PhillyGirl
Member
Yes, you read that right .. Women's softball defeated Japan yesterday- same as women's soccer!
Two Bama girls were on the roster ..
Haylie McCleney
Alabama - Jr.
Outfield
Jaclyn Traina
Alabama - 2014
Pitcher
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...15-championship-score-recap-from-usa-vs-japan
The United States and Japan competed in two different World Cup finales Sunday, and the results were similar.
In the softball edition, the Americans jumped out to a three-run lead after the first inning and tacked on three more in the sixth to claim a 6-1 victory at Deanna Manning Stadium in Irvine, California.
ASA and USA Softball tweeted an image as the Americans were rewarded with gold medals:
✔@ASAUSASoftball
Those medals look good!!! #WorldCupX
10:46 PM - 5 Jul 2015
It was a gritty championship contest featuring only eight combined hits, but the USA made the most of their five. Infielder Amanda Chidester helped set the tone, socking a two-run triple with two outs to plate the first two runs. Chidester then scored off a Lauren Gibson RBI single.
In the top of the fourth, Japan got on the board when Saki Yamazaki hit a solo home run to back up the triple she hit in the second, cutting the deficit to 3-1. Otherwise the American pitching tandem of starter Jessica Moore and Sara Nevins gave Japan little hope of coming back, yielding just one other hit.
The U.S. Olympic Team congratulated the athletes on an extraordinary day in women's sports:
✔@TeamUSA
TWO World Cup wins in ONE day! CONGRATS @ASAUSASoftball on defeating Japan 6-1 in the World Cup of Softball!
11:00 PM - 5 Jul 2015
Sunday's outcome wasn't always too well in hand in Irvine, though—certainly more suspenseful than the play on the pitch in Vancouver, where the USA won 5-2.
Small ball helped the U.S. load the bases in the sixth to pad the lead. Michelle Moultrie was hit by a pitch by Yamato Fujita and advanced to second on a fielder's choice and third on an error. Catcher Janelle Lindvall truly blew the game open with a two-run double.
Nevins walked just one en route to 2.2 no-hit innings with two strikeouts. It had to help that she had such a cushion before marching out to record the final three outs on ground balls. But the bigger story was Moore returning to the circle.
After Japan lit her up for 10 hits and six earned runs in their win over the USA in the 2013 World Cup finale, Moore got a chance at redemption and fully capitalized. It also had to be sweet for Moore after she'd yielded two runs without recording an out in last year's win in the championship over Canada.
Eric-Paul Johnson of the Press Enterprise supplied context for how dominant the Americans have been in the World Cup of Softball:
Eric-Paul Johnson @CallMeEPJ
USA 6, Japan 1 (final) USA wins second straight title and eighth in World Cup's 10-year history
10:38 PM - 5 Jul 2015
A surprising loss to Canada preceded the Americans' commanding 7-0 romp over Venezuela on Friday, and they carried over that momentum to ultimately assert their will in a lopsided World Cup championship outcome.
Japan is the only other nation to take home the World Cup crown in this tournament's young history. Nothing about Sunday's outcome suggests the United States will slow down in its prohibitive control, but vengeance can be a powerful motivator for Japan and all of the other countries trying to break through.
With eight titles in 10 years of World Cup softball action, it's safe to say the USA has built a dynastic presence in the competition.
Perhaps Japan can come back stronger next year in pursuit of a third title, while Canada can draw on some positives after posting a 6-2 record this year to grab third place for the sixth time.
Note: Game stats and information courtesy of GC.com.
Two Bama girls were on the roster ..
Haylie McCleney
Alabama - Jr.
Outfield
Jaclyn Traina
Alabama - 2014
Pitcher
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...15-championship-score-recap-from-usa-vs-japan
The United States and Japan competed in two different World Cup finales Sunday, and the results were similar.
In the softball edition, the Americans jumped out to a three-run lead after the first inning and tacked on three more in the sixth to claim a 6-1 victory at Deanna Manning Stadium in Irvine, California.
ASA and USA Softball tweeted an image as the Americans were rewarded with gold medals:
✔@ASAUSASoftball
Those medals look good!!! #WorldCupX
10:46 PM - 5 Jul 2015
It was a gritty championship contest featuring only eight combined hits, but the USA made the most of their five. Infielder Amanda Chidester helped set the tone, socking a two-run triple with two outs to plate the first two runs. Chidester then scored off a Lauren Gibson RBI single.
In the top of the fourth, Japan got on the board when Saki Yamazaki hit a solo home run to back up the triple she hit in the second, cutting the deficit to 3-1. Otherwise the American pitching tandem of starter Jessica Moore and Sara Nevins gave Japan little hope of coming back, yielding just one other hit.
The U.S. Olympic Team congratulated the athletes on an extraordinary day in women's sports:
✔@TeamUSA
TWO World Cup wins in ONE day! CONGRATS @ASAUSASoftball on defeating Japan 6-1 in the World Cup of Softball!
11:00 PM - 5 Jul 2015
Sunday's outcome wasn't always too well in hand in Irvine, though—certainly more suspenseful than the play on the pitch in Vancouver, where the USA won 5-2.
Small ball helped the U.S. load the bases in the sixth to pad the lead. Michelle Moultrie was hit by a pitch by Yamato Fujita and advanced to second on a fielder's choice and third on an error. Catcher Janelle Lindvall truly blew the game open with a two-run double.
Nevins walked just one en route to 2.2 no-hit innings with two strikeouts. It had to help that she had such a cushion before marching out to record the final three outs on ground balls. But the bigger story was Moore returning to the circle.
After Japan lit her up for 10 hits and six earned runs in their win over the USA in the 2013 World Cup finale, Moore got a chance at redemption and fully capitalized. It also had to be sweet for Moore after she'd yielded two runs without recording an out in last year's win in the championship over Canada.
Eric-Paul Johnson of the Press Enterprise supplied context for how dominant the Americans have been in the World Cup of Softball:
Eric-Paul Johnson @CallMeEPJ
USA 6, Japan 1 (final) USA wins second straight title and eighth in World Cup's 10-year history
10:38 PM - 5 Jul 2015
A surprising loss to Canada preceded the Americans' commanding 7-0 romp over Venezuela on Friday, and they carried over that momentum to ultimately assert their will in a lopsided World Cup championship outcome.
Japan is the only other nation to take home the World Cup crown in this tournament's young history. Nothing about Sunday's outcome suggests the United States will slow down in its prohibitive control, but vengeance can be a powerful motivator for Japan and all of the other countries trying to break through.
With eight titles in 10 years of World Cup softball action, it's safe to say the USA has built a dynastic presence in the competition.
Perhaps Japan can come back stronger next year in pursuit of a third title, while Canada can draw on some positives after posting a 6-2 record this year to grab third place for the sixth time.
Note: Game stats and information courtesy of GC.com.
