Team Canada Bests Team Australia 8-2 at Tri Nations Cup

[daylightkate]

Okay, so I'm allowed to brag. We just have to keep our fingers crossed. We have been very fortunate to be able to witness some spectacular ball here in the last week. Team, Australia, Venezuela and Canada have been playing in our back yard for the past week in exhibition games. Yesterday was the start of the Tri-Nations Cup which is part of the Road to Beijing group of tournaments. They will all be heading out to BC afterwards for Canada Cup. We had the opportunity to spend some time with the Aussie's and they are a great group of ladies. The 3rd baseman (Natalie Titcume) scares the crap out of me though. I wouldn't even attempt a steal at home with her behind the plate. Fantastic individual!

Here is the press release on yesterdays game Canada vs. Australia. Team Canada will be playing Japan this evening.

uly 6th, 2008

(Kitchener, ON) - After a bit of a slow start, Canada's Senior Women's National Team scored eight unanswered runs to defeat Australia 8-2 in the opening game of the Tri Nations Cup. Jennifer Yee (North Delta, BC) and Kaleigh Rafter (Guelph, ON) each connected with homeruns in the fifth inning to put the game out of reach.

Team Australia got off to a quick start in the top of the first when leadoff hitter Simonne Morrow doubled down the left field line and later scored on a groundout. They then added to that slim lead in the second when Natalie Ward scored from third base on a wild pitch.

Canada finally got things going in the bottom of the third inning. Melanie Matthews (Surrey, BC) led off the inning with a solid line drive to the left-center field gap for a double. Erin McLean (Whitby, ON) followed up with an RBI single, and later scored on a single by Alison Bradley (Pinkerton, ON) to tie the game up at 2-2. With Sheena Lawrick (Calgary,
SB) on third and Bradley on first, Bradley attempted to steal second and induced a rundown between first and second, allowing Lawrick to cross the plate to give Canada a 3-2 lead through three innings of play.

The score remained the same until the bottom of the fifth, when Jennifer Yee smashed a leadoff homerun over the centerfield fence off relief pitcher Felicity Witt. That seemed to spark the Canadian bats, as Lawrick later walked and scored on an RBI double by Alison Bradley down the third base line. After Bradley was thrown out at home on a single by Megan Timpf (Port Dover, ON), Erin Cumpstone (Saskatoon, SK) drew a walk and Kaleigh Rafter followed with a three-run homerun to round out the scoring.

Robin Mackin (Newmarket, ON) pitched four solid innings to earn the victory in the pitcher's circle. She allowed both Australia runs on three hits and five walks. Danielle Lawrie (Langley, BC) came on in relief to start the fifth inning and did not give up a hit in two innings, walking one batter and striking out three. Dione Meier (Saskatoon, SK) threw a perfect seventh inning by striking out the side to seal the Canadian victory.

Australia (0-1) will take on Japan (0-0) at 6:00pm EDT at Peter Hallman Ballyard in Kitchener, ON. Japan will then take on Canada (1-0) immediately following that game to finish the short round-robin.