DURHAM, N.C. – The second day of the All-American Women’s Baseball Classic (AAWBC) powered by USA Baseball did not disappoint on Saturday, as the Kenosha Comets (0-2) played the Blue Sox (2-0) before the Rockford Peaches (1-1) battled the Racine Belles (1-1) at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. Each game brought its own kind of excitement, as the four teams fought to position themselves in a prime position to claim the tournament title heading into the final day of the Classic.

BLUE SOX 3, KENOSHA COMETS 0

AS IT HAPPENED

• The South Bend Blue Sox struck early and padded their lead in the middle innings, ultimately shutting out the Kenosha Comets 3-0 in the first game of the day.
• After a scoreless start, the Blue Sox broke through in the fourth. A sacrifice fly from Jordan Andreas plated the game’s first run, and the Blue Sox added on two more in the fifth when Lily Woodworth and Abigail Moore came around to score on back-to-back hit-by-pitches with the bases loaded. That rally followed a single, and two walks that loaded the bases with no outs.
• The Comets had chances but couldn’t capitalize. In the top of the third, the Comets loaded the bases with one out but had a runner thrown out at home and left two stranded. Another promising rally in the sixth was cut short by two runners caught stealing.
• The Comets’ final threat came in the seventh, when Addisyn Baird roped a single to center with one out. But the Blue Sox defense held strong, retiring the next two batters to preserve the shutout. The Blue Sox’s pitching staff, led by starter Jamie Baum, combined for seven strikeouts and stranded nine Comets on base in an exciting performance.

NOTABLES

• Baird made her presence felt late in the game, ripping a line-drive single to center in the seventh and turning a clean 6-3 groundout earlier in the contest to keep the Blue Sox off the board.
• Micaela Minner sparked a rally in the fifth with a well-placed single to right and later stole second, capping off a productive day that also saw her play clean defense at first base.
• For the Blue Sox, Woodworth was a consistent offensive force, reaching base multiple times and collecting an RBI single in the fifth.
• Alyssa Zettlemoyer delivered a clutch RBI double to left in the fourth and later came around to score, jumpstarting the Blue Sox offense.
• Julia Lucey contributed on both ends – she singled sharply to right, stole a base, and pitched two scoreless innings from the mound to stifle a late-game threat.
• Anna Kimbrell displayed strong catch-and-throw skills behind the plate, gunning down two runners attempting to steal and calling a steady game behind South Bend’s pitching staff.
• ROCKFORD PEACHES 8, RACINE BELLES 3

AS IT HAPPENED

• The Peaches jumped out to an early lead and never lost control, defeating the Belles 8-3 in Saturday night's matchup at the All-American Women’s Baseball Classic.
• The Peaches exploded for five runs in the opening frame, stringing together four walks and a bases-clearing double by Jillian Albayati to set the tone. They kept the pressure on with two more runs in the second, and another in the fifth when Kate Blunt came around on a wild pitch.
• The Belles chipped away in the middle innings. A base hit by Mia Kruspe and a sac fly from Bailey Brown helped plate three runs in the fifth, but the Belles couldn't mount a full comeback.
• Both teams had chances late in the contest. The Belles loaded the bases in the sixth and had a runner on in the seventh, but a pair of flyouts ended the game. The Peaches defense stayed together, and their bullpen sealed the win behind strong relief pitching and heads-up fielding.

NOTABLES

• Milian Valdez stayed hot at the plate for the Peaches, collecting two hits which was highlighted an RBI double. She also took advantage of a passed ball to move into scoring position in the sixth.
• Albayati sparked a huge first inning with a three-run double and later added a single, finishing with four RBIs and a run scored.
• Skylar Kaplan tallied an RBI and made a key catch in left field to prevent a late rally by the Belles in the seventh.
• For the Belles, Maggie Foxx reached base three times, highlighted by an RBI single in the fifth and a double in the third.
• Amanda Gianelloni contributed at the plate, scoring once and helping manufacture traffic on the bases for the Belles.
• ON DECK

The AAWBC returns for its final day of action on Sunday, August 3. The Peaches will take on the Comets at 11:00 a.m. ET, and the Blue Sox will look to remain undefeated against the Belles at 1:30 p.m. ET. All of the action will take place at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, and games will be streamed for free on MLB.com, MLB.TV, and in the MLB App.

FOLLOW ALONG

For the full schedule, as well as ticket information, click HERE. To keep up with the latest news on the All-American Women’s Baseball Classic powered by USA Baseball and the Women’s National Team, follow @USABaseballWNT on Twitter/X and @USABaseball on Instagram.