AJAX, Ontario- The Canadian Women’s baseball team picked up their second win of the Pan American Games after defeating Venezuela, 9-3 on a beautiful night for baseball at President’s Choice Pan Am Ball Park.
Box Score – Canada 9 Venezuela 3
Canada has now scored 22 runs through two days of competition, but it has been a pair of pitching performances that has been the story for the team as Autumn Mills (London, ON) worked six strong innings tonight after Vanessa Riopel (Repentigny, QC) was stellar yesterday in a win over Cuba.
“That’s the type of team we are – we pride ourselves on good pitching and defence, “ said Canadian Manager André Lachance. “It’s nice to score a lot of runs, but at the end of the day, good pitching a sound defence is what wins baseball games.”
After a slow start against Cuba one night ago, it didn’t take long for the Canadian offence to get going as they struck for five runs in the top of the first on four hits, a walk and one Venezuelan error. Bradi Wall (Swift Current, SK) drove in Nicole Luchanski (Edmonton, AB) with the game’s first run on a single to right and came around to score on a dropped fly ball by the Venezuelan left fielder. Later in the frame with the bases loaded and one out, Jen Gilroy (Burlington, ON) ripped a triple that landed in deep right-centre that cleared the bases.
“That was a big hit for us,” explained Lachance. “It was nice to get Autumn a lead early and Jen was a big reason for that with the triple.”
Mills got to work in the bottom of the first tossing a perfect inning and faced the minimum amount of batters in the second getting a double play after hitting a batter to end the inning.
Venezuela broke the shutout bid in the sixth scoring twice after back-to-back singles and an error brought one run in, while the other scored on an RBI groundout.
Prior to Venezuela scoring two, Canada scored twice in the top of the sixth as Nicole Luchanski and Amanda Asay (Prince George, BC) each knocked in a run with RBI singles. Luchanksi picked up her second RBI of the game in the seventh with her second single of the night, while Bradi Wall collected her second RBI of the game on a single to right.
Jessica Bérubé (Québec City, QC) came out of the bullpen for the seventh and allowed one run on one hit and a walk.
UP NEXT: Canada will be back at President’s Choice Ajax Pan Am Ball Park tomorrow afternoon when they take on Puerto Rico at 3pm ET…RHP Kate Psota (Burlington, ON) is scheduled to start on the mound for Canada…The only way to follow this game is through Baseball Canada’s Twitter account (@baseballcanada)…For tournament standings, results and statistics, please click here.
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