Edmonton’s Madison Willan hit a three-run homer as Canada’s women’s baseball team beat host Mexico 11-1 to capture the bronze medal on Sunday at a World Cup qualifying tournament.
The top four teams at the eight-team regional tournament qualified for the 2020 women’s baseball World Cup. Canada had already secured its berth in next year’s tournament when Cuba upset the Dominican Republic on Saturday.
Sunday’s bronze-medal game lasted just five innings with the mercy rule in effect.
Carrie Jespersen of Spruce Grove, Alta., Kelsey Lalor of Red Deer, Alta., and Stacy Fournier of Surrey, B.C., also homered. Veteran right-hander Amanda Asay of Prince George, B.C., threw all five frames, allowing just one run.
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Watch below: (From Aug. 8, 2019) Canada’s women’s baseball team is among the best in the world and as Quinn Phillips explains, a lot of Alberta players have a role on the team.
The Canadians finished the tournament with a 5-2 record. They opened the qualifier with wins over the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Cuba, but suffered back-to-back losses against the U.S. and Venezuela before beating Puerto Rico Friday to put them in the top four with a game to go.
Canada, ranked No. 2 in the world in women’s baseball behind Japan, won the bronze medal at the last World Cup in 2018. Canada has six World Cup medals in total since the biennial tournament began in 2004.
Japan is the six-time defending champion.