Here is the ongoing updates page for the 2011 Scotiabank Canadian Open Fastpitch International Championship.
Monday, July 18, 2011 – 9:00 a.m.
For the second time yesterday, Japan took down the U.S.A. to win a women's world championship.
At Softball City, the Japanese squad wasted no time by grabbing a 3-0 lead after two innings. They kept it going over the full seven in a rainy affair, eventually winning 7-0 over the reigning ISF World Champion Team USA.
Japan also defeated the U.S.A. in the Women's World Cup on Sunday in penalty kicks, but their victory at Softball City didn't need a dramatic ending.
It was the U.S.A.'s second loss of the day to Japan, who also had defeated them 4-3 in morning action. That win put Japan directly into the Final, while the States had to play Australia in the semis. The Americans took that game 6-1, but playing three games in one day may have been too much.
Japanese pitcher Yukiko Ueno finished her complete game shutout, allowing only three hits while throwing 10 strikeouts. Outfielder Yu Yamamoto finished the game with a home run and two RBI.
The Japanese win caps off quite a big comeback for them in this tournament. After racing out to a 4-0 record in the opening days of the Canadian Open, they dropped three straight and had to fight for the second seed in the playoffs. After that, however, the defending Olympic champions didn't lose a game the rest of the way.
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Monday, July 18, 2011 – 8:30 a.m.
Team Canada's playoff run ended with a thump yesterday, as they lost 8-1 to Australia in their final game of the Scotiabank Canadian Open Fastpitch International Championship.
Canada had won their previous two games against China Nanjing University and the California A's to put themselves in contention for the gold medal, but the Aussies dominated against the Canadians and their starting pitcher, Jenna Caira.
Canada actually scored first in the game, on a double by catcher Kaleigh Rafter, but the Aussies scored eight unanswered runs and needed only five innings to defeat the third-seeded Canadians.
It brought a stunning end to Canada's medal hopes. The Canadians had also lost their first game of the playoffs on Friday, and 8-5 decision to Team Venezeula, but they rebounded nicely in their wins on Saturday to join Australia, Japan, and the U.S.A in the final four.
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Sunday, July 17, 9:00 p.m.
Today's results:
Winner's Bracket:
Team USA – 3
Team Japan – 4
Loser's Bracket:
Team Australia – 8
Team Canada – 1
Semi-Final:
Team USA – 6
Team Australia – 1
Final:
Team Japan – 6
Team USA – 0
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Friday, July 15, 2011 – 10:45 p.m.
Today's results (stories below):
Team USA – 7
White Rock – 0
California A's – 2
Team Australia – 0
Team Japan – 3
China Nanjing University – 1
Team Venezuela – 8
Team Canada – 5
Team USA – 7
California A's – 0
Team Japan – 8
Team Venezuela – 0
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Friday, July 15, 2011 - 10:25 p.m.
White Rock Renegades vs. Team USA, 10:30 a.m.
The story of the day at Softball City was the run of upsets – and almost upsets – that took over each Diamond 1.
The day started with the host club White Rock Renegades taking on the world number one Team USA, in a battle that appeared to be every bit a battle of David and Goliath.
White Rock finished third in the Women's Elite division with a record of 4-4, while the United States came in with seven consecutive victories, including an 8-0 throttling of Team Canada on Thursday night.
Instead, the Renegades held their own for much of the game. The score was tied 0-0 after two and a half innings, before the States finally got to White Rock's starting pitcher, Nicole Sidor. After four innings, the score was 2-0 for Team USA, but the Renegades were out-hitting the defending ISF World Champions, 4-3.
The game ended 7-0 in favour of Team USA, led by a solo home run from catcher Jessica Shults in the fourth.
It was a valiant effort by the host club from White Rock, but the USA was able to close out the game and move on.
California A's vs. Team Australia, 10:30 a.m.
Meanwhile, at Diamond 2, the California A's upset Team Australia to become the only Women's Elite team to win their playoff game today. The A's never trailed in this game, winning a 2-0 contest behind seven complete innings from pitcher Meagan Denny.
Denny was named to the Canadian Open's all-star team later in the evening.
Team Canada vs. Team Venezuela, 3:30 p.m.
It seemed as if California's win would be the upset of the day, but that was only noon.
By six o'clock, Team Canada pulled off the biggest shock of the tournament – and not in a good way.
The third-seeded Canadians came into their game against the sixth-seeded Team Venezuela with only positives to focus on. They had defeated Venezuela by a combined score of 17-1 in two games at the Open, and Venezuela had yet to win a game, coming in with an 0-8 record.
The game started off with a wild first inning, which saw Team Venezuela shock the home crowd with five runs.
Canada then answered back, scoring an improbably five runs of their own to even the match, sending the high-scoring affair into the second inning tied at 5-5.
It looked as if Canada had seized the momentum back and that they would be moving on, but Venezuela turned the tables on the home team.
They added two runs in the third inning and one in the fifth as Canada's offense laid dormant.
In two hours and 21 minutes, Venezuela shocked the crowd at Softball City, and advance to the evening game against the second-seeded Team Japan.
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Friday, July 15, 2011 - 9:00 a.m.
Team Canada couldn't wrap up second place last night, dropping both their games to Team Australia and Team USA to finish with the third seed in the Women's International division, at the 2011 Scotiabank Canadian Open Fastpitch International Championship.
Canada will now play Team Venezuela in the first round of the playoffs, at 3:30 p.m. today at Softball City.
After Team Japan beat Team Venezuela, 5-4, to move ahead of the Canadians, the girls in the red-and-white dropped their first game to Australia, 2-0. They then got slapped by Team USA in the second game of their double-header, 8-0.
It was a disappointing night that saw the Canadians score zero runs, but they can still take heart in their next match-up.
Canada beta Venezuela 8-1 last Friday and 9-0 on Wednesday night, and the Venezuelan team has yet to win a game in this year's Women's Championship.
Team USA, meanwhile, remains the favourite to win this year's Women's prize. They've only dropped one game so far – a 1-0 decision against Team Japan on the first day of the tournament – and sit alone atop the leaderboard with a 7-1 record.
The U.S.A. takes on the host club, White Rock Renegades, at 1 p.m. today. White Rock finished the round robin 4-4. They lost their first game yesterday to China Nanjing University, 11-5, before defeating Renegades Elite in one of last night's late games, 8-0.
All Women's games are played at Softball City.
-Kolby Solinsky, BCLocalNews.com