RANKINGS
EVENTS
I COMMITTED
COLLEGE
ABOUT
We continue our list of the Top 15 Softball Stories of 2021, which will run through December 31st when we’ll present our No. 1 story of the year.
Here are the previous stories (clink on link to read):
- #15… FAU’s Riley Ennis Feels Her Team’s Support After Hurricane Devastation
- #14… Four Football Helmets, One Anonymous Bidder, and a Difference Made for ULM Softball
- #13… High School & Club Coaching Great Mark Campbell Remembered in Collegiate Classic Bearing His Name
- #12… TV Ratings Continue to Climb – & Viewership Records Set – on Softball Telecasts
- #11… Former Softballer Rachel Balkovec Makes History in Professional Baseball
- #10… The Transfer Portal Winds On; Are College Superteams Now a Thing?
- #9… Mental & Emotional Health Pressures Lead to Anxiety, Depression & Even Suicides in Young Athletes
- #8… Carol Hutchins Retires as the NCAA All-Time Wins Leader
- #7… Rawlings Gold Gloves Expand to College Softball
- #6… The Top 15 Softball Stories of 2022: #6… Former Raider & Softball Ump Clarence Davis Dies (Or Does He? Yes… & No!)
Also, on New Year’s Day 2023, we’ll list all 15 of the top stories of the year as well as run 15 more that were considered.
We’ve surveyed the softball community and talked internally as well to come up with what were the most impactful and relevant stories of the year pertaining to the world of fastpitch softball.
Where applicable, we are providing the text to the original articles and/or references when the story first happened.
- Click Here to see the Top 15 Stories of 2021
- Click Here to see the Top 15 Stories of 2020
- Click Here to see the Top 15 Stories of 2019
- Click Here to see the Top 15 Stories of 2018
To provide comments, insights or thoughts, email:Â [email protected].
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Today’s Story of the Year: #5:
The World Games Goes Down to the Wire & Is a Great Showcase for the Sport
You couldn’t have presented a better advertisement for the ever-growing sport of fastpitch softball than the 2022 World Games which took place in Birmingham, Alabama in July.
As we mentioned earlier in our Top 15 Stories of the Year, softball continues to set viewership records with climbing TV ratings from Little League up through NCAA play and on the global scale the World Games was another great example of how awesome the sport continues to be.
The top eight teams in the world competed in July with the USA being the No. 1 seed and Japan No. 2 (the others were #3 seeded Canada, # 4 Mexico, No. 5 Puerto Rico, #6 Chinese Taipei, #7 Italy and #8 Australia).
The top-ranked Americans fielded a team that included some of the biggest names in the sport with a pitching staff that featured Monica Abbott, Ally Carda, Megan Fariamo, Jailyn Ford and Montana Fouts.
Not too shabby for the Yankee squad.
However, the title wouldn’t come easily for the USA squad although the Opening Round was a breeze as the Americans kicked off the event with 6-0 (Italy), 7-0 (Chinese Taipei) and 10-2 (Canada) wins.
In the semi’s, the host team and top-seed USA squad beat Australia 5-0 to make it to the championship game where it would face a tough Japan team in front of more than 10,000 fans in Hoover Met Stadium.
If you don’t know it finished, read through our articles below but let’s just say home-state hero (Haylie McCleney, the 2016 grad from the Univ. of Alabama) put on a great show in what would be an exciting one-run finale.
Below are the six articles in chronological order Extra Inning Softball ran this Summer on the event…
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International News: 2022 World Games Kick Off Today in Birmingham, Ala… Team USA Top Seed
Originally published July 9, 2022, on Extra Inning Softball
With all that’s going on in softball right now–from college coaching moves and player transfers to club tournaments nationwide–there is also a lot happening on the international scene, as the 2022 World Games begin!
The following information was released by USA Softball…
Following the conclusion of a series of exhibition games held in Columbus, Ga. and Oxford, Ala., the world-ranked No. 1 U.S. Women’s National Team (WNT) has arrived in Birmingham, Ala. and is set to begin its 2022 World Games campaign alongside No. 2 Japan, No. 3 Canada, No. 4 Mexico, No. 5 Puerto Rico, No. 6 Chinese Taipei, No. 7 Italy and No. 8 Australia.
The event is being held at Hoover Met Stadium from July 9-13.
Here’s the schedule for the week:
| DATE | START |
END | ROUND | SESSIONS |
| 9-Jul-22 | 10:00 AM | 3:00 PM | Qualifying | 2 Games: Puerto Rico vs Mexico, Chinese Taipei vs Canada |
| 9-Jul-22 | 4:00 PM | 9:00 PM | Qualifying | 2 Games: Australia vs Japan, USA vs Italy |
| 10-Jul-22 | 10:00 AM | 3:00 PM | Qualifying | 2 Games: Mexico vs Japan, Italy vs Canada |
| 10-Jul-22 | 4:00 PM | 9:00 PM | Qualifying | 2 Games: Puerto Rico vs Australia, Chinese Taipei vs USA |
| 11-Jul-22 | 10:00 AM | 3:00 PM | Qualifying | 2 Games: Australia vs Mexico, Italy vs Chinese Taipei |
| 11-Jul-22 | 4:00 PM | 9:00 PM | Qualifying | 2 Games: Japan vs Puerto Rico, Canada vs USA |
| 12-Jul-22 | 10:00 AM | 3:00 PM | Qualifying | 2 Games: Consolation Rounds |
| 12-Jul-22 | 4:00 PM | 9:00 PM | Qualifying | 2 Games: Semifinals |
| 13-Jul-22 | 10:00 AM | 3:00 PM | Qualifying | 2 Games: Placement Games |
| 13-Jul-22 | 4:00 PM | 6:00 PM | Qualifying | 2 Games: 1 Game-3rd Place |
| 13-Jul-22 | 7:00 PM | 10:00 PM | Final | 1 Game: Finals/Medal Ceremony |
Team USA will look to defend its gold medal finish at the 2018 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) World Championship in Chiba, Japan where the U.S. earned a qualifying spot for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games with a 7-6 walk-off win over Japan.
Signifying as the 2022 WBSC World Championship, the World Games features the eight participating countries which have been drawn into two groups with No. 1 Team USA competing in Group 1 alongside No. 3 Canada, No. 6 Chinese Taipei and No. 7 Italy while Group 2 includes No. 2 Japan, No. 4 Mexico, No. 5 Puerto Rico and No. 8 Australia.
Here are the participating countries (and their seeds):
| Group 1 | Group 2 |
| No. 1 USA | No. 2 Japan |
| No. 3 Canada | No. 4 Mexico |
| No. 6 Chinese Taipei | No. 5 Puerto Rico |
| No. 7 Italy |
No. 8 Australia |
The Red, White and Blue will open the competition Saturday night at 7 p.m. CT against Italy followed by two more 7 p.m. CT matchups against Chinese Taipei (Sunday, July 10) and Canada (Monday, July 11).
The top two teams from each group following Opening Round will advance to the Semifinal Round on Tuesday, July 12 with the Medal Round taking place on Wednesday, July 13. The Semifinal Round and the Medal Round will be broadcasted live on CBS Sports Network.Â
The softball flagship will feature 21 games across five days of competition with select live stream coverage available on theolympicchannel.com and CBS42. Additional weekly coverage will include nightly highlights, which will be available on CBS Sports Network. Free live stats will be available on USASoftball.com.
Click here for more information about the 2022 World Games
The 2022 USA Softball WNT World Games roster includes seven veterans from the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team as well as four members of the 2019 Junior Women’s National Team (JWNT) World Championship gold medal team.
The roster also includes two athletes who have previously worn the Red, White and Blue either as a member of the USA Softball JWNT or USA Softball Women’s Elite Team and two rookies who will represent the U.S. for the first time in their career.
Representing four athletic conferences (SEC: 7, Pac-12: 7,Big 12: 2, CAA: 1), the 2022 World Games roster is comprised of 10 former student-athletes and seven current athletes from 12 NCAA Division I universities with three members having won a NCAA Women’s College World Series (WCWS) National Championship with their respective university.
Here is the complete Team USA player & coach roster:
| First | Last | Pos | College | Grad Year | Player Page |
| Monica | Abbott | P | Tennessee | 2007 | Click Here |
| Ally | Carda | P/IF | UCLA | 2015 | Click Here |
| Charla | Echols | IF | Florida | Sr. | Click Here |
| Megan | Faraimo | P | UCLA | Redshirt Jr. | Click Here |
| Hannah | Flippen | IF | Utah | 2017 | Click Here |
| Jailyn | Ford | P | James Madison | 2016 | Click Here |
| Montana | Fouts | P | Alabama | Sr. | Click Here |
| Kinzie | Hansen | C | Oklahoma | Jr. | Click Here |
| Janae | Jefferson | UT | Texas | Sr. | Click Here |
| Amanda | Lorenz | OF | Florida | 2019 | Click Here |
| Haylie | McCleney | OF | Alabama | 2016 | Click Here |
| Michelle | Moultrie | OF | Florida | 2012 | Click Here |
| Dejah | Mulipola | C | Arizona | 2020 | Click Here |
| Bubba | Nickles | UT | UCLA | 2020 | Click Here |
| Taylor | Pleasants | IF | LSU | Redshirt So. | Click Here |
| Sami | Reynolds* | OF | Washington | Sr. | Click Here |
| Gwen | Svekis* | C | Oregon | 2018 | Click Here |
| * – replacement player | |||||
| COACHES: | |||||
| Heather | Tarr | HC | Washington | ||
| Cindy | Ball-Malone | Asst. | Central Florida | ||
| Tony | Baldwin | Asst. | Georgia | ||
| Tim | Walton | Asst. | Florida | ||
Assisting Head Coach Heather Tarr (Head Coach at Washington) are previously announced assistant coaches Cindy Ball-Malone (Head Coach at UCF), Tony Baldwin (Head Coach at Georgia) and Tim Walton (Head Coach at Florida). The coaching staff will lead the World Games roster after coaching alongside each other en route to a gold medal finish at the 2019 U-19 Women’s World Cup in Lima, Peru.
Posting a 4-1 record through the pre-World Games exhibition contests in Columbus, Ga. and Oxford, Ala., the U.S. offense tallied 35 hits – including six home runs and seven doubles – with Janae Jefferson and Amanda Lorenz leading the squad with seven hits apiece.
The pitching staff of Monica Abbott, Ally Carda, Megan Faraimo, Jailyn Ford, Montana Fouts and Kelly Maxwell (training player) combined for a total of 28 strikeouts though five games while also recording a no-hitter against Australia and back-to-back shutouts against Japan (3-0) and Australia (4-0).
For more information on the 2022 U.S. Women’s National Team, visit USASoftball.com.
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International News: 2022 World Games Kicked Off with Team USA Pitching Shutouts Against Italy & Chinese Taipei
Originally published July 11, 2022, on Extra Inning Softball
Following an evening of inclement weather during the World Game’s originally scheduled contest against Italy, the U.S. Women’s National Team (WNT) took the field yesterday for its 2022 World Games debut at the Hoover Met Stadium in Birmingham, Ala., where fans filled the stands for a pair of warm welcomes to Alabama greats Haylie McCleney and Montana Fouts.
The world-ranked No. 1 Team USA came out strong with back-to-back shutout victories over No. 7 Italy (6-0) and No. 6 Chinese Taipei (7-0, six-innings) to put them atop the Group B leaderboard with a 2-0 record. The Red, White and Blue combined for 21 hits and 13 runs while the pitching staff of Monica Abbott, Ally Carda and Fouts shut down their opponents with a total of 28 strikeouts in the two wins.
Here are the recaps courtesy of USA Softball…
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Game 1
USA 6, Italy 0
Team USA got off to a solid start in its 2022 World Games debut as McCleney led off with a walk followed by a single from Amanda Lorenz to give the Eagles two early baserunners. A one-out walk to Hannah Flippen would set the stage for Kinzie Hansen to drive a bases loaded single up the middle to score McCleney for Team USA’s first run of the game. A fielder’s choice would catch Lorenz out at home, but back-to-back singles from Taylor Pleasants and Michelle Moultrie would keep the rally alive as the U.S. pulled ahead 4-0 after the top of the first.
With Carda in the circle, the Eagles recorded the first out of the inning after a 10-pitch at-bat resulted in a pop out to Charla Echols at third. A single to right field would give Italy a baserunner, but Carda issued a quick strikeout and fly out to leave her stranded and send the game to the second. Both sides were quiet through the next two innings of play, managing only one hit apiece as the game headed to the fourth where Janae Jefferson broke the silence with a leadoff triple. Coming in clutch, McCleney followed suit with a deep sac-fly to plate Jefferson and extend the U.S. lead, 5-0. A two-out double from Echols would look to extend the inning, but a fly out would end the at-bat and send Team USA back to defense where Carda continued to dominate with two strikeouts and a groundout.
With a 5-0 lead in the top of the fifth, Hansen kept things rolling for the Red, White and Blue with a leadoff single to center field followed by Dejah Mulipola’s second hit of the night to advance Hansen 60 feet before a fielder’s choice put runners on the corners for Team USA. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Moultrie sent a sac-fly to center field to score Hansen and put another run on the board for the U.S. before a line out ended the at-bat.
Taking over pitching duties in the bottom of the fifth with a big Roll-Tide welcome from the Alabama crowd, Fouts made quick work of the Italy offense with three consecutive strikeouts to send the U.S. back to the plate. Feeding off the energy, McCleney led off the inning with a single, but the Eagles were unable to muster any runs as they headed back to the field in the sixth.
A two-out walk and an infield error would put runners in scoring position for Italy in the bottom of the frame, but Fouts remained steady in the circle, firing back with a strikeout to end the threat with no damage done. Staying hot at the plate with her third hit of the night, Hansen sent a single to right field in the top of the seventh, but a line out followed by a ground out would leave her stranded. Looking to close out the game, Fouts issued back-to-back strikeouts to start the seventh before Italy managed a two-out single to right in hopes to spark a rally. Unfazed, Fouts zoned in with three quick strikes to shut down the Italy offense and seal the 6-0 U.S. victory.
With a productive day at the plate, McCleney contributed to the U.S. offense with a 1-for-2 performance including a walk and a sac-fly while Hansen racked up three hits in the win followed by Lorenz and Mulipola with two hits apiece. Shining in the circle, Carda and Fouts tallied 14 combined strikeouts through seven innings while allowing a low of three hits in the shutout victory.
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Game 2
USA 7, Chinese Taipei 0 (six innings)
Starting in the circle against Chinese Taipei, Abbott took control with a ground out before a bunt single put a runner on first. A strikeout would record the second out of the inning while Mulipola sent a perfect throw to Hannah Flippen at shortstop to catch the runner stealing for the third out of the inning.
The U.S. couldn’t find a gap in the bottom of the frame as three fly outs sent the game to the second inning where Chinese Taipei managed a two-out double, but Abbott dismissed the scoring threat with a ground ball to Jefferson to retire the side.
Drawing a walk and stealing second in the bottom of the frame, Hansen set the stage for Mulipola to drive an RBI single to right field to give the U.S. a 1-0 lead. A walk to Pleasants put another runner on for Team USA as Moultrie forced an infield error with a hard ground ball to score Mulipola followed by a sac-fly from Jefferson to plate another run with the Eagles pulling ahead 3-0.
Three-straight strikeouts from Abbott in the top of the third fueled the U.S. offense in the bottom of the inning as Flippen came up big with a solo shot to left field to extend the U.S. lead. A double from Hansen followed by a single from Mulipola tacked on another run as the game headed to the fourth with the Red, White and Blue up, 5-0.
Continuing to lead the U.S. defense, Abbott issued two more strikeouts and a ground out to record an eight-pitch fourth inning while tallying another three strikeouts in the top of the fifth for a total of 11 K’s through five innings. Team USA managed singles off the bats of McCleney and Lorenz in the fourth and fifth innings, but nothing crossed the plate as the score remained 5-0 headed into the sixth.
Back-to-back strikeouts from Abbott led off the top of the frame before a single to left field gave Chinese Taipei a baserunner – but three straight pitches left the runner stranded at first as Abbott’s fourteenth strikeout of the game sent the U.S. back to the plate. A one-out walk to Pleasants would put a runner on for the Eagles before Moultrie was robbed of a hit thanks to a stellar play by the Chinese Taipei left fielder. With two-outs and a runner at first, Jefferson lined a single through the left side while McCleney followed with a base hit of her own to allow Pleasants to speed home as Team USA came within one of the run-rule with a 6-0 lead. Stepping up to the plate with two runners on, Lorenz sent the second pitch she saw off the center field fence to score Jefferson and claim the 7-0 (six innings) run-rule victory over Chinese Taipei.
With two doubles (Hansen, Lorenz) and one long-ball (Flippen), the U.S. combined for nine hits in the 7-0 victory as Mulipola led the squad with a 2-for-3 performance followed by Lorenz and McCleney with two hits apiece. Fanning 14 batters through six innings, Abbott dominated the Chinese Taipei lineup while allowing only three hits in the shutout victory.
The Red, White and Blue will close out Opening Round Monday with a solo contest against No. 3 Canada at 7 p.m. CT. Following Opening Round, the top two teams from each group will advance to the Semifinal Round on Tuesday, July 12 with the Medal Round taking place on Wednesday, July 13. The Semifinal Round and the Medal Round will be broadcasted live on CBS Sports Network.
To view current standings between Group A and Group, visit WBSC.org.
The softball flagship will feature 21 games across the five day competition with select live stream coverage available on theolympicchannel.com and CBS42. Additional weekly coverage will include nightly highlights, which will be available on CBS Sports Network. Free live stats will be available on USASoftball.com.
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International News: U.S. Women’s National Team Caps Opening Round with 10-2 win over Canada to Advance to 2022 World Games Semi’s
Originally published July 12, 2022, on Extra Inning Softball
The U.S. Women’s National Team (WNT) closed out Opening Round at the 2022 World Games with a 10-2 (five innings) run-rule victory over No. 3 Canada Monday evening to clinch the No. 1 spot in Group 1 with a perfect 3-0 record.
Team USA will meet Australia in the Semifinal Round tonight at 7pm CT with the winner advancing to the gold medal match-up slated for Wednesday, June 13 at 8 pm CT.
Here is the rest of this week’s World Games schedule:
| Date | Start | End | Round | Sessions | Venue |
| 12-Jul-22 | 4:10 PM | 9:00 PM | Qualifying | 2 Games: Semifinals | Hoover Met Stadium |
| 13-Jul-22 | 10:00 AM | 3:00 PM | Qualifying | 2 Games: Placement Games | Hoover Met Stadium |
| 13-Jul-22 | 4:10 PM | 6:00 PM | Qualifying | 2 Games: 1 Game-3rd Place | Hoover Met Stadium |
| 13-Jul-22 | 8:10 PM | 8:30 PM | Final | 1 Game: Finals/Medal Ceremony | Hoover Met Stadium |
Last night’s game recap below courtesy of USA Softball…
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With fans packed inside the Hoover Met Stadium in Birmingham, Ala. for another Red, White and Blue evening, Team USA posted its third-straight win of the tournament behind a 2-for-2 day at the plate from Dejah Mulipola and a combined effort in the circle from Jailyn Ford and Megan Faraimo.
Getting the start in the circle was Ford who issued a quick 1-2-3 inning in the top of the first while the Canada defense returned the favor in the bottom of the frame to keep the score knotted, 0-0.
The Eagles didn’t stay quiet long, though, as a leadoff walk to Hannah Flippen in the bottom of the second followed by a double from Kinzie Hansen and a single from Mulipola would give the U.S. a two-run edge before a fly out and two strikeouts ended the at-bat.
Remaining dominant in the circle, Ford retired the Canadian offense in order in the top of the third with two K’s and a ground out to send Haylie McCleney to the plate for a leadoff double to light a spark for the U.S. offense. Adding fuel to the fire, the Florida Gators duo of Amanda Lorenz and Charla Echols sent back-to-back singles through the infield to extend Team USA’s lead, 3-0.
A sac-bunt and a strikeout would put two quick outs on the board with runners on second and third, but a walk to Mulipola and a bases loaded hit-by-pitch to Taylor Pleasants would add another run to the U.S. lead.
With runners on every base, Michelle Moultrie stepped in to send a fielder’s choice ground ball to the shortstop who threw the ball off the helmet of Hansen and into the outfield while allowing another run to speed home to put the U.S. on top, 5-0.
Canada responded in the top of the fourth with a leadoff single followed by a home run over the left field fence before Faraimo took over pitching duties with no outs and a runner on first.
Zoned in, the U.S. defense flashed the leather with a 4-6-3 double play up the middle to record two quick outs before Lorenz tracked down a deep fly ball in left field to limit the damage with the U.S. lead cut, 5-2.
Team USA would look to go down quietly in the bottom of the inning after a line out and pop out recorded two quick outs, but a walk to Echols followed by a home run off the bat of Flippen would put two more on the board for the Eagles in the bottom of the 4th.
Adding to the rally, Hansen drew a walk to give the U.S. another base runner before a double from Mulipola advanced Hansen all the way home to put Team USA on top, 8-2.
Chiming in on the fun, Pleasants followed suit with a two-run shot over the left field fence to extend the U.S. lead, 10-2 before a ground out sent the U.S. back to defense with the run-rule in affect.
Proving superior in the final three outs of the game, Faraimo and the U.S. defense wasted no time with three quick ground outs to seal the 10-2 (five innings) run-rule win over Canada.
Seven of the nine U.S. batters recorded a hit in the win with Pleasants and Mulipola racking up three RBIs apiece followed by Flippen with two. Ford took control in the circle for the first three innings of the game with five strikeouts in the win while Faraimo kept the Canada offense off the bases through the final six outs.
Team USA’s campaign to the 2022 World Games gold medal continues tonight as the Eagles head into the Semifinal Round against Group 2’s No. 2 seed, Australia.
Click here for more information about the 2022 World Games. To view standings between Group 1 and Group 2, visit WBSC.org.
Fans can tune in to the Semifinal and Medal Rounds on CBS Sports Network with live stats available on USASoftball.com.
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International News: Team USA Tops Australia 5-0 to Advance to 2022 World Games Gold Medal Game Vs. No. 2 Japan
Originally published July 13, 2022, on Extra Inning Softball
Like the legendary rivalries in other sports, it always seems to come down to USA vs. Japan in international competition and the 2022 World Games will be decided tonight as the two powerhouses take the field in Alabama to see who will walk away as champs.
To get to the finals, though, the Americans had to face a good Australian team, but the pitching once again was dominant.
Here’s a game recap from last night’s action courtesy of USA Softball…
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Behind a perfect day at the plate from Haylie McCleney and a combined 11 strikeout performance from the pitching staff of Ally Carda and Montana Fouts, the world-ranked No. 1 U.S. Women’s National Team (WNT) clinched its spot in today’s highly anticipated Gold Medal game with a 5-0 shutout over No. 8 Australia.
Tuesday night’s win marks Team USA’s fourth-straight victory and third shutout of the tournament while limiting its opponents to a low of two runs through three days of competition.Â
The U.S. offense took advantage of five hits in the win with three coming off the bat of McCleney followed by one hit apiece from Hannah Flippen and Bubba Nickles.
In the circle, Carda set the tone early with six strikeouts through five innings before Fouts sealed the shutout with five-straight strikeouts and a ground out through the last two innings of the game.
Working to find the zone in the top of the first inning, Carda issued a leadoff walk to start the game but quickly fired back with a strikeout and a ground out to put two outs on the board before two more walks loaded the bases. Remaining calm under pressure, the veteran pitcher zoned in on the next batter with a big strikeout to escape the inning with no damage done.
Getting things rolling for the U.S. in the bottom of the frame, leadoff batter McCleney sent a hard ground ball through the left side to give Team USA its first base runner of the night before a ground out and pop out brought Flippen to the plate with two away. Executing a quality at-bat with a hard line drive up the middle, Flippen sent the first U.S. run across the plate to give the Red, White and Blue an early one-run edge.Â
Both offenses were stifled through the second and third innings before the Eagles extended its lead in the bottom of the fourth.
A one-out walk to Taylor Pleasants would start the rally for the U.S. followed by a single from Nickles and another walk to Janae Jefferson to load the bases. With the stage perfectly set, McCleney delivered a clutch line drive double down the right field line to clear the bases and tack on three runs for Team USA. A ground out and a two-out walk to Charla Echols would put runners on the corners for the U.S. before a strategic delayed steal from Echols allowed McCleney to speed home to put the Eagles on top, 5-0.Â
Settled in and taking control in the circle, Carda retired the Australia offense in order in the top of the fifth to maintain the five-run lead for the Red, White and Blue. Despite a pair of walks in the bottom of the inning, the U.S. offense was unable to muster any runs before being sent back to defense.
Taking over pitching duties in the top of the sixth, Fouts quickly found her groove with three-straights strikeouts – giving déjà vu of her entrance in Monday’s contest against Italy.Â
Another scoreless inning from Team USA in the bottom of the sixth would send them back to the field for the final three outs of the game, which came in 1-2-3 fashion with two more strikeouts from Fouts and a ground out to Jefferson to seal the 5-0 win.
Last night’s win advanced the Red, White and Blue to the 2022 World Games gold medal game tonight at 8pm CT for a highly anticipated contest against world-ranked No. 2 Japan.
Signifying as the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) World Championship, Team USA will look to defend its gold medal finish at the 2018 WBSC World Championship in Chiba, Japan where the U.S. earned a qualifying spot for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games with a 7-6 walk-off win over Japan.
Fans can tune in to tomorrow’s gold medal contest on CBS Sports Network with live stats available on USASoftball.com.
Click here for more information about the 2022 World Games.Â
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International News: Team USA Claims 2022 World Games Title with Thrilling 3-2 Victory Over Japan
Originally published July 14, 2022, on Extra Inning Softball
The two top seeds – #1 USA and #2 Japan – faced off Wednesday night to see who would take home the gold after a strong week of play at the World Games.
Japan fell behind 3-0 but never game up and actually outhit the host American team. The question was, would the visitors have enough to overcome the USA pitching which has been fantastic all week?
Here’s a game recap from last night’s action courtesy of USA Softball…
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With over 10,000 fans packed in Hoover Met Stadium in Birmingham, Ala., the USA Softball Women’s National Team (WNT) proved victorious at the 2022 World Games after a closely-fought Olympic rematch against No. 2 Japan resulted in a narrow 3-2 win for the Red, White and Blue.
An international rivalry spanning decades, Team USA’s win over Japan marks its third-straight World Championship title following its gold medal finishes at the 2016 and 2018 WBSC World Championships.
The U.S. defense shined in Wednesday night’s win, working its way out of three intense innings with Japanese runners in scoring position while allowing a low of two runs to cross home plate despite Japan’s combined eight hits.
The veteran pitching staff of Monica Abbott and Ally Carda dominated the circle in the win with a combined 10 strikeouts to keep Japan at bay in the tight defensive battle while a three-run double from Janae Jefferson gave the Eagles the edge it needed to pull off the 3-2 gold medal win.
Japan managed two baserunners in the top of the first inning via a fielding miscue and a walk to start off the gold medal matchup but starting pitcher Monica Abbott buckled down with two runners on as a strikeout ended the at-bat.
Leading off for the Eagles in the bottom of the frame, Haylie McCleney drove a line drive single to left field before a slick double play by the Japan infield cleared the bases followed by an infield ground out for the third out of the inning.
Threatening an early lead in the top of the second, the Japanese offense managed to load the bases after stringing together a one-out single, two bunts and a walk but the two-time Olympic medalist pitcher remained calm under pressure to force a ground out to Hannah Flippen at shortstop to end the at-bat with no damage done.
Looking to spark a rally in the bottom of the second, Charla Echols sent a hard ground ball through the right side to get things going for the U.S. followed by a walk to Bubba Nickles and a single from Dejah Mulipola to load the bases with no outs.
Putting up a fight against the U.S. offense, Japan buckled down to record two quick outs via a fielder’s choice and a strikeout to bring Jefferson to the plate for a bases loaded, two outs situation. Digging in at the plate, the University of Texas four-time All-American came in clutch with a game-changing, bases-clearing double to give Team USA a 3-0 lead heading into the third.
Answering back with two singles in the top of the frame, Japan scored its first run of the contest on a ground ball to center field to cut the U.S. lead, 3-1. A hit-by-pitch followed by another single loaded the bases yet again, but Abbott refocused to force a groundout for the third out of the inning.
The score remained steady at 3-1 through the fourth inning before a leadoff double sparked the Japan offense in the top of the fifth. With no outs and a runner on second, Carda took over pitching duties for the Eagles before another base hit from the Japanese pushed a run across to narrow the U.S. lead, 3-2. Settling in with a few deep breaths, Carda shut down the next three batters she faced with two strikeouts and a nicely fielded bunt to end the at-bat.
A 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the fifth retired Team USA in order while a leadoff walk put a runner on for Japan in the top of the sixth. Fired up in the circle, Carda zoned in to fan three-straight batters and strand the runner at first to send the U.S. back to the plate.
Another quick inning kept the Red, White and Blue off the basepaths in the bottom of the frame as the game headed to the seventh with the U.S. up by one.
Continuing to dominate with confidence, Carda tallied two more strikeouts before recording the final out of the game herself via a pop fly in the circle to seal the 3-2, gold medal victory for Team USA.
Here’s a look at how the final games went on Wednesday:
The Red, White and Blue put on a strong showing throughout the World Games with a .331 team batting average as Mulipola led the squad hitting .615 followed by McCleney at .533 and Kinzie Hansen with a .417 average.
The Eagles plated a total of 31 runs in its campaign to the gold medal while the U.S. pitching staff of Abbott, Carda, Megan Faraimo, Jailyn Ford and Montana Fouts allowed a low of only four runs through five games.
Adding to the total of 54 strikeouts, Carda led the staff with 19 K’s followed by Abbott with 17 and Fouts with 13.
Racking up a total of five RBI, four runs scored, eight hits and two doubles in front of her hometown crowd, McCleney proved to be a key contributor enroute to the 2022 World Championship title while being named the 2022 World Games Softball Tournament MVP.
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Haylie McCleney Earns World Games MVP Award, Headlines All-World Team
Originally published July 15, 2022, on Extra Inning Softball
Team USA center fielder Haylie McCleney was named the Most Valuable Player of The World Games 2022 after leading her United States squad to a gold medal in the tournament.
During the World Games, McCleney batted .553, collecting five RBIs and scoring four runs from the leadoff spot for the USA.
In addition to McCleney’s MVP award, the All-World Team was also announced following the international tournament. Members of each national team that reached the World Games semifinals – Japan, Australia, Chinese Taipei, and the United States – make up the All-World Team.
One of three American players on the All-World Team, McCleney was joined by catcher Dejah Mulipola and right-handed pitcher Ally Carda.
Five players from runners-up Japan made the All-World Team; that group included left-handed pitcher Miu Goto; first baseman Minori Naito; shortstop Kanna Kudo; outfielder Ayane Nakagawa; and designated player Yamato Fujita.
Tournament semifinalists Chinese Taipei placed two players – second baseman Feng-Chen Lin and third baseman Hsuan Liu – on the team, while fellow semifinalist Australia was represented on the All-World Team by outfielder Jade Wall.
The World Games Softball Tournament All-World Team
LHP – Miu Goto, Japan
RHP – Ally Carda, United States
C – Dejah Mulipola, United States
1B – Minori Naito, Japan
2B – Feng-Chen Lin, Chinese Taipei
3B – Hsuan Liu, Chinese Taipei
SS – Kanna Kudo, Japan
OF – Jade Wall, Australia
OF – Haylie McCleney, United States (MVP)
OF – Ayane Nakagawa, Japan
DP – Yamato Fujita, Japan