2012 Team USA Cumulative Stats
WHITEHORSE, Y.T. – The USA Softball Women’s National team defeated Japan in extra innings on Saturday at the International Softball Federation (ISF) World Championships to earn a spot in Sunday’s championship game the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) of America announced today. Lauren Gibson (Pasadena, Md.) was key in the American’s win as she homered for the fourth time in the tournament and drove in another run late in the game.
“I thought we played really well as a team,” said Gibson. “We kept fighting and did a great job of combining hits and driving in runs when we had people on base.”
Keilani Ricketts (San Jose, Calif.) got her ninth win of the year for Team USA. The 2012 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year went just one and a third innings but came up big retiring the final four Japan batters of the game. Jackie Traina (Naples, Fla.) started the game in the circle for the USA going two and third innings before Chelsea Thomas (Pleasantville, Iowa) entered in relief. Thomas threw four and a third scoreless innings. The USA pitchers combined for five strikeouts while surrendering just one run on seven Japanese hits.
“Chelsea Thomas showed tremendous heart coming in to hold Japan at bay for four innings,” said USA Head Coach Ken Eriksen. “We’ve told our pitching staff all year long to hold the other team at zero as much as we can and really a one-to-one game into extra innings is holding them at zero. She won’t get the win or even the save but what she did in the ball game to help us get the win was phenomenal.”
Yukiko Ueno was credited with her first loss of the tournament as she went the complete eight innings in the circle for Japan.
Gibson put the Americans on the board early in the game when she homered to center field with two outs in the top of the first inning. The USA lead held until the bottom of the third when Misa Okubo scored off of an RBI single from Yukiyo Mine for Japan.
Each team picked up three more hits but neither could convert additional runs in regulation and after seven innings the game was still tied at one run apiece.
As the visitors, USA batted first in the eighth inning. Molly Johnson (Lexington, Ky.) began the inning at second base by way of the international tie breaker rule. Christi Orgeron (New Orlean, La.) wasted no time giving USA the go-ahead run when she belted a double to left field scoring Johnson. Later in the at-bat, with two outs, Gibson came through again for the American team when she doubled scoring Orgeron from second base to give USA the 3-1 lead.
Eri Yamada began the bottom half of the inning on second base for Japan but three straight outs for Ricketts and the USA defense kept her from crossing the plate.
With Saturday’s win USA advances to the finals where they will look to win their tenth overall ISF World Championship and eighth in a row. USA must wait to find out who they will play in the finals. Japan and Australia will compete in the bronze medal game tomorrow at 1:00 PM (PT) and the winner of that game will advance to play the United States at 4:00 PM (PT). The games will be aired via webcast at sportscanada.tv. Complete coverage of the World Championships can be found at www.usasoftball.com.