OKLAHOMA CITY – The USA Softball Women’s National Teams pitchers’ were lights out en route to two shutout contests in day one of the USA Softball International Cup.  USA Blue (Japan All-Star Series roster) posted a 15-0 (three innings) win over Czech Republic while USA Red (World Championship roster) earned a 14-0 (four innings) win over Peru.

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USA Blue 15, Czech Republic 0 (three innings)

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Scoring four, five and six runs through the first three innings of play, the USA Blue offense put on a show in their opening contest of the USA Softball International Cup. Behind a no-hitter from Delanie Gourley (Lakeside, Calif.), USA Blue combined for 12 hits in the shutout win.

With Gourley retiring the side in order with strikeouts in the top of the first inning, USA Blue got on the board in the bottom of the frame as a leadoff walk was issued to Kelly Kretschman (Indian Harbour, Fla.).  Moving to second on a sac bunt from Sis Bates (Ceres, Calif.), a double from Hannah Flippen (Bonita, Calif.) allowed Kretschman to score from second for the first run of the game.  A single from Amanda Chidester (Allen Park, Mich.) put two runners on for Amanda Lorenz (Moorpark, Calif.), who sent a ball flying over the fence for a three-run shot to make it an early 4-0 game.

Another three-strikeout performance from Gourley in the top of the second brought the potent USA Blue offense back to the dish.  Jenna Lilley (North Canton, Ohio) kept the momentum going with an inside-the-park home run after the right fielder dove and missed a fly ball down the foul line.  A single from Kretschman put a runner on with no outs before Flippen drove a ball just over the center fielder’s glove at the fence for a two-run home run.  Chidester followed suit with a solo shot, extending the lead to 8-0.

The offense kept rolling as Bubba Nickles (Merced, Calif.) doubled to bring Lorenz home after she reached on a walk to make it 9-0, USA Blue, after two complete innings.

The game would be decided via run-rule in the bottom of the third after USA Blue plated six runs.  Courtesy of a three-run, Flippen home run, Kylan Becker (Miami, Fla.) being hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and a ground ball from Nicolette Udria (Covina, Calif.) bringing Ally Carda (Elk Grove, Calif.) home, USA Blue claimed the 15-0 (three innings) win.

Flippen had a day at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with six RBI, three runs scored and two home runs.  Gourley earned the complete-game win, pitching three hitless innings with seven strikeouts.

USA Red 14, Peru 0 (four innings)

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A slow offensive start did not last long as USA Red soared to a 14-0 (four innings) shutout win over Peru in their USA Softball International Cup opener.   Highlighted by three home runs and a no-hitter by two USA Red pitchers, the team combined for 11 hits in the contest.

The game remained scoreless through the first two innings of play.  USA Red looked to score in the top of the second inning after Michelle Moultrie (Jacksonville, Fla.) singled and Delaney Spaulding (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) walked to put two on with two outs, but a fly out to center ended the threat.  USA Red starter Rachel Garcia (Palmdale, Calif.) came out firing in the circle, dealing five strikeouts through two innings in her first international appearance.

The scoring began for USA Red in the top of the third after Aubree Munro (Brea, Calif.) led off with a single and advanced to second on a sac bunt from Haylie McCleney (Morris, Ala.).  With a 0-1 count, Janie Reed (Placentia, Calif.) crushed a ball over the center field fence to make it 2-0, USA Red.  Back-to-back walks to Ali Aguilar (Orangevale, Calif.) and Valerie Arioto (Pleasanton, Calif.) put two on with no outs for Kasey Cooper (Dothan, Ala.), who doubled to plate both runners.

With Cooper on second, Moultrie picked up her second hit of the game with a two-run shot over the right-field fence.  A walk to Spaulding and back-to-back singles from Garcia and Munro loaded the bases until a sac fly from McCleney plated another run.  Two more runs would cross the plate in the at-bat after Reed singled and a fielding error by the Peru defense allowed two USA Red runners to score.

Two additional strikeouts from Garcia brought USA Red back to bat as the offense continued to dish out hits. Singles from Moultrie and Spaulding put two on before pinch-hitter Taylor Edwards (Murrieta, Calif.) stepped to the plate for her first international at-bat. Edwards delivered on the first pitch of the at-bat, driving a home run over center field as USA Red extended their lead to 12-0. Two hit batters and three walks brought in the final two runs of the contest, giving USA Red a comfortable 14-0 lead through the top of the fourth.

Down to Peru’s final at-bat, Kelly Barnhill (Marietta, Ga.) entered in relief for Garcia, retiring the side in order to hand USA Red the 14-0 (four innings) win.

Canada comes from behind to stay perfect in pool play

Canada was tested early at the USA Softball International Cup, but remained perfect to stay ahead of the pack in their pool.  Earning two wins in their doubleheader today, Canada started the day with a 9-4 win over Mexico before edging out Venezuela in a 3-2, walk-off win.

Scrap Yard Fast Pitch shuts out competition; Puerto Rico goes 1-1 on the day

Behind a three-hit, shutout performance from Cheridan Hawkins in the circle, Scrap Yard Fast Pitch secured a 7-0 (five innings) win over Puerto Rico in their first matchup of the USA Softball International Cup.  Puerto Rico had earned a 5-0, shutout win over China earlier in the day after a five-run second inning and 11 strikeouts from G. Juarez in the circle.

Tickets are still available for the USA Softball International Cup, and can be purchased outside of Deanna Manning Stadium at the Bill Barber Park Ticket Booth.  For complete coverage of the USA Softball International Cup, including rosters, live stats, streaming and results log on to USASoftballInternationalCup.com

About USA Softball

USA Softball 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 Committee. One of the nation’s largest sports organizations, USA Softball sanctions competition in every state through a network of 69 local associations and has grown from a few hundred teams in the early days to over 150,000 teams today, representing a membership of more than 2 million.  USA Softball 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.  USA Softball annually conducts thousands of tournaments throughout the country including over 100 National Championships.  The USA Softball 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, USA Softball 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 USA Softball, including its founding and history as the Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA), please visit, www.USASoftball.com

Codi Warren I Managing Director of Communications

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