Thursday’s results:
USA 4
Japan 0
Canada 1
China 0
The walk off win in the 7th by Canada assures them of a medal.
Friday:
Canada vs. Japan, loser gets bronze medal
USA v. winner of Canada/Japan, winner gold, loser silver
Click logo for Women’s ISF World Championships Website
Click here for Google Translate (you can copy and paste any text, or enter URL)
Stanford grads Mendoza, Haber, Lappin each record a hit for the Americans
(click logo for original news story)
The United States’ women’s softball national team turned two hits, a walk and an error into three runs in the bottom of the first inning, all it would need as it turned out, in beating Japan, 4-0, in the semifinals of the ISF World Championships in Caracas, Venezuela on Thursday.
Stanford grads Jessica Mendoza and Alissa Haber were right in the middle of the rally, with Mendoza drawing a walk and Haber adding a single. Both players scored in the inning.
Cardinal grad Lauren Lappin led off the fifth with a double and eventually scored on Mendoza’s single.
Stanford junior Ashley Hansen came on as a defensive replacement late in the game.
Cat Osterman did the rest, throwing a one-hitter with two walks and 12 strikeouts.
“It was a team effort,” Osterman said. “The offense came through early and I had to be at the top of my game because Japan is a great game.”
China and Canada were scheduled to play a later semifinal, with that winner facing Japan on Friday in the double elimination tournament.
“We’ve played every team that’s left so we’ll be ready,” Osterman said. “Everybody who came before us made the championship game and we know that’s what is expected of us.”
The U.S. plays the survivor on Friday for the World Championship.
“We’re ready for anybody,” American shortstop Natasha Watley said. “I hope we come out and put everything together.”
Dutch & Taipei Eliminated; Final Six Move to Second-Last Day
7/1/2010
Six Teams Remain:
Venezuela v. China
Canada v. Australia
Japan v. USA
(click logo for original news story)
CARACAS, VENEZUELA — The International Softball Federation’s XII Women’s World Championship being played here hit the playoff stage today with three of the four games being decided by a combined total of just four runs and one of them having needed an extra inning.
The results today set things up for tomorrow’s second-last day and also eliminated two teams, adding to the eight that didn’t make it to the playoffs.
Coming off of a perfect round robin performance (7-0 won-lost record), Japan continued their winning ways with a 2-0 victory over Venezuela, who had gone 6-1.
USA (7-0) exploded offensively in a victory over Canada (6-1 in round robin play), 16-1.
Fourth-seeded China (4-3) from Pool B eliminated the number three seed from Pool A, Chinese Taipei (5-2), with an eight-inning 1-0 victory.
And Pool B 3-seed Australia (5-2) eliminated Pool A 4-seed (4-3) the Netherlands, 3-2.
Tomorrow (all times local to Caracas) Venezuela will play China at 1pm with the loser going home. Canada will take on Australia at 3pm in another game that will see the losing team eliminated. Japan and USA will go head-to-head at 5pm with the winner going directly to Friday’s gold medal game (the loser will go to Friday’s “bronze medal gameâ€). Thursday at 7pm the Venezuela-China winner will face the Canada-Australia winner.
Japan’s victory today came courtesy of a two-run fourth inning against losing pitcher Mariangee Bogado, who threw a complete game but struck out only one batter while walking three and hitting two batters. One of the walks and both hit batsmen came in that fourth inning.
Winning pitcher Mika Someya went the distance for Japan, striking out eight and allowing just three hits.
Next up came the Canada-U.S. game that got out of hand quickly.
The Americans sent nine batters to the plate in the first inning alone, scoring four runs, as Canada went through three pitchers.
Jenna Caira got the start but was pulled in favor of Ashley Lanz, who promptly left the game after getting hit on her pitching hand with a batted ball. Tina Andreana came in to go the rest of the way, but the game lasted just five innings under the ISF’s run-ahead rule.
The teams played a scoreless second inning before Team USA put up four more runs in the top of the third, this time sending ten batters to the plate.
Canada responded with their only run of the game in the bottom half of the inning, but then the red, white, and blue blew the game wide open. After a single tally in the top of the fourth, the reigning ISF women’s world champions scored seven times in the top of the fifth, including a three-run home run by Jennie Finch, her third home run of the tournament.
After that it was just a matter of winning pitcher Monica Abbott setting the Canadians down, 1, 2, 3 in the bottom of the inning to close things out.
Abbott finished with five strikeouts and no walks. Designated player Katie Cochran went 3-for-4 with a single, double, and triple.
China and Chinese Taipei went through regulation (seven innings) scoreless before Jia Guo hit a one out single to center field to score Yuan Wang in the eighth inning of a game that at times had very light rain.
Chinese Taipei had just four hits while the winners doubled that total. Each team used two pitchers with Li Qi and Lan Wang striking out four and walking no Taipei batters.
In the nightcap, Australia scored all three of its runs in their first at-bat and Justine Smethurst turned in a complete-game, seven strikeout performance to stay alive in the world championship chase. The Aussies were the bronze medalists at the last edition of this event (2006).
Tracey Mosley led the way offensively, going 2-for-3 at the plate.
Lindsey Meadows took the loss for the Netherlands, pitching all six innings. Her team got both of their runs in the top of the third inning but couldn’t overcome Smethurst and the Australia defense.
For more information contact: Bruce Wawrzyniak at Brucew (at) isfsoftball.org
Click logo for Women’s ISF World Championships Website
Click here for Google Translate (you can copy and paste any text, or enter URL)
Click here for USA Women’s Twitter
More on Haber and the USA Women’s team after the jump.
(from the USA Softball website)
(more…)
(click logo for original news story)
CARACAS, VENEZUELA — Eights are definitely wild at this point of the International Softball Federation’s XII Women’s World Championship being played here.
The final eight round robin games played today helped determine the order of finish for the eight teams that have advanced to the playoffs while eight teams are now finished playing. Eight games will take place over the next two days, setting up the two biggest ones on Friday (July 2), when the gold, silver, and bronze medalists will all be crowned.
And what a grand finish to round robin play it was.
Yaicey Sojo smacked a 1-2 pitch over the left field fence with two outs and two runners on in the bottom of the seventh inning to give Venezuela a 5-2 win over China. In the bottom of the first inning Sojo had hit a solo home run that just stayed fair down the left field line.
Following that hit for the 1-0 lead, the home team didn’t record another hit until the bottom of the sixth inning, with that too coming off the bat of the 23-year old outfielder, meaning that (in four at-bats) she finished with all three of her team’s hits.
China tied the score at one in the top of the third inning when Lifang Zhang singled to left field to drive in Min Xu who had stolen second then third base on consecutive pitches.
The visitors took a 2-1 lead in the top of the sixth on a Jia Guo sacrifice fly that scored Yuan Wang but pitcher Mariangee Bogado held China at bay, scattering five hits for a complete-game victory.
Lu Wei pitched the first two-and-two-thirds innings for China before being relieved by Lan Wang, who took the loss.
Other drama today included a Great Britain-Argentina game that took two extra innings to decide.
The teams were scoreless after regulation (seven innings) and the score stayed that way after eight.
Argentina got on the board in the top of the ninth when Agustina Godoy’s ground ball in the infield was mishandled by second baseplayer Sarah Jones, preventing her from getting a throw home, which allowed a run to score while Godoy was thrown out at first.
But in the bottom of the ninth Caley Roberts singled to shallow left field to score Naomi Jones. With Argentina pitcher Carla Villalva not paying attention, Jones ended up at second base. That set the stage for Kristi Yoshizawa, who lined a 1-1 pitch to right field to bring home the winning run.
Stacie Townsend again started in the circle for Great Britain and picked up the win by going the full nine innings, allowing just one hit. Villalva took the loss, having relieved starter Virginia Sciuto, who was pitching in the women’s world championship at the age of just 17 years old.
Chinese Taipei and Cuba came dangerously close to a similar extra innings affair. The two teams were scoreless after six innings when Taipei finally got on the board in the top of the seventh inning with what would prove to be the game’s only run despite the fact that they banged out nine hits.
Pitcher Chung Hui Lin went the distance to pick up the win. Anislei Lopez Gutierrez went two-and-two-thirds innings for Cuba with Yusmeri Pacheco Ysalgue handling the rest of the pitching duties.
The day had begun with Japan solidifying their perfect round robin record via a 10-0 triumph over South Africa. Eri Yamada went 3-for-3 at the plate and Satoko Mabuchi and Maki Tanigawa each hit a home run as the winners totaled eleven hits in a game shortened (four innings) by the ISF run-ahead rule.
Japan scored at least one run in each inning and pitchers Emi Segawa and Emi Matsuoka combined on a three-hitter and five strikeouts.
Meanwhile, Australia was blanking Botswana by the same score. Seven different players had at least one hit in what was also a four-inning game. The winners got big second (five runs) and fourth (four) innings. Pitchers Kaia Parnaby and Karina Cannon combined on a two strikeout, no walks, two-hitter while Botswana used three different pitchers.
Keeping pace with Japan, Team USA also finished round robin play unbeaten thanks to a 9-0 decision over the Czech Republic today. The five-inning game saw winning pitcher Eileen Canney hold the Czechs to just two hits while striking out seven and issuing no walks. Nine different USA players had one hit each including Andrea Duran and Jennie Finch, who both homered.
New Zealand won their first game of the tournament and their last game of the event by winning 3-0 today over the Dominican Republic. The White Sox took the victory despite the two teams having just four hits each. Two of New Zealand’s hits were doubles, however. All of the scoring came in the top of the first inning and pitchers Megan Farrel and Michal Tangaroa combined for seven strikeouts while losing pitcher Melissa Penna tossed a complete game, striking out three and walking just one.
This evening Canada solidified the second seed in Pool A by defeating the Netherlands, 6-1. Despite a fifth inning Solange Starrenburg home run off of winning pitcher Ashley Lanz, the Dutch didn’t have their hitting shoes on tonight, registering just two other hits the whole game.
Three different Netherlands pitchers couldn’t shut down the Canadians, who got a home run of their own, off the bat of Sheena Lawrick. Her team was up 6-0 when the game was only two innings old.
The playoffs begin tomorrow with the following games (times local to Caracas):
1 pm Japan vs. Venezuela
3 pm USA vs. Canada
5 pm Chinese Taipei vs. China
7 pm Australia vs. Netherlands
For more information contact: Bruce Wawrzyniak at BruceW (at) isfsoftball.org
Click logo for Women’s ISF World Championships Website
Click here for Google Translate (you can copy and paste any text, or enter URL)
From the Victoria Star/Daily Gleaner
The Fredericton Coors Light Twins have officially joined the ranks of contenders by adding Dean Holoien and Bryan Newton to anchor their pitching staff at this summer’s Canadian senior men’s fastpitch nationals in Charlottetown.
If someone argues that Holoien, at 41, is “getting up there” in age, you can counter-point with the fact he was MVP at the ISC world championship as recently as last August. Newton has earned a reputation as a reliable workhorse and top seven or eight pitcher in the country. The addition of Newton was announced earlier.
But Newton alone wasn’t enough. No team can ride one arm all week – taxing weeks (often with rain delays or sweltering heat to contend with) where the eventual champion has to play up to 10 games to win it all.
So, in the ‘Go Big or Stay Home’ category, the Twins are bringing in Holoien – one of the most recognizable names in the game over the last two decades.
Holoien has been a member of four Canadian senior championship teams. In 2004, in fact, he pitched a no-hitter in the gold-medal final as the Saskatoon Aspen Black Sox beat the Vancouver Grey Sox 1-0 in St. Croix, N.S. Oh, yes, he also drove in the game’s only run in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Holoien was on the Canadian national team from 1992 to 2009. He was phased out this year as part of a youth movement, but there’s no question he’s still an elite-level pitcher and – just as important at this level – hitter.
He brings the Twins instant credibility and respect. He helps team officials convince potential sponsors “Hey, look at us, we’re serious about taking a run at this. You can be a part of this and benefit from the exposure.”
Alas, Holoien also brings added pressure for Fredericton to produce.
In past nationals, many Fredericton entries were easily dismissed. Teams could afford to save their ace for a bigger opponent, using their third-best pitcher to hand the N.B. reps a loss.
Now Holoien and Newton might have to go head-to-head with the likes of Todd Martin, Sean Whitten and Frank Cox – well-established guns of the game.
So even the one-two punch of Holoien and Newton doesn’t guarantee the Twins success, but at least they’re now part of the contender conversation.
Duluth wins tourney title
(click logo for original news story (and scroll down)
The Duluth men’s fastpitch team captured the Duluth Fastpitch Classic on Sunday with a 13-2 victory over the Boulevard of St. Paul in the finals.
Duluth went 4-1 over the weekend, opening with a 10-7 victory over Kakabeka Falls, Ontario, as Brett Klosowski earned the win, but then fell 6-4 to Pub 500 of Mankato, Minn.
On Sunday, Duluth beat Kakabeka 5-4 and Pub 500 7-6 to advance to the title game. Bud Joyce picked up the three wins on Sunday, while Rob Anderson went 10-for-19 to lead Duluth offensively.
Jamey Mills and Anthony Smith both went 8-for-16, while Nate Knutson was 8-for-18.
Stadium Lanes of Duluth took third by going 2-2.
Click logo for Women’s ISF World Championships Website
Click here for Google Translate (you can copy and paste any text, or enter URL)
2010 Women’s ISF World Championships – Live TV from Venezuela
Click here for live video
Editor’s note: Games come and go. Check the schedule on the ISF site and then look here for live coverage.
Cap tip to Bob Henning for the link:
2010 Women’s ISF World Championships – Live TV from Venezuela
Click here for live video (may or may not be the games)
Editor’s note: Games come and go. Check the schedule on the ISF site and then look here for live coverage.
From the VZ website:(Google Translation)
(click link to view original news story and view short video clip)
Women’s World Softball Caracas 2010
Venezuela fell 0-2 to the Japanese Olympic champion
Download the video here
China defeated Venezuela 5-2 with strong homer Sojo(Sports News)
On Thursday the women’s team in Venezuela face the winner of the clash between China and Taipei, China
Caracas, June 30 (Prensa Latina) Venezuela came out today by the narrow gate at the start of the second round of the XII Women’s World Softball Championship after falling 0-2 to the selection of Japan, Beijing Olympic champion-2008.
Despite more than a simple connecting Asian women (three for two), the team failed to score burgundy in Caracas Independence Stadium pitcher Mika Someya, who walked all the way with seven strikeouts.
Las niponas scored twice in the lower fourth chapter, which combined a hit, a walk, a hit and two errors, one mental.
The splitter also launched Host Mariangee Bogado complete.
The match concluded with more than five thousand people fell short of expectations, considering the quality of the pitchers.
Someya had defeated in qualifying a strong ninth in Canada and Taipei, while Bogado won four of the six victories in Venezuela.
At the conclusion of the match, the manager of the Venezuelan team, Kim Wright, said he was proud of the local softball. “The girls have shown they are up to any opponent,” he said.
Tomorrow (Thursday) Japan is measured with the winner of Wednesday’s game between the U.S. and Canada.
For its part, Venezuela will face the winner of the clash between China and Chinese Taipei in the third game today.
The other game of the second phase of the XII World Championships Women’s Softball Australia-star in the Netherlands (Holland), on Wednesday night.
(PL / VTV)
ISF Worlds – Playoffs 1
Click here for Softball Canada Twitter Feed
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
From Al’s Fastball Twitter:
Team Canada defeats the Netherlands 6-1 to finish 2nd place in Pool A. Canada-USA playoff game tomorrow @ 3:30pm EDT!!
(Caracas, Venezuela) After finishing second place in Pool A with a 6-1 record, Team Canada took on the difficult task of facing the United States (7-0) in the second of four crossover games on Wednesday. Canada, who showed plenty of offence in the round-robin portion of the tournament, was unable to get much going against USA pitcher Monica Abbott, and the American bats took advantage of Canada’s pitching for a convincing 16-1 win.
As the first place team in Pool B, the United States chose to bat first, and they jumped all over Canadian starting pitcher Jenna Caira (Toronto, ON). The first three American hitters all reached to load the bases, before cleanup hitter Alissa Haber hit a double down the third base line to clear the bases. After Haber came in to score on a single by Ashley Charters to increase the lead to 4-0 with no outs, the red and white made a pitching change to Ashley Lanz (Winnipeg, MB) who looked solid in two starts in round-robin play. However, the first batter Lanz faced hit a comebacker that hit the pitcher in the hand, taking her out of the game. Tina Andreana (Oakville, ON) came to the pitcher’s circle next, and after giving up a walk to load the bases once again, she forced a fly out to left field and Melanie Matthews (Surrey, BC) was able to throw out the runner tagging from third at home to get out of the first inning.
After holding the Americans hitless in the second, Andreana ran into trouble in the third, walking two of the first three hitters and later allowing a bunt single to load the bases with two outs. Natasha Watley then hit a ground-rule double to the gap in right-center field to bring two runners in to score, increasing the lead to 6-0. After another walk loaded the bases once again, Jessica Mendoza drove a single to right field to plate two more runners.
Canada chipped away at the big lead in the bottom of the third by scoring one run. Heather Ebert (Rosthern, SK) was able to get Canada’s first hit of the game, driving a pitch up the middle into centerfield. Evelyne Pare (Ile-Perrot, QC) then moved her into scoring position with a slap out to third, and Melanie Matthews delivered a clutch two-out single to center to bring Ebert in to score.
However, the Americans went right back to work in the fourth, as Kaitlin Cochrane ripped a triple down the first base line, and Ashley Charters walked to start the inning. Charters moved up to second by tagging up on fly ball to the catcher behind the plate, and the next hitter grounded a fielder’s choice to Jenn Yee (North Delta, BC) at second, who made a nice play to cut the runner down at the plate for the second out. Watley then placed a perfect slap to shortstop for an RBI infield single, increasing the lead to 9-1.
The United States did not let up in the fifth, as they quickly got two runners on base with singles before Cochran hit an RBI single through the right side of the infield. Charters followed that up with an RBI single of her own to left field, and Jennie Finch blasted a three-run homerun to center. A walk and a double put runners on second and third, and with two outs, Jessica Mendoza drove both of them in to score with a single to center to round out the scoring.