USA Finishes 5-0 as Group Rockford Closes With Record-Tying

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The United States completed an unbeaten group stage, Australia walked off Canada in a 27-run thriller and Korea erased a four-run deficit on the final day of the WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup Group Rockford.

Team USA finished first at 5-0, followed by Australia at 4-1 and Canada at 3-2. All three teams advance to the 2027 Women’s Baseball World Cup Finals in Rockford.

Final in seven innings

Mexico carried a 5-1 lead into the fifth inning, but Korea scored eight times over its final three trips to the plate to close Group Rockford with a comeback victory.

Korea scored twice in the fifth and twice more in the sixth to tie the game at 5-5 before taking control with four runs in the top of the seventh.

Jua Park was at the center of the comeback. She finished with two doubles, three RBI and three runs before moving to the circle and pitching the final two innings.

Hyeonah Kim added two hits and drove in three runs as Korea built a 9-5 advantage.

Mexico answered with three runs in the bottom of the seventh.

Karina Rodríguez Ibarra delivered a two-run single before a throwing error allowed another run to score, cutting Korea’s lead to 9-8. Park preserved the victory by striking out Gabriela Sandoval looking for the final out.

Park earned the win as Korea finished Group Rockford at 2-3. Mexico closed the tournament at 1-4.

Final in seven innings

Australia erased deficits of five and six runs before walking off Canada in the bottom of the seventh.

Both teams scored three runs in the first inning, but Canada moved ahead 5-3 in the second and extended its lead to 8-3 in the third.

Caitlin Eynon brought Australia back into the game with a grand slam in the bottom of the fourth, cutting the deficit to one.

Canada responded with four runs in the fifth and carried a 12-7 lead into the bottom half. Australia answered again, scoring four times to pull within 12-11.

Australia tied the game in the sixth when Jamieson Bastian’s sacrifice bunt brought home Elodie O’Sullivan.

Canada reclaimed the lead in the top of the seventh when a run scored on a wild pitch, but the advantage did not hold.

Bronwyn Gell and Maddison Erwin opened the bottom of the seventh with singles. Molly Paddison then drove home Gell with the tying run before Elodie O’Sullivan singled home Erwin to complete the 14-13 walk-off victory.

Eynon homered and drove in four runs. Paddison added a home run and three RBI, including the tying hit in the seventh.

Leah Cornish went 3-for-4 with two doubles, three RBI and a run. She also worked a scoreless sixth inning in the circle.

Genevieve Beacom collected two hits, including a double. Erwin added a hit and a run before earning the win after pitching the seventh.

Alizée Gélinas led Canada with three hits, a double, an RBI, two runs and two stolen bases. Emily Baxter had two hits, two RBI and two runs, while Cassie Matlock added two hits and an RBI.

Canada finished Group Rockford at 3-2. Australia completed the group stage at 4-1, with its only loss coming against the United States.

Final in five innings

The United States closed Group Rockford with 34 runs, 26 hits, three home runs and a combined no-hitter.

Team USA scored 13 runs in the first inning, six in the second, three in the third and 12 in the fourth.

The 34 runs and 34-run margin tied the Women’s Baseball World Cup record established by the United States in its 34-0 victory over Pakistan in 2016.

Kelsie Whitmore opened the scoring with a two-run home run in the first. Alex Hugo added a two-run homer later in the inning as the United States sent 19 batters to the plate.

Ashton Lansdell doubled home two runs, Naomi Ryan added a two-run single and Jamie Baum drove in two more as Team USA built a 13-0 lead.

Six more runs followed in the second. Whitmore, Hugo and Lansdell each delivered RBI hits before Jill Albayati added a sacrifice fly.

Whitmore doubled and scored in the third as the United States extended the lead to 22-0.

Team USA sent 17 batters to the plate during a 12-run fourth inning.

Alexia Jorge drove in three runs with a single and a double. Adelaide Wilson collected two run-scoring singles, Ashanthy Marcano Vizcarrondo added two RBI hits and Albayati drew a bases-loaded walk.

Kylee Lahners supplied the inning’s biggest swing with a grand slam to left field. She finished with five RBI.

Whitmore went 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, four RBI and three runs. Lansdell finished 3-for-3 with a double, four RBI, two runs and a stolen base.

Jorge collected three hits, three RBI and three runs. Kate Blunt went 3-for-3, walked twice and scored five times.

Hugo homered, drove in three and scored twice. Wilson and Lansdell each drove in four, while Albayati finished with three RBI.

Bailey Brown, Wilson, Sarah Lessig and Jordan Andreas combined to hold Hong Kong, China without a hit.

Brown pitched the first two innings before Wilson, Lessig and Andreas each worked one. The four combined for six strikeouts and did not issue a walk. Hong Kong, China’s only baserunner reached on a hit by pitch in the third.

Lessig earned the win as the United States finished the group stage 5-0.

1. United States, 5-0 
2. Australia, 4-1 
3. Canada, 3-2 
4. Korea, 2-3 
5. Mexico, 1-4 
6. Hong Kong, China, 0-5 
7. 
   

The United States, Australia and Canada secured Group Rockford’s three places in the 2027 Women’s Baseball World Cup Finals.

Ashton Lansdell led the tournament with a .846 batting average, .889 on-base percentage, 1.462 slugging percentage, 14 RBI and six stolen bases. She also tied for the home run lead with two.

Denae Benites led all players with 12 runs and finished second with 12 RBI. She batted .583 with a .737 on-base percentage and tied Lansdell, Whitmore, Olivia Pichardo and Remi Schaber for the home run lead.

Leah Cornish led Group Rockford with 12 hits and six doubles. She batted .632 with nine RBI and 10 runs for Australia.

Jamie Baum collected eight hits, scored 11 times and drove in 11 runs. Whitmore batted .583 with two home runs, nine RBI and nine runs.

Michelle Roche led qualifying pitchers with a 0.00 ERA and a .136 opponent batting average. She allowed no earned runs or walks over 6.1 innings for Canada.

Australia’s Allison Bebbere led the group with nine innings pitched and two wins while recording a 2.33 ERA.

Elise Berger, Jaida Lee and Raine Padgham shared the strikeout lead with nine each.

Benites also led the fielding totals with 34 putouts and tied Woona Choi for the most runners caught stealing with two.

The second half of the World Cup group stage will be played Aug. 23-27 in Tainan.

Chinese Taipei will host defending champion Japan, Venezuela, Cuba, Great Britain and the Philippines in another six-team round robin. The top three finishers will join the United States, Australia and Canada in the 2027 Finals.

The six advancing teams will return to Rockford from July 19-25, 2027, when the 10th Women’s Baseball World Cup champion will be crowned.

Photo Credit: WBSC (Flickr)