JUNIOR WORLD
TUESDAY
Tuesday dawned bright and sunny, and the drier fields
quickened the pace of the games.
CHINESE
TAIPEI
9,
THAILAND
0 (5)
We have seen Chinese Taipei several times in recent months,
and this game was one of their strongest showings.
They scored two in the 2nd, three in the 3rd, and
four in the 4th to run-rule
Thailand
on a no-hitter by Pei Hsman.
Offensively, CT got a double, single and two rbi fromYing
Tzu, while Mien Fang was 3-3 includng a double and three runs scored, and Pei
Chun tripled in a run and scored.
Pei Hsman, a lefty who works low, who was impressive when
we saw her at Canada Cup, had 4 Ks in five innings, but her pitches kept the
ball mostly on the ground.
Philippines
7,
Korea
0
No details available.
Netherlands
8,
Thailand
0
No details available
JAPAN
8,
NEW ZEALAND
1 (6)
The Japanese open up with four small left-handed batters,
alternating between a hitter, slapper, hitter, slapper – and the whole team
has awesome foot speed – stretching every hit for an extra base.
The two hitters in this array singled in the 1st to create the
first run.
In the 3rd,
Japan
responded to two consecutive
New Zealand
singles – Wendy Telfer and Jorja Bell - with a sterling defensive play. On
the attempted pickle, with runners at the corners,
Japan
fielded a grounder by Tania Misa to 2nd – and triggered a
4-3-6-3-2 which caught the lead runner at home.
The play was significant because leadoff hitter Api Stone O’Kane
tripled, driving in a run.
Japan
answered with four runs in the 3rd.
The scoring started with an error at short, followed by an
excellent bunt by Yuri Masuyama, a two-run double by Haruka Fujino, a single by
Hitomi Sajida and a triple Yumi Shimabukuro.
Japan
would add three more runs to close out the game.
Miyuki Ito was impressive on the mound for
Japan
, which is projected to be in the championship round.
Ito works low, using a good curve and drop, a low rise, and an occasional
screwball to right-handed batters. Georgeanna
O’Rourke started for
New Zealand
and was charged with the first five runs. Amanda
Preston relieved in the 4th after
Japan
’s 4-run outburst.
AUSTRALIA
4,
CZECH REPUBLIC
2
A very stubborn Czech team tied
Australia
at 2-all in the 4th – and held on dearly, despite being outhit.
A two-out defensive error at shortstop in the bottom of the 6th
– one of four Czech errors – put Sophie McGilvray on base – and she scored
when Carly Clough’s Texas Leaguer fell between three defenders behind 2nd.
Stacey Dwyer beat out an infield hit to short and Clough scored an
insurance run when designated hitter Kylie Cronk singled to right.
Dwyer attempted to score on the play but was out at home.
Chermai Clews started for
Australia
and was charged with both runs in the 4th, having given up five
hits. Tarryn Lambert took over in
the top of the 5th and shut down the Czechs in order for the final
three innings, striking out the last two batters.
Lambert uses a very sharp curve and drop, with a lot of movement, and an
occasional offspeed.
Lisa Lindsay and Rebecca Horne, both of whom singled,
scored the Australians first two runs in the 2nd.
Petra Kalcevova and Dina Pfeiferova scored the Czech runs on rbi by Lenua
Jaklova and Lucia Cubikova. Michala
Kucharova started for the Czechs and was relieved in the bottom of the 6th
by Jana Maranova after the winning run had scored.
Australia
turned two impressive double-plays. The
Czech 3rd Karolina Dontova was very aggressive; fast feet and strong
arm, but the team was hurting at short and in the outfield.
UNITED STATES 7,
ARGENTINA
0 (6)
UNITED STATES 7,
ARGENTINA
0 (6)
(ASA report)
USA
Junior Women toss no-hitter in 7-0 victory over
Argentina
10/14/2003
NANJING,
CHINA – Posting a 2-0 record, the USA Softball Junior Women’s World team
defeated Argentina 7-0 in day two action of the World Championship in Nanjing,
China. Pitchers Brianne McGowan (
Reno
,
NV
) and Lisa Dodd (
San Diego
,
CA
) combined for a
no-hitter from the circle each tossing three innings in the mercy rule victory.
Starting pitcher McGowan was credited with the win while the
U.S.
offensive attack
remained strong tallying 10 hits on the day.
Scoreless after two innings, the
U.S.
took control with
a 1-0 lead after Jaisa Creps (
Valencia
,
CA
) singled through
the right side advancing to second on a sac bunt from Caitlin Lowe (
Tustin
,
CA
). A fielding error
by
Argentina
’s Sonia Alberto
would later score Creps for the 1-0 advantage.
In the fourth, the Red, White and Blue pushed its lead to 4-0 after Andrea Duran
(
Selma
,
CA
) connected on a
single through the left side scoring Caitlin Benyi (
Scottsdale
,
AZ
) and Norrelle
Dickson (
Orange
,
CA
). Benyi advanced
on a walk while Dickson reached on an
Argentina
fielding error. A
change in the circle from
Argentina
didn’t phase the
U.S.
bats as Kristie
Fox (
San Diego
,
CA
) drove a single to
centerfield plating Duran for the 4-0 lead.
Two more runs in the bottom of the fifth lifted the
U.S.
to a 6-0 advantage
thanks to the lead off bat of Jodie Legaspi (
Garden Grove
,
CA
), who finished
2-for-3, as she ripped a solo homerun to left center. Desiree Williams (
Tucson
,
AZ
) then singled to
right field before three errors from the
Argentina
defense allowed
Williams to score the second run of the inning.
The
U.S.
sealed the win 7-0
in the sixth with a hard hit double to right center from Emily Zaplatosch (
Scottsdale
,
AZ
) and a triple to
left field from Lowe.
“I really thought it was a good game,” head coach Pam
Newton
said. “They (
Argentina
) started very
tough and made some very good plays. But finally our bats started to come alive
and things went very well for us. We very happy for our team to get this win
because we know it takes one game at a time and we have to get through each game
everyday.”
Going 2-for-2, Lowe leads the
U.S.
offense after two
games in World Championship action hitting .800 (4-for-5). As a team, the Junior
Women are hitting .432 with a 0.00 ERA.
Continuing pool play the U.S. Junior Women will return to the field on
Wednesday, October 15 battling
Thailand
at
11:30 a.m.
(
11:30 p.m. EST
(Oct. 14) and
Canada
at
7:30 p.m.
(
7:30 a.m. EST
(Oct. 15).
CHINESE
TAIPEI
3,
RUSSIA
1
After soundly defeating
Argentina
and
Thailand
in their first two games, Chinese Taipei took
on the tougher Russian team and immediately staked their turf.
The Russians, who suddenly loomed as a contender after edging
Canada
1-0, put their first two batters on – a walk to Irina Skarzhinskaya and a
single by Marina Slyunchenko – but stymied the rally with two fielder’s
choice plays to cut down front runners.
Taipei
scored two runs in the bottom of the 1st.
Leadoff batter Meng Ting beat out an infield hit and Meng Yao reached on
an error at 3rd. Teng was
thrown out trying to steal 2nd, but Meng Yao and Ming Shu (single)
scored on a triple by Mien Fang.
Russia
answered with a run in the 4th.
Slyunchenko got her second hit and scored on Gavrilova Oxana’s
grounder.
Going into the 5th, Chinese Taipei had five
hits, the Russians three, as both defenses stiffened.
The Russians had survived a two-out bases-loaded situation in the 3rd.
In the bottom of the 5th,
Taipei
added an insurance run. Ming Shu
reached on an error at 3rd – the second at that position and third
of the game – but was retired on a fielder’s choice hit by Mien Fang, who
scored on a single by Wei Ping, for a 3-1 lead.
Russia
threatened in the 6th when Anastassia Boukharova singled with two
out but Olga Plenkina flied out to right.
Russia
began the game with Anna Moiseeva on the mound, and relieved her in the 3rd
with Marina Poddubskaya, down 2-0. In
the 6th, with
Taipei
up 3-1,
Russia
brought in Daria Shembereva to strike out the last batter.
Ming Hui pitched the entire game for Chinese Taipei.
Russia
began the top of the 7th with pinch hitters Shembereva and Zolina
Guiniatova, who went down quickly. Leadoff
hitter Irina Skarzhinskaya kept hopes alive with a hard-hit single to right.,
but was out stealing to end the game.
CANADA
8,
NETHERLANDS
1
After being limited to one hit by
Russia
, the Canadians came out swinging. First
inning singles by Melanie Matthews and Erin McLean did not produce a run.
But,
Canada
took charge of the game with five runs in the 2nd.
Noemi Marin reached on an error at 1st; Alicia Spitzig
launched a triple over the right fielder’s head for the first run, and scored
when Matthews’ grounder was misplayed by the shortstop.
McLean
walked, and Alisia Norowdowski drove in the third run with a single.
Danielle Lawrie, who was pitching a strong game, helped her cause with a
two-run single to right field, boosting the lead to 5-0.
Canada
would add three more runs to remain in strong contention in their pool.
Nadine Van Roode started for the
Netherlands
.
Scores still to come:
Japan vs Korea
Czech
Republic
vs
China
Photos
- Jackie
Rinehart of the
USA
races the ball to 1st base.
- The
Chinese have a drum corps and thousands of fans at each game.
Spy Softball Home
Page