IRVINE, Calif. – The action continued at the USA Softball International Cup as USA Blue (Japan All-Star Series roster) posted an 18-0 (three innings) win over Colombia while USA Red (World Championship roster) had an off day in their pool play schedule.

Click here for box scores from the USA Softball International Cup

USA Blue 18, Colombia 0 (three innings)

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Five USA Blue batters had multi-hit performances at the plate as the team exploded for an 18-0 (three innings) win over Colombia.  Powered by a grand slam courtesy of Nicolette Udria (Covina, Calif.), all but three USA Blue batters scored in the shutout win.

The offense got started early in the top of the first inning when Sis Bates (Ceres, Calif.) came around to score on a Hannah Flippen (San Diego, Calif.) double.  Additional singles from Amanda Lorenz (Moorpark, Calif.) and Mo Mercado (Temecula, Calif.) plated the final two runs of the inning.

An error by the USA Blue defense allowed the sole base runner of the game for Colombia with two outs in the bottom of the frame, however a ground out to Carley Hoover (Clemson, S.C.) in the circle kept the game at a 3-0, USA Blue lead.

The scoring broke open for USA Blue in the top of the second inning after Jazmyn Jackson (San Jose, Calif.) led off with a single through the left side.  Flippen recorded her second double of the game to plate Jackson and then a walk to Amanda Chidester (Allen Park, Mich.) and a hit-by-pitch to Lorenz loaded the bases.  With a 1-1 count, Udria pelted a ball over the center field fence for a grand slam, extending the USA Blue lead to 8-0.

The offense kept rolling with back-to-back doubles from Mercado and Dejah Mulipola (Garden Grove, Calif.), a single from Jackson, a double from Bates and a triple from Jenna Lilley (North Canton, Ohio), making it a 13-0 lead for USA Blue.

Hoover retired the Colombia offense in order in the bottom of the second, bringing the USA Blue to what would be their final at-bat of the contest. A bases-loaded walk to Mulipola, single from Jackson, a fielding error by Colombia’s defense and a single from Kylan Becker (Miami, Fla.) plated the final three runs of the game for USA Blue.

Holding a comfortable lead, Ally Carda (Elk Grove, Calif.) entered the circle for USA Blue. Carda picked up right where Hoover left off, dishing out three strikeouts for the 18-0 (three innings) win.

Udria picked up four RBI in the contest while Becker, Flippen, Lilley, Mulipola, and Jackson each picked up two RBI.  In the circle, Hoover earned the win after pitching two hitless innings with one strikeout while Carda finished the contest with three strikeouts.

Notable July 11 performances

Japan outlasts Canada in 7-1 battle

With the game tied up at one run each through four innings of play, it was Japan who emerged victorious in a 7-1 win over Canada.  With the help of a four-run sixth inning, Japan was fueled by Minori Naito at the plate whose sac fly in the top of the fifth gave Japan a 2-1 lead that would eventually be expanded upon.

China picks up first win of the USA Softball International Cup with a 7-0 shutout over Peru

Three China pitchers combined for a no-hitter as the team picked up their first ‘W’ at the USA Softball International Cup.  With three RBI performances by Chen Jia and Lu Ying, China combined for 10 hits in the contest.

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<https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Softball/Events/2018/July/09/USA-Softball-International-Cup>.

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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