The USA West team overcame a rough start Tuesday and used powerful hitting and efficient pitching to knock off Canada in a 13-3 win at the Senior League Softball World Series in Roxana.
Coastal Point • Jesse Pryor
Ryan Gregg arrives at homeplate and celebrates with team members in Tuesday’s game against Canada.
Things started off well for Canada (Windsor, Ontario). Starting pitcher Samantha Church put down the feared West lineup in order in the top of the first, and leadoff hitter Tara Smith opened things up for Canada in the bottom half of the inning with an infield single. Smith then advanced to third on two errant pitches by West starter Evelyn Sanchez. Alexandra Kirby drew a walk and subsequently stole second to put runners on second and third with no outs.
An error scored Smith, and Kirby later came in after a bases loaded walk to Church to extend Canada’s lead to 2-0. Sanchez eventually struck out the side, and USA West (Colton, Calif.) escaped with minimal damage.
Then, well, USA West got hot.
Rae Chavez led off the top of the second with a clean single to right. After advancing to second on a wild pitch, Chavez came around to score West’s first run after a single to center by Celeste Martinez. Marissa Lopez and Stephanie Reynolds drew walks to load the bases with two outs, and Vantity Martinez blooped in a two-run single to put the West ahead 3-2. Nicole Aboytes followed with a double to left to score Reynolds, and the West was ahead 4-2.
That remained the score until the top of the fourth inning, when USA West cranked up the offense again.
Vanity Martinez stroked a single to left-center and Aboytes followed with a walk off new Canada pitcher Stephanie Church. With one out, Chavez knocked in Martinez with a single, and Ryan Gregg followed with a titanic three-run homerun to left to open USA West’s lead to 8-2. A walk by Lopez, a stolen base and an error led to their lead expanding to 9-2 by the end of the inning.
Coastal Point • Jesse Pryor
Jennifer Maggio tosses the ball into the infield.
Canada got another run in the bottom of the fifth when Kirby reached on an infield single and came across after an error. With Nichole Bocchini on third with two outs, new USA West pitcher Alex Cano was able to strike out Amanda Smith to extinguish the rally and keep the score at 9-3.
Once again, USA West answered a Canada score with some of their own.
With the first two batters out in the top of the sixth, Reynolds kept the inning alive with a walk off Samantha Church, who had returned to pitch. Vanity Martinez came through once again, banging a double off the fence to score Reynolds. Aboytes kept displaying her hot bat when she followed with another double to score Martinez, and USA West’s lead was now 11-3.
Dalena Ojiedo knocked in Gregg with a single in the top of the seventh inning to extend West’s lead to 12-3, and Reynolds knocked in Alyssa Villalobos with the final run of the game to make it 13-3.