CANADA CLINCHES SPOT IN THIRD STRAIGHT OLYMPICS

2003-07-26

GUAYNABO, PUERTO RICO – Canada’s women’s national softball team was perfect when it needed to be, coming through with victories in all ten games it played at the Olympic qualifier for the Americas region here, including two today – by scores of 3-2 and 3-0 – in the best-of-three playoff series against the Dominican Republic.

The victory means that all eight teams for the 2004 Olympic softball competition are now set. Canada had missed the chance to be among the first few when they failed to finish in the top four of the ISF Women’s World Championship one year ago in their own country. The United States, Japan, Chinese Taipei, and China finished 1-4 respectively there, gaining a ticket to Athens in the process. An Olympic qualifier was then held this March in Sydney, Australia for the Asia/Oceania region, with Australia emerging, gaining their third straight Olympic appearance. Last month, Italy won the Africa/Europe Olympic qualifier in their home country to advance to the ’04 Games. And Greece had already been given a spot among the eight by virtue of their hosting the Olympics.

The Dominican Republic was trying to earn their first trip to the Olympics. Next year’s Games will be the third for women’s softball.

In addition to the one in today’s second game, six of Team Canada’s eight victories in double round robin competition here this week were by shutout, allowing just one run in each of the other two games.

In the first game, Canada brought out pitcher Lauren Bay, who’d been injured prior to the tournament, and as a result had made just two brief appearances in relief during double round robin play.

No one in attendance at Donna Terry Stadium would have believed there was a thing wrong with the left-hander as she retired the first 17 batters of the game and registered her tenth strikeout to end the game in the bottom of the seventh after the previous batter broke up her no-hitter in grand fashion, hitting a two-run homer to leave the Dominicans one run short, falling 3-2.

Dominican Republic pitcher Melissa Penna struck out the first three batters of the game, but Canada came back in the top of the second, getting the game’s first – and what seemed like it might be only – run when, with the bases loaded and one out, Kim Sarrazin scored on a ground ball by Erin Cumpstone, who was thrown out at first. Third baseman Cindy Eadie followed by popping out in foul territory to end the inning and send the teams into what would be 4½ scoreless innings.

Canada mounted a threat in the bottom of the third when it loaded the bases, but was unable to score.

The Dominicans, on the other hand, couldn’t even get a runner on base until the bottom of the sixth when, with two out, Bay walked Luisa Núnez, whose pinch runner proceeded to be caught stealing during the very next at-bat to end the inning.

Finally, in the top of the seventh, Canada broke through with the runs it would need.

With two out and the bases loaded, Erin White made good contact on a ball that went into centerfield, and allowed two runs to score before the centerfielder finally fielded it and threw White out at second base to end the inning. Little did Canada know, those would turn out to be two big runs.

The leadoff hitter for the Dominicans in the bottom of the seventh reached first base on an error, but that on-base opportunity was quickly voided when shortstop Massiel Lasosé hit into a double play. Bay worked the count on the next batter, Flor D. Florián Alcántara to one strike away from ending the game and securing a no-hitter. But Florián Alcántara drew a walk, and Geovanny Núnez Garcia, who hit three home runs during double round robin play, stepped to the plate and smacked the first pitch over the right-centerfield fence to cut the Canada lead to 3-2. Bay would not be defeated though. She struck out the next batter, Leidy Paulino Fernández, to end the game and keep Canada unbeaten at this event (9-0). Team Canada second baseman Kristy Odamura went 3- for-4 at the plate and recorded a stolen base.

Heads were turning before the second game even started (at 4:00) when Canada coach Mike Renney turned in his starting lineup, again with Bay as his starting pitcher (game 1 started at 12 Noon). (Elizabeth Sanchez got the nod in the second game for the Dominican Republic.)

Although it took the Dominicans until just the second inning of Game 2 – just before which light rain started to fall – to get their first hit off Bay, after an inning and a half she’d already struck out four of the first seven batters.

As they’d done in the first game, Canada opened the scoring in the second inning. This time it was to the tune of three runs against Sanchez, who seemed to get untracked along the way, being pulled in favor of Hilma Díaz, who got the first batter she faced to fly out to end the inning. Kim Sarrazin had walked to open the inning, followed by back-to-back bunt singles by Erin White and Alison Bradley to load the bases. The latter play caused some confusion among the Dominican fielders who wondered why Sanchez fielded the ball but didn’t throw it to any base. Out came the coach to try to settle the team down, but Sanchez hit the very next batter (Erin Cumpstone), which scored Sarrazin. In the next plate appearance, the number nine hitter, Cindy Eadie, brought in two more runs when her outfield hit resulted in her reaching second but Cumpstone being thrown out in a rundown between second and third. A fielder’s choice, an infield single, and a walk later, the Dominican coach had seen enough, and gave Sanchez the hook.

Two of the first three Dominican batters singled in the top of the next inning, but the two runners would be left on base when Bay struck out Luisa Núnez to send the game to the bottom of the third with Canada still up 3-0. When the teams came out to start the bottom of the third, the Dominicans had their third pitcher in the circle, replacing Díaz with Melissa Penna.

No more runs would cross the plate the rest of the game for either team though, and Bay held the Dominicans hitless in innings 4, 5, 6, and 7, to secure the 3- 0 win. Bay finished with 12 strikeouts. The Canadians had a game total of seven hits.

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