OPENING CEREMONIES HIGHLIGHT FIRST DAY AT WUSC

(Half of the eight teams – from left to right, Japan, Netherlands, Chinese Taipei, and USA – are seen standing on the field during Opening Ceremonies in the photo above)

Eight countries are represented in Plant City, Florida where eight games took place today as the 1st World University Softball Championship began (related links at end of article). Australia, Canada, China, Chinese Taipei, Guatemala, Japan, the Netherlands, and USA all have a team at the fast pitch event that features female participants between the ages of 17 and 28. Previously published entrants Russia and Uganda were unable to attend due to visa problems.

In between the two sets of four games today were Opening Ceremonies, which kicked off the event by having the procession of athletes – led by members of the Brandon High School softball team – into Plant City Stadium, the Color Guard, the U.S. national anthem (performed by Taryn Livingston), and speeches from International Softball Federation (ISF) President Don Porter, Plant City Mayor Mike Sparkman, United States Collegiate Sports Council (USCSC) President Gary Cunningham, International University Sports Federation (FISU) Executive Committee member Tai-Cheng Chen, & FISU President George Killian, with a closing performance by local dance troupe Entertainment Revue.

The four afternoon games that preceded Opening Ceremonies offered both offense and defense, with two games ending by a 2-0 score, and the other two combining for a total of 17 runs.

China defeated Guatemala, 9-2, in a game that saw Lixia Zhang as the starting pitcher for China, for whom she had pitched two months ago at the Olympic Softball competition in Athens, Greece. Her team jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first and proceeded to score at least one run in every inning thereafter, except the fifth. Guatemala got both of their runs in the bottom of the fourth. China was led offensively by Xue Wang, who went 4-for-5 at the plate and scored two runs.

Elsewhere, Canada scored a run right off the bat in the top of the first inning, but were held scoreless the rest of the way in a 5-1 loss to Chinese Taipei. The winners came right back with three runs of their own in the bottom of the first, then put the game away when they scored twice in the bottom of the sixth. Chinese Taipei’s defense was very strong, but the real nailbiters were…

Softball rivals Japan and USA squared off in a game that would end up seeing a combined total of just seven hits between the two teams, with the U.S. emerging victorious, 2-0. The winners got both of their runs in the fifth inning and pitcher Alicia Hollowell recorded nine strikeouts. At the plate, the team was led by first baseman Andrea Duran, who went 2-for-4 and scored the game’s first run.

Meanwhile, the Netherlands and Australia were locked in a similar duel, with the Aussies coming out as the 2-0 winners in that game. Starting pitcher Jocelyn McCallum and her teammates retired the first 12 Netherlands batters in a row to start the game, while on the offensive side, third and sixth inning runs accounted for all of the game’s offense.

In the night games, Australia won a 10-0 run-rule game over Guatemala to get off to a 2-0 start.

Also, Canada evened its record by defeating Japan, 5-3. In the bottom of the sixth, Japan scored the game’s first two runs, but Canada came back in the top of the seventh with five runs, before holding off their opponent in the bottom half of the inning, when they only scored one more time. The winners sent ten batters to the plate in the top of the seventh.

USA’s record also fell to 1-1 when they dropped a 3-2 decision to Chinese Taipei. The U.S. was held to just four hits and right fielder Hsiao-Li Kung went 2-for-3 with a run scored, as Chinese Taipei improved to 2-0. All three of their runs came in the top of the first inning, with the U.S. cutting the lead to one with a two-run sixth inning.

And, China and the Netherlands (see photo below) played to the same score, with China coming out on top after both teams scored all their runs in the seventh inning. Zhang went the distance for the winners while the Dutch countered with Rebecca Soumery and Sandra Baart. With two out in the bottom of the seventh, Wang, the offensive star of the team’s afternoon game, drove in China’s second and third runs to complete the come-from-behind win.

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