Canada Finishes Preliminary Round with Win Over Mexico at 2019 Pan American Games

Softball Canada – Lima, Peru – The Canadian Women’s National Softball team finished the preliminary round on a high note at the 2019 Pan American Games by topping Mexico 4-0 on Thursday afternoon. With the win, they improved their record to 4-1 to finish second place in the preliminary round.
 
Danielle Lawrie (Langley, B.C.) earned her second win in the pitcher’s circle for Team Canada, pitching five innings of three-hit shutout ball before being replaced by Sara Groenewegen (Surrey, B.C.) to start the fifth. Along the way, Lawrie recorded five strikeouts and only allowed one walk. Groenewegen closed out the game for Canada, going two innings to complete the shutout, allowing only one hit and one walk with one strikeout.
 
At the plate, Canada once again scored early with a run in the second and adding three in the third to seal the victory.
 
In the second inning, Holly Speers (Surrey, B.C.) doubled off the third baseman to lead off the inning and after being sacrificed ahead to third by Jennifer Salling (Port Coquitlam, B.C.), she crossed the plate on a single by Kaleigh Rafter (Guelph, Ont.).
 
Another leadoff runner got the inning started for Canada in the third. This time it was Joey Lye (Toronto, Ont.) with a single, and she advanced to third two batters later on a single by Emma Entzminger (Victoria, B.C.). Jennifer Gilbert (Saskatoon, Sask.) came up to the plate and launched a three-run shot to center for her second home run of the tournament to give Canada a 4-0 lead.
 
Mexico was unable to get much going offensively as Canada earned the shutout victory.
 
Box Score: Canada 4 vs. Mexico 0
 
Gilbert’s three runs batted in on the day led the way for Canada, and she finished the preliminary round with the team lead in the category with five.
 
Canada (4-1) will play its first playoff game against the United States (5-0) at 2:00pm local time (3:00pm EDT) with a trip to the Gold medal game on the line.