<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>Softball Canada News Release</TITLE>
<META http-equiv='Content-Type' content='text/html; charset=iso-8859-1'>
<STYLE type='text/css'>
body,td,th { font-size: 13px;color: #000000;font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;}
body { background-color: #FFFFFF;margin-left: 0px;margin-top: 0px;margin-right: 0px;margin-bottom: 0px;}
.leftcolumn1 {background-image:url(http://www.softball.ca/images/newsletter/left_bg.jpg);background-repeat:repeat-y}
.rightcolumn1 {background-image:url(http://www.softball.ca/images/newsletter/right_bg.jpg);background-repeat:repeat-y}
.content {background-color: #FFFFFF;}
.featured_news {font-size: 12px;color: #000000;font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;}
a { font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #FF0000; text-decoration: none;}
a:hover { text-decoration: underline}
.unsubscribe { color: #000000; }
.unsubscribe a { font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #000000; text-decoration: underline}
img { border: none; }
p { margin: 0px, 0px, 9px, 0px; }
</STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY><div>Sent from my BlackBerry device on the Rogers Wireless Network</div><hr/><div><b>From: </b> "Softball Canada" <newsletter@softball.ca>
</div><div><b>Date: </b>Thu, 05 Jul 2012 01:45:37 -0400</div><div><b>To: </b>Al's Fastball News<Fastball@pmihrm.com></div><div><b>Subject: </b>Softball Canada Media Release / Communiqué de presse</div><div><br/></div>
<TABLE width='550' border='0' cellspacing='0' cellpadding='0'>
<TR>
<TD width='550' valign='top' colspan='3'><A href='http://www.softball.ca/'><IMG src='http://www.softball.ca/images/newsletter/header.jpg' border='0'></A></TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD width='2' valign='top' class='leftcolumn1'><IMG src='http://www.softball.ca/images/newsletter/left_bg.jpg'></TD><TD width='546' valign='top' class='content'>
<BR>
<P align='center'><FONT color='red'><B>Canadian Open Fastpitch International Championship - Game 1</B></FONT></P>
<P>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
<BR>July 4, 2012
<BR><BR>
<B>Canada opens Canadian Open Fastpitch International Championship with win over New Zealand</B>
<BR><BR>
(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.
<BR><BR>
Team Canada opened the scoring in the bottom of the first inning. With two outs, <a href='http://www.softball.ca/profile.asp?pID=312'>Jenn Yee</a> (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 <a href='http://www.softball.ca/profile.asp?pID=373'>Joey Lye</a> (Toronto, ON), scoring <a href='http://www.softball.ca/profile.asp?pID=376'>Heather Ebert</a> (Rosthern, SK) and <a href='http://www.softball.ca/profile.asp?pID=354'>Victoria Hayward</a> (Toronto, ON).
<BR><BR>
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. <a href='http://www.softball.ca/profile.asp?pID=270'>Kaleigh Rafter</a> (Guelph, ON) started things off with a leadoff double, and advanced to third on a single by <a href='http://www.softball.ca/profile.asp?pID=267'>Sheena Lawrick (Calgary, AB)</a>. <a href='http://www.softball.ca/profile.asp?pID=353'>Kelsey Haberl</a> (Burnaby, BC) then singled to load the bases, and <a href='http://www.softball.ca/profile.asp?pID=472'>Carey-Leigh Thomas</a> (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 <a href='http://www.softball.ca/profile.asp?pID=351'>Jenny Gilbert</a> (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.
<BR><BR>
In the pitcher's circle, <a href='http://www.softball.ca/profile.asp?pID=359'>Karissa Hovinga</a> (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.
<BR><BR>
Box score and play by play: <a href='http://fastpitch.bbstats.pointstreak.com/boxscore.html?gameid=103212'>Canada 11 vs. New Zealand 1</a>
<BR><BR>
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.
<BR><BR>
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.
<BR><BR>
-SC-
<BR><BR>
For more information, please contact:
<BR><BR>
Gilles LeBlanc
<BR>Manager - Marketing and Communications
<BR>Softball Canada
<BR>(613) 523-3386 ext. 3105
<BR>gleblanc@softball.ca</P>
</TD>
<TD width='2' valign='top' class='rightcolumn1'><IMG src='http://www.softball.ca/images/newsletter/right_bg.jpg'></TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD width='550' valign='top' colspan='7'><IMG src='http://www.softball.ca/images/newsletter/footer.jpg' border='0'>
<P class='unsubscribe' align='center'>If you do not wish to receive this newsletter please <A href='http://www.softball.ca/unsubscribe.asp'>click here</A> to unsubscribe.</P>
<P class='unsubscribe' align='center'>Si vous ne désirez plus recevoir ce bulletin, <A href='http://www.softball.ca/unsubscribe.asp'>click here</A> pour vous désabonner.</P></TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>
</BODY></HTML>