Canada Defeats Argentina at IX Pan American Women’s Softball Championship

Softball Canada – Santo Domingo, D.R. – Team Canada pushed its winning streak to five games at the IX Pan American Women’s Softball Championship with an 8-1 win over Argentina in five innings. Victoria Hayward (Toronto, Ont.) and Carey-Leigh Vyse (Ohsweken, Ont.) both hit homeruns for Canada, while Sara Groenewegen (Surrey, B.C.) picked up the win in the pitcher’s circle by only allowing two hits.
 
Argentina threatened early in the top of the first with its first two batters reaching base on errors, but Groenewegen was able to leave both on base in scoring position. In the bottom of the frame, Larissa Franklin (Maple Ridge, B.C.) led off with a single, stole second and advanced to third on a bunt single by Joey Lye (Toronto, Ont.) before scoring on a single by Erika Polidori(Brantford, Ont.). A fielder’s choice later in the inning allowed Lye to cross the plate as Canada took an early 2-0 lead. The following inning, Sarah Chow(Victoria, B.C.) and Franklin each drew walks and scored on a single by Polidori as Canada doubled its lead.
 
In the top of the third, Argentina got a solo homerun by Candela Figueroa to cut the lead to 4-1, but Canada went on to put the game away in the bottom of the fifth when Polidori doubled and scored on a homerun by Hayward, followed by a walk and a two-run shot by Vyse to end the game on the run rule.
 
Box Score: Canada 8 vs. Argentina 1
 
Groenewegen allowed only one run on two hits and struck out six in the five-inning win. Polidori had three hits and drove in three runs, with both Hayward and Vyse hitting two-run homeruns. Franklin, Lye and Wideman all contributed a hit.
 
Team Canada (5-0) will play a pair of games on Wednesday, playing its make-up with the British Virgin Islands at 8:30am EDT and a first-place showdown with Cuba at 6:30pm EDT.