Women’s World Cup Roundup - Day 1

JAPAN - Kim Schulte and Laura Neads combined on a two-hit shutout and Australia smacked three home runs to rout India 15-0 on Saturday at the Women’s Baseball World Cup.

Schulte (1-0) limited India to just two hits over 3 1/3 innings before giving way to Neads who collected the final two outs to seal the win for the Aussies.

Leadoff hitter and shortstop Shae Lillywhite led Australia’s 17-hit barrage with a 3-for-3 effort that included a homer and three runs scored. Samantha Hamilton and Tahnee Lovering also went deep while stroking three hits and racking up a trio of RBIs apiece.

Avati Kavita (0-1), who had one of India’s two hits at the plate, yielded 17 hits and 15 runs to get pinned with the loss.

Japan 11, South Korea 0

Miki Atsugase had three hits and three Japanese pitchers combined to toss a two-hit shutout as Japan blanked South Korea to start the Women’s Baseball World Cup on a winning note.

Japan used a balanced attack with nine players scoring at least one run to gain the easy win over the Koreans. First baseman Yukiko Kon went 1-for-1 with two runs scored, three walks and a pair of RBIs.

Miku Kayano got the starting nod and allowed two hits in three scoreless innings but was tagged with a no-decision. Kasumi Naguchi (1-0) worked a 1-2-3 fourth inning to get credit for the win and Nagisa Handa struck out two of three batters in the final inning to wrap-up the victory.

Canada 19, Hong Kong 9

Ashley Stephenson had four RBIs and and Canada broke open a close game with a big fourth inning to trounce Hong Kong 19-9 on Sunday at the Women’s Baseball World Cup.

Stephenson went 2-for-2 with two walks and scored three runs while posting four RBIs for the Canadians which had four players with two hits. Megan Cornelssen cracked a pair of doubles with three RBis and two runs scored.

Louise Harris (1-0) picked up the win in relief scattering two runs and three hits over four innings while Kit Ling Yeung (0-1) was charged with the loss after getting rocked for eight runs in 1/3 of an inning.

Hong Kong third baseman Woon Sin Cheuk went 2-for-3 with a double and three RBI’s for the Chinese territory which managed to score nine runs on four hits and seven walks.

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