PITCHING DUELS, NO-HITTER HIGHLIGHT TODAY’S PLAY AT OLYMPIC QUALIFIER

2003-07-24

Puerto Rico’s Jessica van der Linden, who plays collegiately for Florida State, isn’t available to either team right now, as a result of an injury suffered at the beginning of the month. Team Canada pitcher Lauren Bay, who also plays college ball in the United States (Oklahoma State), is nursing an injury as well and has made just two brief relief appearances thus far.

But that didn’t stop pitching from gaining the spotlight today at the Olympic qualifier for the Americas region in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.

Contrary to yesterday, when none of the four games went the full seven innings, today’s first two games went nine and seven innings, respectively. And even though the third was an international “mercy run rule” game, accolades were still in order for pitching, as the winners held their opponent without a hit.

The day began with the Dominican Republic taking on Canada, who came into the game unbeaten and had won four of their five games by shutout.

Canada pitcher Kelly Zeilstra didn’t get off to the start that great pitchers are made of, walking the first batter she faced. Two batters later there were two outs, but the runner now on third base. Geovanny Núnez Garcia, nicknamed “Sosa,” came to the plate, and, conscious of Garcia’s two big home runs yesterday, Zeilstra opted for an intentional walk. She struck out the next batter to end the inning.

Oddly, Dominican Republic pitcher Elizabeth Sánchez put the first batter she faced on base too, hitting Rachel Schill with the pitch. There she’d stay though as the next three consecutive batters were retired, and the teams mimicked each other again in the second, each sending just four players to the plate.

The Dominicans had a runner at third in the top of the third inning, but left her stranded, and Team Canada went three-up and three-down in the bottom half of the inning.

When both teams went three-up and three down in the fifth inning, everyone at Donna Terry Stadium was likely starting to think about extra innings.

Canada loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth inning, then watched the next two batters foul out and line out, and extra innings were all but assured.

Both teams went 1-2-3 in the seventh, and then entered the first extra inning of the tournament.

As even as the teams were in innings 1-7, they did the same again in the eighth, only this time by each scoring once.

With the runner placed on second base to start the inning, per the international rule, the Dominican Republic’s first batter of the top of the eighth reached on a bunt single, the runner held, and up came Flor D. Florián Alcántara, who promptly drove in the game’s first run but bunting, reaching second base when the first baseman was overthrown. That’s where their offense would stop though. Canada shut them down defensively the rest of the inning, then came to bat with their perfect record in jeopardy.

Meaggan Wilton was the runner placed on second base to start the bottom of the eighth inning, and she quickly moved to third on the first batter’s sacrifice bunt. Rachel Schill then struck out and suddenly Canada was one out away from its first loss. But, Kristy Odamura, staring at a full count, stayed alive by fouling off two more pitches before getting the one she needed, blooping a single just over the third baseman’s head that the left fielder couldn’t get to quick enough, and the game was tied. When the next batter flew out, the drama had gone for naught and the teams were headed for another extra inning.

The runner placed on second to start the top of the ninth got as far as third, but the Dominicans came up empty, and now it was Canada’s turn to prevent the game from becoming a marathon.

They did it in grand fashion.

With Angela Lichty placed on second base to start the inning, Erin White came to the plate and grounded out, with Lichty holding. An intentional walk was issued to Jackie Lance, and Kim Sarrazin laid into a 1-2 pitch over the left field fence, for a three-run home run and 4-1 win.

The Dominican Republic had to shake it off quickly and get its second wind as they were scheduled to in the next game, against Venezuela.

The Dominicans had more than enough in them for two games, giving a repeat performance in a game that would need to full seven regulation innings to decide a winner.

After 4½ innings, only four runners had gotten on base between the two teams combined.

The Dominican Republic dug down deep in the top of the sixth and used a walk, a Venezuela error, and a single to load the bases. When Luisa Núnez Garcia singled, in came what would prove to be the winning run.

Venezuela loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the sixth inning, only to have Melissa Penna strike out the next batter, then record the third out when the next batter fly out.

When the Dominicans came out of the top of the seventh empty, it took just a 1- 2-3 inning for Venezuela in their final at-bat to seal the 1-0 victory. For the game, Venezuela was held to just two hits.

If playing back-to-back games totaling 16 innings was a task, so too was the tournament’s only winless team facing the event’s only unbeaten team.

Team Canada put Alison Bradley, normally an outfielder, in the circle to pitch against a Cayman Islands team that had scored two runs over its five games to that point.

Canada scored four times in the first inning, six in the second, and five in the fourth, and just like that, the game was over, under the international “mercy run rule,” which allows for a game to be called if a team is trailing by 20 runs after three innings, 15 after four, or seven after five.

In all likelihood, the Canadians will finish the double round robin portion of the event undefeated, as they have just one game left, tomorrow against the Cayman Islands again.

The night ended with the host team trying to stay alive for the second and only other playoff spot (Canada has clinched the first). Puerto Rico took on a Venezuela team it had edged 2-1 two nights ago.

Like that game and like the first two of today’s games went, this too was close.

The teams mirrored each other in the first three innings, each going three-and- out in the first and then each sending just four batters to the plate in both the second and third.

Still scoreless going into the fourth, Puerto Rico got its first runner on base via a hit batsman, but would leave her and another runner stranded when the inning ended.

Venezuela banged out a couple hits in the bottom half of the inning, but they too came away with nothing to show for it.

After Puerto Rico went three up and three down in the top of the fifth, Venezuela got a runner as far as third base in the bottom of the fifth, but the scoreless tie remained headed into the sixth.

Just like that, ten batters later, it was the bottom of the seventh, and still no score. A tournament that had had no extra innings games over its first three days suddenly appeared headed for two on the fourth day.

But the script called for much more of an attention-getter.

Angelica Irigoyen walked to start off the inning, then, after a ground out, was moved to third on a double by teammate Riera Maribel. No one could have guessed though that Irigoyen would score the winning run by virtue of a wild pitch. The ball slipped out of the hand of Puerto Rico’s Yelissa Rivera and actually went back and to the left instead of straight. Venezuela had snapped a three-game losing streak.

Puerto Rico finished with just two hits against Venezuela pitcher Marianela Castellanos.

The standings heading into the final day are as follows (runs against, the second tiebreaker after head-to-head, in parenthesis):

Canada, 7-0 (2)
Dominican Republic, 4-2 (5)
Puerto Rico, 3-4 (23)
Venezuela 2-4 (20)
Cayman Islands, 0-6 (73)

Friday’s schedule of the final games in double round robin play:

2:00 p.m. – Venezuela vs. Dominican Republic
4:00 p.m. – Canada vs. Cayman Islands
6:00 p.m. – Cayman Islands vs. Venezuela
8:00 p.m. – Dominican Republic vs. Puerto Rico

Follow the games live online via the link to the Live Scoreboard at the top of the homepage. Talk about the tournament in the “Our National Team” category of the ISF Forum using the link below.

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