Lafayette, La. – One run proved to be enough as the USA Softball Women’s National Team (WNT) played textbook softball in a 1-0 shutout win over Scrap Yard Fast Pitch. With strong pitching by three U.S. pitchers, timely hitting and flawless defense, a sac fly by Ali Aguilar (Orangevale, Calif.) pushed across the sole run of the game in the top of the first. With the win, Team USA takes a 2-1 series lead over Scrap Yard Fast Pitch and now takes the series to Houston, Texas.
Click here for box scores from the Lafayette Series
“Louisiana did a fantastic job of hosting us this week as we train for the Pan American Games,” said WNT Head Coach, Ken Eriksen (Tampa, Fla./Head Coach at South Florida). “It was good to get these three exhibition games and to have another three in Houston because exhibition games like these provide opportunities to work on stuff. We did a nice job with our pitching staff by getting them in and out of situations because that’s what they’ll be experiencing in Lima. We faced some tough pitchers these last three games, which gives us something to learn from. If you don’t see these type of pitchers then you’re not prepared.”
It was a pitcher’s game as both sides combined for five total hits through the seven-inning contest. For Scrap Yard, Alexis Silkwood limited the U.S. offense to just two hits while Rachel Garcia (Palmdale, Calif.), Cat Osterman (Houston, Texas) and Monica Abbott (Salinas, Calif.) kept Scrap Yard off the board with just three hits between them while striking out 11 batters total.
Garcia retired Scrap Yard in order in the top of the first to bring Team USA to the plate. Kirsti Merritt (Lake Panasoffkee, Fla.) put the leadoff batter on for the home team with a single to right field, then stole second to put a runner in scoring position. Advancing to third on a chopper to the pitcher, Merritt tagged up on a fly ball to left off the bat of Aguilar and crossed the plate to put Team USA up 1-0.
After scoring in the bottom of the first, it was a pretty quiet offensive night throughout the remainder of the contest. Scrap Yard recorded their first hit of the game in the top of the second while Team USA returned the favor in the bottom of the frame with neither side advancing the runner. A few hits and pair of walks were all both sides managed throughout the rest of the game.
In the circle, Abbott picked up the win in her relief outing, striking out six batters while allowing one hit in the final two innings of play. Garcia fanned two batters with two hits allowed through the first three innings while Osterman dealt three strikeouts in two innings.
Team USA and Scrap Yard Fast Pitch now head to the Houston-metro for the final three games of their series at Scrap Yard Sports Complex. A 6 p.m. CT contest on Sunday, July 28 and 7 p.m. CT games on Monday, July 29 and Tuesday, July 30 conclude the series.
Admission for all three contests is free, while live stats and live streaming are available for each of Team USA’s games against Scrap Yard Fast Pitch with links at USASoftball.com.
About USA Softball
USA Softball (USAS) is a 501(c)(3) not-for profit organization headquartered in Oklahoma City, Okla., and is designated as the National Governing Body (NGB) of Softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee. One of the nation’s largest sports organizations, USAS sanctions competition through a network of Local Associations, which includes all 50 states and select metro associations. USAS is dedicated to providing people of all ages the opportunity to play the game they love at a variety of levels by offering recreational, league, tournament and competitive play for fast pitch, slow pitch and modified pitch. USAS annually conducts thousands of tournaments throughout the country including over 100 National Championships. The USAS umpire program is among the nation’s largest and are widely known as the best trained umpires in the game.
As the NGB for the sport of softball, USAS is responsible for training, equipping and promoting the six USA Softball National Teams that compete in events such as the Olympics, Pan American Games, World Championships and other international and domestic events. For more information on USAS, including its founding and history as the Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA), please visit, www.USASoftball.com.