Already guaranteed to advance directly to the Women’s Baseball World Cup Finals as the host team, the Canadian team wanted to send a message during the group stage contest in Thunder Bay, Ont. With only one game to play on Sunday, she can already say mission accomplished.
After victories over Mexico (9-1) and Hong Kong (22-3) earlier this week, Canada picked up their third win in four outings on Saturday night, beating Australia 11-7. The maple leaf players also showed character in this meeting where a place among the top 3 of Group A was at stake.
Leading 4-0 midway through the third inning, the Canadians saw their opponents come back into the game and even take the lead with a seven-run unanswered streak over the next three at bats.
The Canadian representatives were able to stop the bleeding in the bottom of the fifth inning, after which the offense did the remaining work. A surge of seven runs scored in the last two sets finally put Canada on the path to this important victory.
“Even though we knew in advance that we were going straight to the finals, we absolutely wanted to finish in the top two or three teams this week and, to do that, we absolutely had to beat Mexico and Australia. It was our main objective and we answered the call really well, ”analyzed Patricia Landry, assistant to head coach Anthony Pluta for the occasion.
As has been the case since the start of Group A activities, several Quebecers stood out against the Australians, starting with Alexane Fournier, author of three hits in five appearances in the batting box, all good for five runs products.
For their part, Sena Catterall and Alizée Gélinas hit the ball for sure twice, adding three runs scored and two RBIs respectively to their personal records. Also from the starting lineup, Ela Day-Bédard drove in a run on a sacrifice fly.
“Our girls have a lot of power offensively and we knew we could regain the lead,” Landry continued. We had seen it several times in our preparation, so we weren’t too worried. Our players got up and the sticks sounded at the right time. »
The Canadian team, which also counts on the services of Lucie Anctil, Justine Marin and Emma-Rose Payette, made their only misstep of the week against the American team, which won 23-0 on Thursday evening .
A bitter setback that can be explained, among other things, by the lack of international experience of the Canadian troops, according to Landry, who has been part of the coaching staff since his retirement from competition in 2011.
“We have a very young group and we really saw that the girls were confused. We felt the nervousness, it was not easy to play in front of full stands, especially against the United States. It’s a big rivalry and they have a very good team, maybe even one of the best I’ve seen since my beginnings as a coach, “commented the one who also leads the women’s branch of the Canadian Baseball Academy. (ABC) in Three Rivers.
“It’s never fun to lose, especially in these circumstances, but we got a lot of experience. The goal is not to beat them this year, but rather in the finals in 2024.”
The Canadians, ranked third in the world, will play their final match in Group A on Sunday against the South Koreans, still looking for a first victory in Ontario.
The country representatives will then monitor Group B activities scheduled for September 13-17, in Japan. The top six nations will return to Thunder Bay for the World Cup Finals to be played in the summer of 2024.
