THUNDER BAY, Ontario - Denae Benites went 3-for-3 with a single, double, and triple to lead the USA Baseball Women’s National Team to a 23-0 run-rule victory over Canada in its third game of Group A play at the 2023 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Women’s World Cup.
With the win, Team USA improves to 3-0 at the Women’s World Cup heading into day four.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The first hit of the game came off of the bat of Alex Hugo as she ripped her third double of the tournament down the left field line. Two batters later, she was able to score when Remi Schaber singled to make it 1-0 early in favor of the U.S.
- In the top of the second, Kelsie Whitmore reached on a Canada fielding error and was eventually sent home by a Benites double to make it 2-0. Ashton Lansdell continued to produce offensively as she ripped a single into right that scored Benites and gave Team USA a 3-0 lead heading to the bottom of the frame.
- After a scoreless third by both sides, Lansdell and Naomi Ryan each picked up a two-run single before a fielding error and a bases-loaded hit batter made it 9-0. The offensive outburst didn’t stop there, as Olivia Pichardo stepped to the plate and crushed a grand slam over the right field wall to make it 13-0 in favor of the red, white, and blue leading into the bottom of the fourth.
- USA starter Jillian Albayati gathered her second strikeout of the day in the fourth inning to continue to hold Canada off of the board.
- The first USA run of the fifth inning was tallied when Jade Gortarez was credited with an RBI after a bases-loaded groundout that set the score at 14-0. Whitmore then stepped to the plate and delivered a three-run shot just underneath the scoreboard in right field to extend the USA lead to 17-0.
- Later in the inning, Lansdell and Ryan each drew bases-loaded walks and Hugo collected an RBI single for her second hit of the game to make it 20-0 in favor of Team USA. The final three runs of the game came courtesy of a two-run single by Valerie Perez and a base hit by Gortarez that put the U.S. ahead 23-0.
- Albayati struck out the final batter of the contest to end the game in five innings and give Team USA the 23-0 run-rule win.
NOTABLE STATS
- Lansdell and Pichardo each put up four RBIs for Team USA.
- Ryan, Whitmore, and Benites all scored three runs while Hugo was able to cross the plate a game-high four times.
- Albayati struck out three total batters and allowed just three hits in five complete innings of work.
- With the victory, Team USA tied its record for the third-most runs scored in a single game with 23. They also produced 23 against Cuba in 2019.
ON DECK
The USA Baseball Women’s National Team returns to action tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. ET for its fourth game of Group A play at the 2023 WBSC Women’s World Cup against Mexico. All World Cup games will be streamed live on GameTime, and live updates will be provided via Twitter @USABaseballWNT.
