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Softball Canada – (Clearwater, Fla.) The Canadian Junior Women’s National Team lost a tight 8-7 game to Japan in nine innings in its first playoff game at the WBSC Junior Women’s World Softball Championship. The Canadian squad took the 2015 silver medallists by surprise by building up a 4-0 lead, but Japan came back to tie the game to take it to extra innings before prevailing in the bottom of the ninth.
 
Canada got a runner on base in each of the first two innings with a two-out single by Grace Messmer (Surrey, B.C.) in the first and a hit by pitch to Abbey Fortin (Langley, B.C.) in the second but was unable to move those runners ahead. Meanwhile, Japan put some pressure on in the second with a double and a hit by pitch but both runners were also left stranded. Team Canada opened the scoring in the top half of the third when Emma Adams (Rockwood, Ont.) led off with a single, moved up to second on a single to left by Rebecca Jones (Toronto, Ont.) and scored on a double by Messmer. Maria Palmegiani(Surrey, B.C.) followed up with a two-run single to left-centerfield as Canada took a 3-0 lead.
 
The following inning, Sarah Benn (Oakville, Ont.) reached on a fielder’s choice and advanced to second on a passed ball before scoring on a double to left by Allyse Volpe (Toronto, Ont.) to add a run to Canada’s lead. However, in the bottom of the frame, Japan got on the board with a two-out RBI triple followed by an error to cut the lead in half. The red and white responded with a run of their own in the top half of the fifth when Messmer led off with a double and later scored on an error. Japan came back to tie the game with three runs in the bottom of the inning, scoring one on a single, one on an error and another on a sacrifice fly.
 
Japan put more pressure on in the sixth by getting the leadoff batter on base and moving her up to third but was unable to score, and Canada did the same with a leadoff walk to start the seventh but left runners stranded on first and third. Japan went down in order in the bottom of the seventh to send the game to extra innings.
 
With a runner starting on second base due to the international tie-breaker rule, Canada was able to move the runner up to third but failed to convert, while Japan sacrificed their runner to third but she was later caught in a rundown at the plate as the game remained tied after eight innings of play. In the top half of the ninth, Volpe singled to place runners on the corners before Jones smashed a double to left to bring two runs in to score and give Canada a 7-5 lead. However, in the bottom of the inning Japan got a hit by pitch, a run scoring single and later got a game-winning two-run single to right to squeak out the 8-7 win.
 
Box Score: Canada 7 vs. Japan 8
 
Kara Bilodeau (Cumming, Ga.) started the game in the pitcher’s circle and scattered five runs (only two earned) on seven hits and struck out six in four innings and a third, while Brianna Aguilar-Beaucage (Fort McMurray, Alta.) was saddled with the loss allowing three runs (two earned) on three hits with three strikeouts in four innings of relief. Messmer led Canada offensively with two doubles, a single, a run batted in and two runs scored, with Volpe and Jones each contributing a double, a single and an RBI. Palmegiani singled and drove in two while Adams singled and scored two runs.
 
With the loss, Canada will now face Chinese Taipei at 12:00pm EDT on Saturday in an elimination game. The winner of that game will move on to face the winner of a game between China and Puerto Rico at 7:30pm EDT.
 
Japan and the United States will face off at 5:00pm EDT in the winner’s bracket with the winner of that game advancing directly to the Gold medal game.

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For more information, please contact:

Gilles LeBlanc
Manager – Marketing & Communications
Softball Canada
p: (613) 523-3386 ext. 3105 | m: (613) 795-1996
w: www.softball.ca | e: gleblanc@softball.ca