Canada defeats Peru 10-0 at
Santiago 2023 Pan American Games
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 31st, 2023
Santiago, Chile – The Canadian Women’s National Softball Team improved its record to 2-0 with a 10-0 win in five innings against Peru on Tuesday. Morgan Reimer (Langley, B.C.) earned her first win in a Team Canada uniform in her first pitching start, while the offensive exploded with seven runs in the top of the fifth inning on its way to the victory.
The game was scoreless after two innings before Canada got on the board in the top of the third. Nicole Rivait (Oakville, Ont.) led off the inning with a single and immediately scored on a double to left by Kelsey Harshman (Delta, B.C.), who crossed the plate herself on a single to left by Janet Leung (Missisauga, Ont.). The following inning, Erika Polidori (Brantford, Ont.) reach on an error and scored on another double by Harshman to give Canada a 3-0 lead.
Meanwhile, Reimer pitched three strong innings for the red and white, allowing only one hit and one walk with a strikeout over three innings before Morgan Rackel (Calgary, Alta.) came in relief.
“I felt a little bit nervous, but super excited to play with these girls and representing Canada at the highest level” Reimer said about her first start with the National Team. “This is probably the coolest thing I’ve ever done.”
After Rackel struck out the side in the bottom of the fourth, Canada’s bats went to work. Emma Entzminger (Victoria, B.C.), Larissa Franklin (Maple Ridge, B.C.) and Zoe Hicks (Boissevain, Man.) started the inning with singles, with Entzminger crossing the plate on an error after Hicks’ hit. Polidori was issued an intentional walk to load the bases, but that proved costly as Kianna Jones (Surrey, B.C.) drilled a grand slam to left to break the game open. The next batter reached on an error before Rivait hit a two-run blast of her own to extend Canada’s lead to 10-0.
Dawn Bodrug (Georgetown, Ont.) struck out the side in the bottom of the fifth inning to end the game on the run rule.
Box Score: Canada 10 vs. Peru 0
“We’re having fun. I think everyone’s happy to be here, we’re enjoying each other’s time together, we’re loose in the warm-ups and we’re bringing that into the games. If we keep doing that in the high and low moments, we’ll be good” stated Larissa Franklin about the team’s tournament so far.
Team Canada (2-0) will be back in action with a key game against Puerto Rico (2-0) at 4:00pm local time (3:00pm EDT) on Wednesday. Both teams will advance to the Super Round, but the winning team will carry a 1-0 record. Earlier in the tournament on Monday, Puerto Rico blanked Peru 3-0, the United States beat Venezuela 9-2 and Mexico shut out Chile 8-0.
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For more information, please contact:
Angela Ballantyne
Manager - Sport Development
Softball Canada
m: (613) 558-4663
w: www.softball.ca | e: aballantyne@softball.ca
