Canada, Australia and USA Win on Day One in Rockford
The WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup Group Stage opened Wednesday at Rivets Stadium with three very different games.
Canada controlled the opener from the third inning on. Australia and Mexico needed extra innings to settle one of the day’s most important matchups. Then the United States closed the night with five home runs and a 22-run performance against Korea.
Canada 13, Hong Kong, China 0
Final in five innings
Canada was held scoreless through the first two innings before breaking the game open with five runs in the third.
Cassie Matlock put Canada in front with a two-run single before Camille Proulx followed with a two-run double. Another run crossed on the bases as Canada began applying pressure that continued throughout the afternoon.
Ela Day-Bédard tripled and scored on a wild pitch in the fourth, then Canada added six more runs in the fifth. Andréanne Leblanc, Kyanna Faucher, Alizée Gélinas, Lucie Anctil, Frederique Noel and Proulx each drove in a run during the final two innings.
Proulx reached in all four of her plate appearances, finishing with a double, three RBI, three walks and two stolen bases. Anctil collected three hits, while Matlock added two hits and two RBI. Day-Bédard scored three times and stole two bases.
Canada finished with 11 hits and nine stolen bases.
Raine Padgham carried a perfect game into the fifth inning and came within two strikes of completing it before Wai Yin Kandy Tam singled. Padgham left with the bases loaded after 4.2 innings, and Michelle Roche recorded the final out.
Padgham allowed one hit, walked two and struck out seven in the win.
Australia 12, Mexico 2
Final in eight innings
Australia and Mexico were tied at 2 after seven innings, but the final score does not show how close the game was for most of the afternoon.
Australia took a 2-1 lead on Elodie O’Sullivan’s two-run single in the fourth. Mexico answered in the bottom half when Marcela Díaz drove home Diana Ibarra.
Both teams had opportunities to take control in the seventh. Australia loaded the bases but grounded into an inning-ending double play. Mexico opened its half with a double, but the runner was picked off at second.
Then came the eighth.
With the international tiebreak rule in effect, Chloe Atkinson and O’Sullivan opened the inning with consecutive singles. Walks, timely hits and pressure on the bases followed as Australia sent 15 batters to the plate and scored 10 runs.
Abbey Kelly and Lili Cavanagh delivered consecutive RBI singles before Ticara Geldenhuis drove a three-run double down the left-field line. Australia added four more runs before the inning finally ended.
O’Sullivan finished with two hits and four RBI. Geldenhuis drove in three, while Cavanagh had two hits and Leah Cornish reached four times and scored three runs.
Claire O’Sullivan started in the circle and struck out six over 3.2 innings. Allison Bebbere took over in the fourth and allowed only two hits across 4.1 scoreless innings, striking out five to earn the win.
The 10-run eighth gave Australia a 12-2 victory in a game that was tied entering extras.
United States 22, Korea 2
Final in five innings
The United States did not score in the first inning, but that changed quickly.
Olivia Pichardo opened the second with a solo home run. Korea responded with two runs in the bottom half, including a sacrifice fly from Hyeonah Kim, to briefly take a 2-1 lead.
From there, the United States took over.
Pichardo hit a three-run home run in the third, her second of the game. Team USA scored five in the inning, then added 10 more in the fourth and six in the fifth.
Kelsie Whitmore and Remi Schaber hit back-to-back home runs to begin the fourth. Jamie Baum added a two-run single later in the inning before Naomi Ryan cleared the bases with a three-run double.
Baum delivered the biggest swing of the fifth, hitting a grand slam that completed a 3-for-3 night with seven RBI. She also scored three runs.
Pichardo reached in all three of her plate appearances, scored four times and drove in four. Whitmore scored four runs and drove in three, while Schaber homered and drove in two.
The United States finished with five home runs. Pichardo hit two, with Whitmore, Schaber and Baum adding one apiece.
Jill Albayati struck out five over three innings to earn the win. Sarah Lessig followed with two hitless innings and four strikeouts as the United States completed the 22-2 victory.
After Day One
Canada, Australia and the United States each leave opening day at 1-0. Hong Kong, China, Mexico and Korea begin the tournament at 0-1.
Three more games are scheduled for Thursday at Rivets Stadium:
11 a.m. CT: Australia vs. Hong Kong, China
3 p.m. CT: Korea vs. Canada
7 p.m. CT: Mexico vs. United States