Canada splits pair of games in Japan

[Al's Fastball News]

Received: 7/28/08 1:07:41 PM 
From:  "Gilles LeBlanc" <gleblanc at softball.ca> 

  
Subject:  Canada splits pair of games in Japan / Le Canada partage
deux parties au Japon  
 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FORIMMEDIATE RELEASE

July28, 2008

 

Canadasplits pair of games in Japan

 

(Sendai,Japan) – Team Canada continued its preparations for the
Olympic Games as theycompeted in a Tri-Nations tournament in
Japan this past weekend. After taking a5-0 victory Friday over
the Netherlands, who will participate at the Olympicsfor the
first time since 1996, Canada dropped a 4-0 decision to Japan
onSunday. Japan also blanked the Netherlands 4-0 on Saturday.

 

Inthe opening game against the Netherlands, Canada wasted no
time putting pointson the board, scoring three runs in the bottom
of the first inning. MelanieMatthews (Surrey, BC) led off with
a double, and Erin McLean (Whitby, ON)immediately followed with
a two-run homerun. Third batter Jennifer Yee (NorthDelta, BC)
then walked, stole second base and moved to third by tagging
up on afly ball before scoring on a two-out infield single by
Alison Bradley(Pinkerton, ON).

 

Canadaadded a run in the third, when McLean led off the inning
with a single, movedto third on an error and later scored on
another RBI single by Bradley.Jennifer Salling (Port Coquitlam,
BC) rounded out the scoring with a solohomerun to left-centerfield
in the fifth.

 

LaurenBay Regula (Trail, BC) threw five hitless innings for Canada,
striking outseven batters. Dione Meier (Saskatoon, SK) pitched
the two final innings,allowing only one hit and struck out one.

 

AgainstJapan, Canada fell behind early after three consecutive
singles led to a run inthe first inning. The rest of the damage
came in the third inning, when ReiNishiyama led off with a single,
followed by back-to-back homeruns by SatokoMabuchi and Rie Sato.


 

RobinMackin (Newmarket, ON) started the game for Canada, allowing
four runs in fiveinnings of work. Dione Meier came on in relief
for the two final innings,escaping difficult situations with
runners on second and third in both thesixth and seventh. The
Canadian hitters were only able to connect with two hitsin the
game, a double by Melanie Matthews in the fourth and an infield
singleby Caitlin Lever (Buffalo, New York) in the fifth. Japanese
starting pitcher YukikoUeno threw three perfect innings with
one strikeout before being relieved inthe fourth.

 

Theevent was Canada’s final games against International competition
before theOlympic Games, which are set to begin on August 12.
They will continue to trainin Japan and will play a pair of exhibition
games against local club team, oneagainst Leopalace on July 31st
and another against Hitachi Softwareon August 4th. The team will
then head to Beijing on August 5th.

 

-SC-

 

Formore information, contact:

 

GillesLeBlanc

Manager:Marketing and Communications

SoftballCanada

(613)523-3386 x. 3105

gleblanc(at)softball.ca

 

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