USA continues winning
7/17/2012
2012 Team USA Cumulative Stats
WHITEHORSE, Y.T. – The USA Softball Women’s National team beat South Africa 17-0 in three innings on Monday to move to 4-0 in pool play at the International Softball Federation (ISF) World Championships the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) of America announced today. Chelsea Thomas (Pleasantville, Iowa) got the start and the shut-out win in the circle for the USA going three innings and striking out seven batters while only surrendering two hits. Four USA players homered in the game including three-run shots from Samantha Fischer (Simi Valley, Calif.) and Amanda Chidester (Allen Park, Mich.) and a grand slam from Keilani Ricketts (San Jose, Calif.).
“I was just looking to make solid contact for a base hit,” said Ricketts. “I got a good luck and was able to hit it over the wall. I think we came out hitting well as a team today. We just need to carry that on throughout the rest of the tournament.”
As the visiting team, USA batted first to start the game. A walk to Michelle Moultrie (Jacksonville, Fla.), a Rhea Taylor (Buford, Ga.) base hit and an error on South Africa’s short stop loaded the bases for Ricketts. It only took one pitch for Ricketts to give the USA a 4-0 lead as she connected for a grand slam over the left-center field wall.
In the second inning USA picked up twelve runs on six hits and three South Africa errors. The inning was highlighted by three-run home runs from Fischer and Chidester. At the end of the inning, USA held a 16-0 lead.
From the circle, Chelsea Thomas continued her international play dominance improving her 2012 USA record to 5-1. In 32 innings pitched, Thomas has given up just 18 hits and currently holds a 0.44 ERA.
“I felt good today,” said Thomas. “(Jessica) Shults and I were on the same page with pitch selections and my teammates did a great job hitting the ball and scoring runs for us.”
With the win, USA moves to 4-0 in pool play at the ISF World Championships. The team will return to action on Tuesday, July 17 when they face the only other undefeated team in Pool A, China. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:00 PM (PDT). Please visit USAsoftball.com for links to live stats and live streaming of all Team USA’s games at the World Championships.
About ASA
The Amateur Softball Association, founded in 1933, is the National Governing Body of softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. The ASA has become one of the nation’s largest sports organizations and now sanctions competition in every state through a network of 76 local associations. The ASA has grown from a few hundred teams in the early days to over 210,000 teams today, representing a membership of more than three million. For more information on the ASA, visit http://www.asasoftball.com/.
About USA Softball
USA Softball is the brand created, operated and owned by the ASA that links the USA Men’s, Women’s, Junior Boys’ and Junior Girls’ National Team programs together. USA Softball is responsible for training, equipping and promoting these four National Teams to compete in international and domestic competitions. The USA Softball Women’s National Team is one of the 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 nine World Championship titles including the last seven consecutive as well as claimed six World Cup of Softball titles. For more information about USA Softball, please visit http://www.usasoftball.com/.
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