FRIDAY JUNIOR
WORLD
This is the last day of pool play, all teams completing
their sixth games. Elimination games
begin Saturday with
Japan
and the
USA
the top seeds in their brackets. See photos at
bottom of page.
Czech
Republic
10,
Czech Republic
1
Russia
5,
Netherlands
0
New Zealand
1,
Philippines
0
Argentina
7,
Thailand
0
Japan
15,
Czech Republic
0 (4)
United States
10,
Russia
0 (5)
Canada
1, Chinese Taipei 0 (8)
Australia
1, China 0
FINAL STANDINGS
Bracket A
Japan WWWWWW 6-0
Australia WWLWWW 5-1
China
WWWWLL 4-2
New Zealand
WLLLWW 3-3
Philippines
LWLWLL 2-4
Czech Republic LLLLWL 1-5
Korea
LLLLLL 0-6
Philippines, Czech Republic and Korea eliminated
Bracket B
United States WWWWWW 6-0
Canada LWWLWW 4-2
Chinese Taipei
WWWWLL 4-2
Russia
WLWWWL 4-2
Netherlands
LWLLWL 2-4
Argentina
LLLLLW 1-5
Thailand
LLLLLL 0-6
Netherlands, Argentina and Thailand eliminated
ELIMINATION ROUND
SATURDAY
China
vs
Russia
(A3 vs B4)
Chinese Taipei vs
New Zealand
(B3 vs A4)
Japan vs
Canada
(A1 vs B2)
USA
vs
Australia
(B1 vs A2)
(more detail below)
CZECH REPUBLIC
10,
KOREA
1
The Koreans lost all six games but in this last game scored
their first run of the tournament. The
game would prove to be the Czechs only win.
JAPAN
15,
CZECH REPUBLIC
0 (4)
This game was one of the real mismatches of the tournament.
Defending champion
Japan
, fresh off their very impressive victory last night over
China
, scored 11 runs in the first inning. The
victory clinched top seed in Bracket A for
Japan
, who will face the #2 team from Bracket B when elimination play begins on
Saturday.
NEW ZEALAND
1,
PHILIPPINES
The teams came into this game with identical 2-3 records,
with 4th place in their bracket – and advancing to the elimination
round – hanging on the outcome. The
score reflects the intensity of the game.
New Zealand
completed pool play with a 3-3 record, the
Philippines
fell to 2-4.
ARGENTINA
7,
THAILAND
0
The medal round was not at stake, but Argentine pride was
on the line – and they won their first game, to end with a 1-5 record.
Thailand
lost every game, giving up 62 runs. Maria
Josefina de la Vega pitched the victory.
USA
10,
RUSSIA
0 (5)
Coming into this game, the
USA
was hitting a team average .492. Eight players on the
U.S.
roster are hitting .500 and above while the team is averaging 12.4 hits per
game. The
USA
has scored 47 runs, while
USA
pitchers have allowed just two runs, and seven hits, and have a 0.00 ERA.
Any thoughts that the 4-1 Russians might tie the 5-0
USA
for top seed in Bracket B by upsetting the Americans was quickly dispelled.
After Brianne McGowan retired the Russians in order in the
top of the 1st, Caitlin Lowe, who has hit safely in all six games,
singled to left but the side retired. McGowan
gave up a double to Irina Skarzhinskaya, no damage.
The
USA
2nd began with a solid cingle to center by Caitlin Benyi; Lisa Dodd
followed with a hard rbi double to center, and Desiree Williams crushed a 2-run
homer over the left field fence. Up
3-0, Andrea Duran walked; she raced to 2nd when an attempted pick
went into right field but was out 9-6. Kristie
Fox walked. Having to face Lowe, the
Russians brought in Anna Moiseeva to replace Marina Poddubskaya.
Lowe greeted her with an infield single.
Norelle Dickson followed with a single, Fox
scoring, and, Lowe scored on a double steal by the two
USA
speedsters. With two out Emily
Zaplatosch hit an rbi single to center. Benyi
walked and Dodd hit a fly ball to right to end the inning,
USA
6-0.
Russia
went down in order in the 3rd. Williams
drew a walk to lead off the
US
3rd. Andrea Duran banged
out the eighth
US
hit, a single to left. The Russians
brought in a third pitcher, Ksenia Mangusheva.
Fox slammed a 2-run single to left for an 8-0 lead.
Three pinch-hitters – Jackie Rinehart, Jessica Gilmore, Holly Krzan –
failed to connect.
On the verge of another run-rule, the
USA
changed its lineup: Jaisa Creps for Zaplatosch at catcher; Rinehart for Lowe in
center; Gilmore for Duran in left, Williams for Benyi at 1st, and
Krzan for Legaspi in right.
Russia
’s Olessia Gavrilova prompted cheers with a high, deep fly to Rinehart, but
that was the only Russian spark in the 4th.
Jaisa Creps led off the
US
4th with a redounding triple to right field.
Now the DH, Benyi followed with a crushing blow out past the scoreboard
in center field,
USA
10-0. With one out, Williams hit a
Texas Leaguer into right, which Duran followed with a single to right.
The
USA
now had 12 hits after four, on the brink of the run-rule 5th if the
Russians failed to score.
The Russians
5-6-7
went down in order – and the
USA
had won the top seed from Bracket B with a 6-0 record.
The
USA
team finished pool play having outscored their six opponents 57-2.
On Saturday, the
USA
will play the #2 seed from Bracket A, which will be decided later tonight.
For the game, Lowe was 2-2; Benyi was 2-2 with a HR, single
and walk; Williams also had a HR, single and walk; and Duran was 2-2 with two
singles and a walk.
Russia
finished pool play with a 4-2 record, good enough to ensure a berth in the
elimination round on Saturday. End
(see
USA
pictures below)
CANADA
1, CHINESE
TAIPEI
0 (8)
But for a first day loss to
Russia
,
Canada
and Chinese Taipei would have identical records.
Now, CT had a 4-1 record,
Canada
3-2. A win by
Canada
would put them ahead of the Chinese in a tie; however,
Russia
had also finished at 4-2 but had lost to Chinese Taipei.
If
Taipei
wins, it is #2 seed,
Russia
#3 and
Canada
#4. If
Canada
wins, the three-way tie is broken by runs allowed, which would put
Canada
in #2. The 3-4 teams in each
bracket play Saturday afternoon, and the losers go home, while the winners
advance to play the losers of the games among the top seeds.
For six innings, the teams battled, getting 3 hits each,
Canada
surving two errors, CT one. Two
Taipei
threats were thwarted by Canadian shortstop Noemie Marin, once racing behind 3rd
to pull down a fly which looked beyond her, then running deep into the hole to
snag a grounder and make the play at 1st.
In the bottom of the 7th,
Taipei
’s first batter Chiang Ying Tzu singled to left.
When she tried to steal 2nd, Marin ran in front of the bag,
taking the throw from catcher Jessica Morris, to ensure putting the runner out.
Erin McLean then caught a hard line drive to 3rd.
Megan MacKenzie struck out the third batter, sending the game into extra
innings and the international tie breaker.
Jessica Morris took 2nd at the ITB runner in the
8th. An attempted
sacrifice resulted in a pop foul. Andrea
Ground popped up to 2nd. Melanie
Matthews brought the crowd to its feet with a sharp single to right, which was
misplayed, and Morris raced home with the only run of the game –
Canada
1-0.
McLean
struck out.
Kao Ching Yi took 2nd as the ITB runner, with
Tsen Wei Ting to bat. She dropped a
bunt into the infield, and
Canada
and Ching Yi trapped but she beat the rundown.
Now,
Taipei
had runners at 2nd and 3rd, no outs.
Lin Hsiu Min hit a dying liner to left, which was caught just above her
ankles by left fielder Alicia Spitzig who threw to 2nd for the double
play. Very smart move.
Pinch hitter Chin Pei Chun ground out to 3rd – and
Canada
had won. On the basis of runs
allowed, the final standings for Bracket B are:
United States
;
Canada
; Chinese
Taipei
; and
Russia
.
AUSTRALIA
1,
CHINA
0
China
threatened in the top of the 1st.
Australian ace Jocelyn McCallum struck out the first batter; the second
batter ground out; but, she hit a batter who took 2nd on a passed
ball, then struck out the next batter.
China
countered with its ace, Qi Jia., who struck out the first two batters in the
bottom of the 1st. Lisa
Lindsay stroked a single to center, then stole 2nd and 3rd
and scored on a Texas Leaguer into right field by Heather Southwood.
Australia
1-0.
Australia
dodged a big bullet in the 2nd.
The first batter walked and the next batter
Li Li singled. Sun Guixia
lined back to McCollum, but no one covered 2nd for the double play.
Jiang Jing walked to load the bases with one out.
The next batter hit a sinking liner to left field but inexplicably Sophie
McGilvray didn’t attempt a double play at 2nd.
McCallum got out of the inning by striking out Wang Ziyun for the second
time.
Australia
went down in order in the 2nd, Qi Jia notching her 3rd
and 4th K. McCollum gave
up her third walk in the top of the 3rd but also got two Ks. Qi Jia
got two more Ks to put
Australia
down in the 3rd.
China
’s 4th included a well-hit ball to left, which McGilvray caught on
the run, and McCallum;s 6th K.
China
put on more pressure in the top of the 5th.
Wei Dong Mei got
China
’s second hit, a single to right. Wang
Ziyun hit into a fielder’s choice play but the shortstop’s throw to 2nd
was off, and two were on, none out. But,
Cao Fangfang grounded to 3rd for the force on Don Mei.
Lu Yi beat out an infield hit to load the bases.
Undaunted, McCallum struck out Xue Shen and Lei Donghui to end the
threat.
Neither team could crack the other’s pitcher, and so the
game went to the top of the 7th, with
Australia
still leading 1-0. McCallum now had
10 Ks. The first batter popped to 3rd.
The second batter ground out to 2nd.
Australia
was one out from taking second seed in its bracket – and facing the
USA
on Saturday. To put the finishing
touches on the game, McCallum struck out the final batter, her 11th
victim.
Japan
finished as top seed in Bracket A at 6-0;
Australia
second at 5-1 (its only loss to
Japan
);
China
was third at 4-2; and
New Zealand
4th at 3-3. end
THE ELIMINATION
ROUND
ISF does not play a Page system, as anticipated.
A1 plays B2; B1 plays A2. But,
instead of the top seed winners playing lower seeds, they play each other.
Thus,
Canada
will play
Japan
on Saturday, and the
USA
plays
Australia
. The winners play Sunday. Thus, the
two top seeds in pool play could meet in the second round. The winner of that
game automatically goes to the Gold Medal Game on Monday.
The loser goes to the Bronze Medal Game, awaiting the sorting out of the
loser’s bracket. On Sunday, the losers of Saturday’s top seed games play the
winners of Saturday’s A3-4, B3-4 games. Games
between the lower seeds are single elimination.
Chinese Taipei will play
New Zealand
, and
Russia
will play
China
; the losers go home.
TEAM
USA
USA & Chinese
Taipei
Press Conference
ISF OFFICIALS (Don Porter on right)
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