Takasaki City, Japan — It was a quiet night offensively for the USA Softball Women’s National Team (WNT), who fell 9-1 (five innings) to Japan to claim second at the 2016 Japan Cup. The U.S. could not overcome a four-run first inning by Japan, as the offense managed just two hits off a strong Japanese pitching staff.
Click here for live stats and a game schedule for the 2016 Japan Cup
“This wasn’t the outcome we wanted,” said Assistant Coach Howard Dobson. “As a whole, for us to get a chance to come over here to Japan and play tough competition is only going to help us, in the long run, to get to where we want as a team. Japan pitched and hit the ball really well tonight. They scored early and we just couldn’t get anything done.”
The U.S. looked to strike early in the top of the first inning after Kelsey Stewart (Wichita, Kan.) was hit by a pitch with one out. Japan was able to keep Stewart at first, getting a ground out and a strikeout to keep Team USA off the board. Japan would have a four-run outing in the bottom of the frame, capitalizing on a pair of walks and doubles.
USA would respond in the top of the second inning as Delaney Spaulding (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) hit a solo home run to make it a 4-1 ballgame. Responding with a two-run home run, Japan extended their lead in the bottom of the second. Adding another run in the bottom of the third, Japan held a 7-1 lead through three innings of play.
The U.S. would be unable to get things going offensively until the top of the fourth inning when Jazmyn Jackson (San Jose, Calif.) led off with a single to left field. That burst was halted, however, after a line drive to the third baseman, a strikeout and a stolen base attempt by Jackson.
Japan would earn the walk-off win in the bottom of the fifth after a two-run home run ended the game via the run rule with Team USA suffering a 9-1 (five inning) loss. Jessica Moore (Sutter, Calif.) suffered the loss for the U.S., issuing two walks, three hits, and five runs. Jaclyn Traina (Naples, Fla.) entered the game in relief in the second inning, issuing one walk, four strikeouts, and two runs in her two innings of work, while Kelly Barnhill (Marietta, Ga.) issued two runs in one inning in the circle.
The Japan Cup marked the end of the 2016 season for the Women’s National Team, who finished the summer with a 19-4 record while reclaiming the Gold at the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Women’s World Championship last July. As a team, the U.S. finished the summer with a .366 batting average while outscoring opponents 161-35. Arioto led the offense for the U.S., amassing a .480 (24-for-50) batting average while picking up eight home runs, 23 RBI and scoring 21 times. For the pitching staff, Delanie Gourley (Lakeside, Calif.) issued 21 strikeouts while finishing the season with a 0.65 ERA through 21 and two-third innings in the circle. Moore led the staff with an 8-2 record and 43 strikeouts in 36 and two-third innings.
Follow all USA National Team news year round at www.USASoftball.com.
About ASA/USA Softball
Founded in 1933, the Amateur Softball Association (ASA)/USA Softball is the National Governing Body of Softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. One of the nation’s largest sports organizations, ASA/USA Softball sanctions competition in every state through a network of 70 local associations and has grown from a few hundred teams in the early days to over 165,000 teams today, representing a membership of more than 2.02 million. ASA/USA is responsible for training, equipping and promoting the six USA Softball National Teams that compete in international and domestic competitions. The USA Softball Women’s National Team is one of only two women’s sports involved in the Olympic movement to capture three consecutive gold medals at the Olympic Games since 1996. The U.S. women have also won 10 World Championship titles as well as claimed eight World Cup of Softball titles. For more information about ASA/USA Softball, please visit http://www.asausasoftball.com/.
