Canada opens Canadian Open Fastpitch International Championship with win over New Zealand

[Al's Fastball News]

Canadian Open Fastpitch International Championship - Game 1

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
July 4, 2012 

Canada opens Canadian Open Fastpitch International Championship
with win over New Zealand 

(Surrey, BC) After earning a Bronze medal at the US World Cup
of Softball VII on Monday in Oklahoma City, the Canadian Women's
National Team was back in action tonight as they took on New
Zealand at the Canadian Open Fastpitch International Championship
at Softball City. The red and white took advantage of five New
Zealand errors and won the game by a score of 11-1 in three innings
on the run-ahead rule. 

Team Canada opened the scoring in the bottom of the first inning.
With two outs, Jenn Yee (North Delta, BC) was hit by a pitch
and scored all the way from first on a throwing error. The following
inning, Canada added two more runs on a single by Joey Lye (Toronto,
ON), scoring Heather Ebert (Rosthern, SK) and Victoria Hayward
(Toronto, ON). 

After New Zealand scored a run in the top of the third, Canada
exploded for eight runs in the bottom of the frame, taking advantage
of four errors. Kaleigh Rafter (Guelph, ON) started things off
with a leadoff double, and advanced to third on a single by Sheena
Lawrick (Calgary, AB). Kelsey Haberl (Burnaby, BC) then singled
to load the bases, and Carey-Leigh Thomas (Ohsweken, ON) hit
a sacrifice fly to centerfield to score Rafter. Lawrick scored
on an error, and Hayward singled which allowed Haberl to cross
the plate on an error by the third baseman on the play. Ebert
then scored on an error by the left fielder, and Lye walked to
load the bases. A passed ball allowed Hayward to score from third,
and Yee singled to score Jenny Gilbert (Saskatoon, SK) and Lye.
After yet another error, Sheena Lawrick delivered a single to
score Yee from third, giving Canada an 11-1 run rule win in three
innings. 

In the pitcher's circle, Karissa Hovinga (Edmonton, AB) earned
the win, allowing one run on three hits and two walks with four
strikeouts in three innings pitched. Lawrick led Canada with
a pair of hits, while Lye, Yee, Rafter, Haberl and Hayward each
had one. 

Box score and play by play: Canada 11 vs. New Zealand 1 

Other scores on day one of the tournament saw Japan defeated
New Zealand 7-0 and the United States edged Venezuela 5-4. Australia
also blanked Puerto Rico 13-0. Canada (1-0) will be back in action
on Thursday when they will take on Japan (1-0) at 6:30pm PDT.


Web streaming for all Women's International games can be purchased
at the Canadian Open Fastpitch International Championship website:
http://www.canadianopenfastpitch.com. The website also has live
Pointstreak live scoring for all Women's International and Elite
games. 

-SC- 

For more information, please contact: 

Gilles LeBlanc 
Manager - Marketing and Communications 
Softball Canada 
(613) 523-3386 ext. 3105 
gleblanc at softball.ca

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