Softball Canada – (Oklahoma City, Okla.) The Canadian Women’s National Softball Team got in the win column by defeating the Philippines 9-2 in five innings, followed by an 8-2 loss to the United States on the second day of the US World Cup of Softball XII.
 
In the first game of the day, the Philippines wasted no time getting on the scoreboard as the leadoff batter doubled, followed by a single and a two-run single to give them a quick 2-0 lead. Team Canada’s bats went to work in the bottom of the inning, as Victoria Hayward (Toronto, Ont.) led off with a double followed by a bunt single by Joey Lye (Toronto, Ont.) before Erika Polidori (Brantford, Ont.) smacked a three-run homerun to center. After a pair of fly outs, Kelsey Jenkins (Delta, B.C.) reached on an error followed by a bunt single by Sarah Chow (Victoria, B.C) and a single to right by Natalie Wideman (Mississauga, Ont.) to score Jenkins and give Canada a 4-2 lead.
 
The Philippines were able to produce singles in each of the second and third innings but both runners were left stranded on third, while Canada went down in order in each of those innings. In the fourth, Wideman hit a one-out single, moved up to third on a single by Hayward and scored on a single by Lye. The red and white then put the game away in the bottom half of the fifth by scoring four runs to end the game on the run-ahead rule. Polidori led off with a double and Kaleigh Rafter (Guelph, Ont.) reached on an error before Jenkins hit a sacrifice fly to left to score Polidori. Back-to-back singles by Chow and Wideman pushed two more runs in to score, and Hayward ended the game with a run-scoring single of her own up the middle.
 
Box Score: Canada 9 vs. Philippines 2
 
Polidori led the team at the plate with a homerun, a double, three runs batted in and two runs scored, while Wideman and Hayward each collected three hits. Lye and Chow both picked up a pair of singles, with Larissa Franklin (Maple Ridge, B.C.) also notching a single to round out Canada’s 13 hits. Sara Plourde (Baker Lake, N.B.) earned the five inning win, allowing two runs on five hits and striking out five.
 
Against the United States, the Americans got on the board first with three runs in the top of the second inning, and Canada got a pair of runners on base with two outs in the bottom of the inning but was unable to score. After the United States stranded the bases loaded in the third, Canada fought back with a pair of runs to cut the lead to one. Hayward led off with a single to left and was sacrificed to second before Polidori homered to left for her second homerun of the day. However, the United States got those two runs right back on a two-run single by Michelle Moultrie to put the Americans up 5-2. The United States went on to add a run in the sixth and two in the seventh while holding Canada without a run over the last four innings to secure the win.
 
Box Score: Canada 2 vs. United States 8
 
Polidori paced the Canadian offence once again, going three-for-three with a two-run homerun. Holly Speers (Surrey, B.C.) added a pair of singles, with Hayward contributing with one. Jocelyn Cater (Delta, B.C.) took the loss in the pitcher’s circle, allowing three runs (two earned) on three hits in two innings. Karissa Hovinga (Edmonton, Alta.) scattered two runs on five hits in three innings of relief. Junior call-ups Brianna Aguilar-Beaucage (Fort McMurray, Alta.) and Kara Bilodeau (Cumming, Ga.) each pitched an inning as well, with Aguilar-Beaucage allowing a run on three hits and Bilodeau giving up two runs on one hit and a pair of walks.
 
Team Canada (1-3) will play its third doubleheader in as many days on Friday with matchups against Mexico (0-4) at 10:30am CDT and Puerto Rico (1-2) at 1:30pm CDT.

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