Back to the action two run single to LF. Tye K runs for Webber at 1st. Meyer at the plate, infield fly caught by 2B. Bahn in the box. Wild pitch takes runners to 2nd and 3rd. Bahn strikes out. Sechi to the plate gets an intentional walk, loads the bases. Walker at bat flies to CF, leaving three runners on base, with two runs scored.
December 14, 2011 - Game 7 Recap
USA Softball (www.USAsoftball.org)
Five homers help USA Softball run-rule Puerto Rico, finish pool play undefeated
CAPE TOWN — Four 2011 USA Softball Junior Women’s National Team athletes combined for five home runs Wednesday at the 2011 International Softball Federation (ISF) Junior Women’s World Championships in Cape Town, South Africa, helping the United States run-rule Puerto Rico 12-3 in five innings. With the win, Team USA secured the No. 1 seed in Pool A with a 7-0 record.
The Americans start playoff action Thursday at 5:30 p.m. South African Standard Time/9:30 a.m. CT against Australia, the No. 2 seed in Pool B. The winner will play again at 5:30 p.m. Friday while the loser will play at noon SAST/4 a.m. CT.
Center fielder Hallie Wilson (North Tustin, Calif.) and left fielder Kourtney Salvarola (Arnold, Md.) were issued consecutive walks to start the bottom of the first. With two outs after second baseman Kylee Lahners (Laguna Hills, Calif.) struckout and first baseman Lauren Chamberlain (Trabuco Canyon, Calif.) reached on a fielder’s choice that put Wilson out at third, starting pitcher Ally Carda (Elk Grove, Calif.) singled up the middle to score Salvarola. Lauren Haeger (Phoenix, Ariz.), the designated player, followed suit with an RBI single that scored Chamberlain for a 2-0 lead.
“I was pleased that the team was able to come out and score runs early,” said Karen Johns (Whippany, N.J.), who is in her second year as head coach. “When you take the lead with your fifth batter, it takes a little bit of the pressure off.”
Puerto Rico responded with a Monica Santos double to right field off Carda. With a Nicole Osterman sacrfice bunt, Santos moved to third. Malerie Figueroa grounded out but Yahelis Munoz followed with an RBI single to left field. It marked the first earned run of the tournament for the U.S. pitching staff.
Cheyenne Cordes (Fairfield, Calif.) ledoff the second with a home run to center field. Another run scored when Salvarola, who doubled, crossed the plate on a Lahners single. Chamberlain then made it a 6-1 contest with a center field homer, her second of the tournament. A Carda single led to Jocelyn De Leon coming in to pitch for Puerto Rico.
Haeger singled then catcher Amber Freeman (Lakewood, Calif.) hit a flyball, bringing Cordes back to the plate for the second time. She hit a three-run home run to give the U.S. a 9-1 advantage heading into the third.
“I just went up there nice and relaxed, looking for a pitch. Both of my home runs were off first pitch strikes,” said Cordes, who is 9-for-15 in the tournament. “I was just nice and relaxed, not thinking about anything important. I just went up there and swung.”
With Haeger in the circle, another Puerto Rico run scored on a wild pitch.
The American’s lone run of the third came from a Chelsea Goodacre (Temecula, Calif.) leadoff home run. Batting for Lahners, Goodacre hit one over the center field fence, marking the first long ball of her USA Softball career.
“It was releiving to hit that home run,” Goodacre said. “After having a few bat at-bats earlier this week, it was nice being able to go back to what I know. It is a great feeling to have any hit for for your country but a home run is even more special.”
Puerto Rico scored another run on a wild pitch in the fourth.
After Cordes flied out to center field to start the bottom of the fourth, just narrowly missing a third home run, Cheyenne Coyle (West Hills, Calif.) knocked one over the fence. It marked her first home run since joining the USA Softball Junior Women’s National Team in July as a replacement for injured shortstop Shelby Pendley (Albuquerque, N.M.).
Erin Gabriel (Poland, Ohio) pitched the fifth for the U.S., striking out one batter. Carada, who threw a no-hitter against China earlier in the tournament, improved her record to 2-0 in the circle with the win.
Live stats for all of the U.S. games in Cape Town are available at USASoftball.com. Selected playoff games will be streamed live through the tournament website (http://jwwc2011.co.za/).
Play-by-Play
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R
Puerto Rico 0 1 1 1 0 3
United States 2 8 1 1 12
United States line up: Wilson H (CF), Salvarola (LF), Lahners K (2B), Chamberlain L (1B), Carda A (P), Haegar L (DP) Freeman A (C), Cordez C (3B), Coyle C (SS), Martinez D (RF)
Puerto Rico line up: Daniels S (RF), Diaz D (7), Claudio K (1B), Lopez A (C), Santos M (3B), Osterman N (2B)
Match Officials:
Game called USA wins 12-3
Top 5:
Gabriel pitching for Haeger. Lopez flies out to RF. Santos pops to 2B. Osterman strikes out.
Bottom 4:
Cordes flies to CF. Coyle HOMERUN over CF. New pitcher Avilei for De Leon. Wilson flies to CF. Salvarola flies to LF.
Top 4:
Figuero walks. Munoz flies to CF. Lozada grounds out runner on 2nd. Daniels singles, runners 1st and 3rd. Wild pitch scores runner from 3rd. Diaz walks. Claudio hits to 2B who forces out Diaz at 2nd, side out.
Bottom 3:
Goodacre hits for Lahners and HOMERUNS over CF. Tarango hits for Chamberlain and grounds out 6-3. New batter Zgrabik for Carda, walks. Haegar gets hit by pitch, runners 1st and 2nd. Freeman grounds into DOUBLE PLAY 6-4-3, side out.
Top 3:
Daniels singles to SS. Diaz flies out to LF. Claudio flies out to CF. Lopez reaches base on error by LF, runners 1st and 3rd. Haeger comes on to pitch. Daniels scores on wild pitch. Lopez is at 2nd and next batter walks to 1st. Osterman grounds out 1-3.
Bottom 2:
Cordes leads of with an automatic HOMERUN to CF. Wilson flies to RF. Salvarola doubles to LF and scores a run. Lahners singles to LF, error by LF takes her to 2nd and a run scores. Chamberlain puts one over the fence HOMERUN. Carda singles to LF. Pitching change, De Leon J comes on. Haeger singles to LF, runners 1st and 2nd. Freeman flies to RF. Cordes HOMERUNS, her 2nd of the inning, runs scored. Coyle walks. Wilson singles to LF, runners 1st and 2nd. White bats for Salvarola, strikes out.
Top 2:
Santos doubles to RF. Osterman bunts 1-3, moves runner to 3rd. Figueroa Ma grounds out 6-3. Munoz singles to CF, run scores. Lozada strikes out, side out.
Bottom 1:
Wilson walks. Savarola walks, runners 1st and 2nd. Lahners struck out. Chamberlain grounds into a fielderls choice, runner out at 3B. Runners 1st and 2nd. Carda gets on base with error SS, run scored. Haeger singles to LF, scores run. Freeman flies CF, side out.
Top 1:
Daniels pops to SS. Diaz strikes out. Claudio singles to LF. Lopez flies out to LF, side out.
December 13, 2011 - Game 6 Recap
USA Softball (www.USAsoftball.org)
Team USA rolls past Czech Republic to remain undefeated in Cape Town
CAPE TOWN — The 2011 USA Softball Junior Women’s National Team overcame the rain to run rule Czech Republic 15-0 in three innings Tuesday in Cape Town, South Africa. With the win, the Americans improve to 6-0 at the 2011 International Softball Federation (ISF) Junior Women’s World Championships.
Catcher Amber Freeman (Lakewood, Calif.), batting with two outs, finished the Czechs with a double to left field that scored designated player Lauren Haeger (Phoenix, Ariz.), who singled to shortstop, and third baseman Cheyenne Cordes (Fairfield, Calif.). Cordes, who went 2-for-2 in the game, drove in the other two runs when she reached on a single to center field and advanced on an error by the center fielder.
“When I came to the plate in the third, I was soaking wet from playing in the pouring rain,” said Freeman, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI. “[Petra Sudolska] threw me the pitch that I was looking for so I just took a swing, hoping that it was enough to end the game. I wanted to keep my teammates from having to go back out there.”
The Americans took a 1-0 lead in the first when the fifth batter, Ally Carda (Elk Grove, Calif. ), was hit by a pitch with bases loaded. With bases loaded, Haeger took a ball before rain temporarily suspended play. The action continued about a half-hour later with two runs scoring on catcher Ivana Malkova’s mistakes. Kylee Lahners (Laguna Hills, Calif.) scored on a passed ball then on the same play, Lauren Chamberlain (Trabuco Canyon, Calif.) advanced home a throwing error.
With a 3-0 lead, Haeger hit a single to left center that scored Jessica Damico (Gray Summit, Mo.), who was pinch running for Carda. Freeman lined into a double play to end the inning.
Seven more runs scored in the second with the first coming when Cheyenne Coyle (West Hills, Calif.) scored on a wild pitch. With Sudolska in to pitch for starter Petra Zvolankova, Lahners doubled to score Hallie Wilson (North Tustin, Calif.), who reached base on a walk, stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Lahners later scored on another wild pitch.
A Damico RBI single scored Chamberlain to make it an 8-0 contest. Haeger singled to left field to move Damico to third. Tarango reached on an error that scored Damico. Freeman followed with an RBI single to left that scored Erin Gabriel (Poland, Ohio), the pinch runner for Haeger. Tarango and Freeman moved on a passed ball. Coyle hit an RBI sacrifice fly to left field. With an 11-0 lead, Wilson flew out to left field.
Dallas Escobedo (Glendale, Ariz.) picked up the win, striking out nine.
The United States plays its final pool play game Wednesday against Puerto Rico at 2 p.m. SAST/6 a.m. CT. No matter the outcome, the Americans will head into the playoffs on Thursday and Friday as the No. 1 seed in Pool A. The Canadians are currently 5-1 with one game remaining but were run ruled by Team USA earlier in the tournament. All other teams have two or more losses.
Should the U.S. advance from the playoffs, the medal rounds are Saturday. The Bronze Medal game is at noon SAST/4 a.m. CT with the winner advancing to the Championship Game at 3 p.m. SAST/7 a.m. CT.
Live stats for all of the U.S. games in Cape Town are available at USASoftball.com. Selected playoff action and the medal rounds will be streamed live through the tournament website (http://jwwc2011.co.za/).
Play-by-Play
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R
Czech Republic 0 0 0 0
United States 4 7 2 15
United States line up: Wilson H (RF), Martinez D (CF), Lahners K (2B), Chamberlain L (1B), Carda A (LF), Haeger L (DP), Cordes C (3B), Freeman A (C), Escobedo D (P)
Czech Republic line up: Koubkova K (SS), Frolikova S (DP), Podzimkova D (2B), Broukalova L (1B), Cermakova V (RF), Lustigova G (LF), Machkova K (CF), Lucanska V (3B), Malkova I (C), Zvolankova H (P)
Bottom 3:
Leading off is Goodacre, replacing Martinez. Singles to LF. Zgrabik hitting for Lahners. Line drives past a reaching 3B who deflects the ball for a base hit. White hitting for Chamberlain singles to CF who dives in vain. Bases loaded. Damico line drives to 3rd CAUGHT AND RUNNER TAGGED in one motion DOUBLE PLAY, 2 out. Haeger hits to SS who throws to 3B who errors. All safe and bases loaded. Cordes singles to CF who errors, ends on 2nd, scores 2. Freeman double's to left, scores two runs, and the BALL GAME is called.
Top 3:
Cordes and Haeger re-enters and White substitutes for Chamberlain. Lucanska at the plate and strikes out. Malkova strikes out. Mlynkova replaces Koubkova on the offence, doubles to deep LF. Frolikova at the plate, strikes out.
Bottom 2:
Coyle doubles in Left Foul gap. Wilson at the plate, wild pitch advances Coyle to 3B. Wilson walks, runners 1st and 3rd. Martinez at the plate. Runner 2nd advances catcher's indiference. Martinez grounds to 1B who holds runners at bases and tags out Martinez. Wild pitch scores a run. Pitching change for Czech republic, Buloska P for Zvolankova. Lahners at the plate faces with 3-1 call, now 3-2, drives a changeup to CF for a double and scores the runner. Chamberlain pops one over the diamond to CF, runners 1st and 3rd on that single. Wild pitch scores the run and the runner 1st base runner moves to 3rd. Damico line drives to LF scoring one. Haeger singles to CF, runners 1st and 3rd. Torango C hits for Cordes and Gabriel E for Haeger. Torango reaches first base on an error 3B, run scores. Freeman singles LF, scores a run. Coyle at bat. Pass ball advances all runners. Coyle sacrifice flies to LF, run scored, runner 3rd. Wilson at the plate and is caught by LF.
Top 2:
Cermakova at the plate, strikes out. Lustigova strikes out. Machkova strikes out. Escobedo's 6th strikeout.
Bottom 1:
Wilson is at the plate. Bunts beats the peg gets the hit. Martinez bunts and Wilson is forced out in fielders choice. Lahners doubles against CF fence runners 2nd and 3rd. Chamberlain gets an intentional walk, bases loaded. Its raining. Pitcher hits Carda with the pitch, gets the base and scores Martinez. Domica is running for Corda. Play suspended due to rain. Play resumes, pass ball scores one and a throwing error by the catcher to the plater brings home a second run. Haeger singles to CF scores one. Cordes drives past the to LF, runners 1st and 2nd. Freeman linedrives caught by SS who traps runner of 2B and beats her to the base. Side away.
Top 1:
Koubkova strikes out swinging. Frolikova strikes out swinging. Podzimkova is hit by pitch, shes on 1st. Broukalova is struck out swinging for the third out.
December 12, 2011 - Game 5 Recap
USA Softball (www.USAsoftball.org)
Nyree White throws perfect game against Botswana to help Team USA improve to 5-0
CAPE TOWN — The United States thumped Botswana 17-0 in three innings Monday at the 2011 International Softball Federation (ISF) Junior Women’s World Championship in Cape Town, South Africa. Nyree White (Eugene, Ore.) threw a perfect game, striking out three, to help the team remain undefeated after five pool play games.
“The team put up a ton of runs today so it was pretty easy for me just going out there throwing strikes,” White said. “I wanted to use my defense, roll up ground balls, which is the same approach that I usually have. I wanted to make sure that we got back in the dugout so we could keep scoring some more runs.”
The Americans set the tone in the top of the first with 11 runs scored. Ally Carda (Elk Grove, Calif.) started the offensive outpouring with a single to left field that scored Kourtney Salvarola (Arnold, Md.), who was hit by a pitch, stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Cheyenne Cordes (Fairfield, Calif.) doubled to move Carda to third. Amber Freeman (Lakewood, Calif.) reached on an error, scoring Carda. Jessica Damico (Gray Summit, Mo.), pinch running for Freeman, stole second.
Cheyenne Tarango (Anaheim Hills, Calif.) made it 4-0 with a double to score Cordes and Damico. Chelsea Goodacre (Temecula, Calif.) singled to center field, moving Tarango to third, then stole second. Cheyenne Coyle (West Hills, Calif.) walked to load the bases. Pitcher Tjitjoo Rapelang then walked Lauren Chamberlain (Trabuco Canyon, Calif.) for her first of five RBI in the game.
An error in left field allowed Salvarola to reach base and score Goodacre and Coyle. With Chamberlain on third, Carda hit an RBI single. A Cordes triple scored Salvarola and Carda, who went 3-for-3 on the day. Freeman singled up the middle to score Cordes, which marked the final run of the inning. The first ended with a Tarango fly out.
Goodacre and White started the second with consecutive singles. Coyle doubled to left field to score Goodacre. With two-on, Chamberlain hit a home run to make it a 15-0 contest. The homer marked Chamberlain’s first of the tournament but the second for the team, which benefited from a Chelsea Zgrabik (Nokomis, Fla.) homer against South Africa on Sunday.
“The game was all about adjustments,” said Chamberlain. “The team adjustment was to wait back, see it deep and that was my plan. I got a good pitch and good things happened.”
In the third, White doubled to score Goodacre, who reached on an error by the second baseman than advanced to second on a passed ball. Chamberlain later added a run to the board when White scored on her double.
“Hitting wise, I’ve just tried to get a nice pitch and take a good hack, see the ball deep,” said White, who went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI. “It’s cool when I’m hitting and pitching because it keeps me from getting to wrapped up in either side of the game. It’s cool to be able to balance it out that way.”
Team USA has two pool play games remaining in Cape Town before the playoffs (Dec. 15-16) and medal rounds (Dec. 17). The Americans face Czech Republic on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. SAST/9:30 a.m. CT and close out pool play Wednesday with Puerto Rico at 2 p.m. SAST/6 a.m. CT.
Live stats for all of the U.S. games in Cape Town are available at USASoftball.com. Team USA’s games with Botswana and the Czech Republic are also scheduled for live streaming through the tournament website (http://jwwc2011.co.za/).
December 11, 2011 - Game 4 Recap
USA Softball (www.USAsoftball.org)
Fourth inning rally helps USA run-rule host country at ISF Junior Women’s Worlds
CAPE TOWN — With the momentum of five two-out hits in the fourth inning, the United States overcame a slow start to beat South Africa 8-0 in five innings Sunday. The win over the well-supported home country at the 2011 International Softball Federation (ISF) Junior Women’s World Championship in Cape Town, South Africa, improves Team USA’s record to 4-0 in pool play with three games remaining.
The Red, White and Blue had only one hit each in the first, second and third innings. In the top of the fourth with two-outs, designated player Lauren Haeger (Phoenix, Ariz.) singled up the middle to start the American rally. Cheyenne Cordes (Fairfield, Calif.) followed with a centerfield triple, the first of six extra base hits for the team, and put the first run on the board. After a series of foul balls, Chelsea Zgrabik (Nokomis, Fla.) hit a two-run home run that made it a 3-0 lead.
"After my first at-bat, which was a strike out, they were throwing me outside so I figured that's where I had to go," Zgrabik said. "Then I had [assistant coach] Tony Rico tell me 'Look to the right side, look to the right side' so I just had to calm myself down. [Assistant Coach Suzy Brazney] told me to take a deep breath. I fouled off a bunch of pitches then she happened to throw me the right pitch."
It marks the first home run of the tournament for the Americans. While Zgrabik holds the record for the most home runs hit in a Florida high school season with 13 blasts, the shot to left center in Cape Town is her first as a USA Softball player.
"The wind has been a really huge factor in us not hitting home runs," Zgrabik said. "I didn't even think I hit it out honestly. I thought I missed it and it just happened to go over. It was one of those."
Jessica Damico (Gray Summit, Mo.), who was added to the team roster in September following Madison Shipman’s (Valencia , Calif.), next recorded her first hit in USA Softball play with a double to left center. Nyree White (Eugene, Ore.) hit an RBI single before the rally ended with a Destinee Martinez (Corona, Calif.) fly out.
Four runs were also recorded in the fifth. Second baseman Kylee Lahners (Laguna Hills, Calif.) led off with a single then scored on an Ally Carda (Elk Grove, Calif.) double to left center. Kourtney Salvarola (Arnold, Md.) hit a single through the left side that scored Carda, who had advanced to second on a stolen base. The RBI chased Natalie Abrahams, who allowed three earned runs in relief of starter Lauren Mulder.
With Angelque Botes pitching, Chelsea Goodacre (Temecula, Calif.) grounded out to second base to record the first out of the inning. Cheyenne Coyle (West Hills, Calif.) doubled to score Salvarola. Coyle advanced to third on a Zgrabik sacrifice fly. She scored when Damico reached on an error and later advanced to second on a passed ball. White flied out to end the inning.
Cheyenne Tarango (Anaheim Hills, Calif.) recorded two consecutive strike outs in the bottom of the fifth to end the game. Tarango, pitching two innings in relief of starter Erin Gabriel (Poland, Ohio) struck out three batters overall. She allowed one hit, giving up a double to Shadine Van Der Merwe, the first batter she faced in the top of the fourth.
Gabriel received her first start of the tournament. After Abrahams singled to right field and Christine Cronje walked in the first, Gabriel kept the South Africans off the bases. She struck out three batters.
“I was fortunate enough to get the home crowd, South Africa, so it was pretty loud and pretty exciting. It gave me a lot of adrenaline,” Gabriel said. “I couldn’t really hear what was going on in our own dugout, which was kind of hard, but once I calmed myself down and got used to the [20 second] pitching timer, everything went well.”
At 17 years old, Gabriel is the youngest member of the 17-person 2011 USA Softball Junior Women’s National Team. The Poland Seminary senior, who signed a National Letter of Intent with Tennessee, is also the only player still in high school.
“Erin impressed me with how well she performed in front of the enthusiastic South African crowd. It was a great crowd today,” Head Coach Karen Johns (Whippany, N.J.) said. “They were extremely supportive throughout the whole game. Sometimes a young pitcher can really let an tough opposing crowd affect her performance but Erin did a nice job of playing her game. She kept her focus and her intensity no matter how loud the fans were at times.”
Team USA has three pool play games remaining in Cape Town before the playoffs (Dec. 15-16) and medal rounds (Dec. 17). On Monday, the Red, White and Blue face Botswana at 12:30 p.m. South African Standard Time/4:30 a.m. CT. Team USA also faces the Czech Republic on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. SAST/9:30 a.m. CT and closes out pool play Wednesday with Puerto Rico at 2 p.m. SAST/6 a.m. CT.
Live stats for all of the U.S. games in Cape Town are available at USASoftball.com. Team USA’s games with Botswana and the Czech Republic are also scheduled for live streaming through the tournament website (http://jwwc2011.co.za/).
December 10, 2011 - Game 3 Recap
USA Softball (www.USAsoftball.org)
Team USA downs New Zealand 7-0 in six innings to remain undefeated in Cape Town, South Africa
CAPE TOWN — Pitcher Lauren Haeger set the tone Saturday as the Americans bested New Zealand 7-0 in six innings at 2011 International Softball Federation (ISF) Junior Women’s World Championship in Cape Town, South Africa. The Phoenix native, who tossed four innings of no-hit ball before she was relieved by Dallas Escobedo (Glendale, Ariz.), knocked a two-RBI double to left field in the first to put the first Red, White and Blue runs on the board.
“The pitches were a little slower so we had to stay back on it but when I got my pitch, I swung at it as hard as I could,” Haeger said of the double, which almost cleared the fence. She currently leads the team with six RBI in the tournament.
Lauren Chamberlain (Trabuco Canyon, Calif.) scored Haeger on the next play when she singled up the middle. Chamberlain stole second then advanced to third on a wild pitch. After Cheyenne Cordes (Fairfield, Calif.) walked and stole second, Chamberlain scored on a throwing error from catcher to put the United States up 4-0 in the first.
“The team played some excellent softball today against New Zealand, especially in the beginning of the game,” Head Coach Karen Johns (Whippany, N.J.) said. “I think they lost a little bit of their focus at times, allowing a stolen base, but they were able to get back on track.”
In the third, Kylee Lahners (Laguna Hills, Calif.) hit a single to right field then advanced to the next two bases on wild pitches. She scored off a Chamberlain sacrifice bunt. An RBI double from Salvarola in the fifth put Team USA up 6-0.
Salvarola, hitting .778 in the tournament to lead the team, ended the game with another RBI double that scored Amber Freeman (Lakewood, Calif.). Freeman led off the sixth with a single through the right side then advanced to second on a passed ball.
Only Taylor Stewart, who was walked, reached base with Haeger in the circle. Escobedo, the winning pitcher in the Thursday contest with Canada, allowed Te Reo Powhiri Matautia to single to center field in the fifth. In the sixth, Kingsley Avery also singled to centerfield. Escobedo finished with five strikeouts while Haeger had four.
Following earlier wins versus Canada and China, the contest with the Kiwis improves Team USA to 3-0 in pool play at the Junior Women’s World Championship. The next opponent is the host country South Africa at 4:30 p.m. SAST/8:30 a.m. CT on Sunday. Live stats for all USA Softball games played in Cape Town are available at USASoftball.com.
December 9, 2011 - Game 2 Recap
USA Softball (www.USAsoftball.org)
Ally Carda No-Hits China at ISF Junior Women’s World Championship
CAPE TOWN — A no-hitter from Ally Carda helped the USA Softball Junior Women’s National Team to a 5-0 win over China at the 2011 International Softball Federation (ISF) Junior Women’s World Championship in Cape Town, South Africa. With the Friday shutout, the No. 1 seeded Americans improve to 2-0 in pool play.
“I was extremely impressed with our defensive performance today especially with how well Ally Carda pitched,” Head Coach Karen Johns (Whippany, N.J.) said. “To be honest, I was not sure the team could emotionally recharge after playing so late last night and having to come back 12 hours later. But they were ready to play today.”
Carda, who struck out the first six batters she faced, was on track for a perfect game until the fourth when she issued consecutive walks to Xu Ying and Yu Xiaotong. No other Chinese batters reached base throughout the seven inning contest. Carda struck out two in the fifth, all three batters in the sixth and one in the seventh, bringing her total to 14.
“I felt really strong today,” said Carda (Elk Grove, Calif.). “I just tried to get ahead of batters and throw first pitch strikes and I did that.”
While Carda steadied the defense, designated player Lauren Haeger led the Red, White and Blue offensive charge with a 2-for-3 performance that scored three. In the top of the third, Haeger singled to left center to score Lauren Chamberlain (Trabuco Canyon, Calif.) and Kylee Lahners (Laguna Hills, Calif.), both who singled to center field. Another Haeger single in the fifth scored Lahners, who led off the inning with a double and advanced to third on a Cheyenne Coyle (West Hills, Calif.) sacrifice bunt.
"She [Chang Hongwei] was throwing a lot of off speed at me in my first at-bat. I swung at some pitches that I really didn't want to," Haeger said. "In my next two at-bats, with runners in scoring position, I was a little more patient and made some adjustments. I took some good swings at balls in breaking position."
Hallie Wilson (North Tustin, Calif.) led off the game with a triple to left field. China’s starting pitcher Jia Yingling later threw an illegal pitch to Lahners that advanced Wilson home. Cheyenne Cordes (Fairfield, Calif.) scored in the second on a passed ball.
Team USA returns to action Saturday against New Zealand at 12:30 p.m. South African Standard Time/4:30 a.m. CT. Live stats for all of the U.S. games in Cape Town are available at USASoftball.com.
Note: The box score and play by play from the United States’ Dec. 8 game against Canada incorrectly listed the number of earned runs for U.S. pitcher Nyree White (Eugene, Ore.). Updated documents are attached.
December 8, 2011 - Game 1 Recap
USA Softball (www.USAsoftball.org)
Team USA run rules Canada to open ISF Junior Women’s World Championship
CAPE TOWN — In their first contest of the 2011 International Softball Federation (ISF) Junior Women’s World Championship in Cape Town, South Africa, the USA Softball Junior Women’s National Team defeated Canada 11-4 in five innings Thursday. The bottom of the fifth started with a Kourtney Salvarola (Arnold, Md.) single up the middle and ended on a similar note, a walk-off Salvarola single up the middle that scored Kylee Lahners (Laguna Hills, Calif.).
“At that point in the game, the lead that we had was kind of short, it was kind of small so I was just trying to get on base and give ourselves that base runner that would widen the gap again,” Salvarola said. “When I got back up at the end, I was honestly just freezing, really cold and we just wanted to end the game. I was trying really hard to hit the first pitch and end it.”
The action was scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. but did not get underway until after 9:30, delayed by previous games including the Czech Republic’s 9-8 victory over Puerto Rico. The pool play match-up between Canada and the U.S. ended just short of midnight in Cape Town, with the temperature in the low 50s and winds continuing at nearly 20 MPH.
“I am really proud of how the team performed with the tough weather conditions and the late start,” said Karen Johns (Whippany, N.J.), who is in her second year as head coach of the USA Softball Junior Women’s National Team. “It would have been easy for these young women to get distracted tonight but they fought through the adversity, which is a huge positive. We have to make some improvements if we want to be Junior Women’s World Champions but an 11-4 victory over Canada is not a bad way to start the tournament.”
Team USA headed into the bottom of the fifth holding a two run lead over the Canadians. With Natalie Becker in the circle, the first four USA batters reached base. Salvarola advanced to second on a Hallie Wilson (North Tustin, Calif.) hit then scored on Ally Carda’s (Elk Grove, Calif.) single. Lauren Chamberlain (Trabuco Canyon, Calif.), the 2010 USA Softball Junior Women’s National Team Athlete of the Year, was walked to load the bases.
Jaycee Affeldt walked Lahners, the first batter she faced, to put the Red, White and Blue up 8-4, and then allowed an RBI single to shortstop Cheyenne Coyle (West Hills, Calif.). Jessica Damico (Gray Summit, Mo.) struck out swinging to record the first out. Then Affeldt walked Cheyenne Cordes (Fairfield, Calif.), allowing Chamberlain to score, and struck out Chelsea Goodacre (Temecula, Calif.) before facing Salvarola.
“I was just looking for a pitch that I could at least put in play,” said Salvarola, who went 2-for-2 with two walks. “I went up there knowing that she wasn’t throwing many pitches for strikes so I was focused on getting a good pitch and putting it in play.”
The Americans scored one run in the first when Canada’s starting pitcher Karissa Hovinga walked Coyle with bases loaded, scoring Destinee Martinez (Corona, Calif.). A total of 11 U.S. batters were walked including Amber Freeman, who was hit by a pitch with bases loaded in the third, and Salvarola also with bases loaded in the third.
Dallas Escobedo (Glendale, Ariz.) pitched the first three innings for the win. Of the 11 batters faced by the Arizona State sophomore standout, she allowed two batters to reach base, walking Shannon Davidson and then giving up a single to Natalie Wideman in the second. Escobedo struck out three batters.
“I felt really great warming up and was excited that we were finally playing games,” Escobedo said. “We’ve been out here practicing for about a week now. Finally getting out there and playing against another team really adds fuel to my fire. I was just ready to perform and I think I did well.”
Nyree White (Eugene, Ore.) pitched 1.2 innings. With White in the circle, two runs scored for the Canadians, coming on a sloppy play that started with a throwing error from third baseman Cordes to first baseman Chamberlain. She was relieved in the fifth by Cheyenne Tarango (Anaheim Hills, Calif.), who gave up a two RBI to Affeldt, the first batter she faced.
The United States returns to action Friday at 2:30 p.m. local time/6:30 a.m. CT against China. Live stats for all USA Softball games played in Cape Town are available through USASoftball.com.
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