HOUSTON, Texas – The USA Softball Women’s National Team (WNT) picked up another win over Scrap Yard Fast Pitch, this time a 7-2 victory, as the team continues their Pan American Games preparation. In the fourth meeting between the two squads in the last week, the U.S. was led by Sahvanna Jaquish (Highland, Calif.), who hit two, three-run home runs and drove in all but one run for Team USA.
Click here for box scores from the Houston Series
Scrap Yard struck first in the bottom of the second after a one out walk and triple plated the first run of the game. The U.S. offense put runners on base but did not score until the fifth and sixth innings when the team drove in four and three runs, respectively.
Delaney Spaulding (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) led off the top of the fifth by reaching on an error by the Scrap Yard defense. Ali Aguilar (Orangevale, Calif.) followed with a single that broke through the infield to put two on for Jaquish, who sent the ball over the left field fence to give Team USA the lead. Back-to-back doubles by Kelsey Stewart (Wichita, Kan.) and Haylie McCleney (Morris, Ala.) continued the momentum, adding another run to the lead to make it a 4-1, U.S. ballgame.
In their next at-bat, Spaulding was hit by a pitch to put one on with one out before advancing to second on a walk to Aguilar. Then on an 0-1 count, Jaquish squared up on the ball for the second time in the contest, breaking open the game to give Team USA a six-run lead.
Scrap Yard threatened in their final at-bat of the game after a solo home run cut the lead to five runs and three singles loaded the bases with one out, but back-to-back strikeouts ended the game with Team USA earning the 7-2 win.
Jaquish racked up six RBI in a 2-for-3 outing at the plate while Cat Osterman (Houston, Texas) picked up the win in the circle. Osterman tossed the first four innings, striking out five batters while allowing one run on three hits. Monica Abbott (Salinas, Calif.) entered in the bottom of the fifth, striking out seven while allowing one run on four hits.
Team USA and Scrap Yard Fast Pitch face off again at 7 p.m. CT on Monday, July 29. Admission is free, while live stats and live streaming are available 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.