THUNDER BAY – A single swing of the bat put Canada into the medal round of the 2024 World Baseball Softball Confederation Women’s Baseball World Cup.
Catcher Lucie Anctil capped off a seven-run bottom of the fifth inning with a grand slam home run to right field to give the tournament hosts a 10-0 win over Venezuela on Wednesday night at Port Arthur Stadium.
The win improved Canada’s record to 2-2 and also put the squad in Saturday’s bronze medal game at 11 a.m.
They will face the winner of Thursday’s 3 p.m. contest between Mexico and Venezuela. The two sides are tied for fourth place at 1-3.
“It feels great,” Canada manager Anthony Pluta said.
“I’d much rather be playing for a different medal, but we’re playing for a medal and that’s what it’s all about.”
Anctil’s game-clinching hit came a few at-bats after Andréanne Leblanc and Alizée Gélinas had seen their home run bids go off the right field wall.
“I didn’t even realize that it was a home run,” Anctil said. “I was running for my life and just hoping that (their outfielder) didn’t make the catch.
“We’re feeling confident and I think we have a great team. If we play together, we can beat anyone that we play against.”
Leblanc and Gelinas drove in a pair of runs to go along with Anctil’s four-RBI night.
Centre fielder Sena Catterall also had a strong performance as she went three-for-three with a double and made her second highlight-reel catch of the week.
Jaida Lee earned the win on the mound as she allowed just one hit and struck out four Venezuelan batters in five innings of work.
“She only pitched one inning in our qualifier last year and it was a rough one against the United States,” Pluta said. “I promised Jaida that she’d get to start a game this year and she threw absolute fire tonight.
“Jaida’s played with me in Quebec during this season and I’ve seen her evolve a lot as a pitcher,” Anctil added. “She did really great.”
Canada wraps up their round-robin schedule at 7 p.m. Thursday against a 0-4 Chinese Taipei side that is already eliminated from the medal hunt.
Japan to face United States for title
Saturday’s gold medal game is also set in stone as Japan (4-0) and the United States (4-0) will square off for the championship at 3 p.m.
The two sides play their last round-robin game against each other at 11 a.m. on Thursday.
The winner will clinch first in the standings and get the chance to bat at the bottom of each inning during the final.
Japan turned in another impressive performance on Wednesday as they beat Mexico 10-0 in six innings.
Catcher Misaki Namai was a perfect four-for-four at the plate as she hit a pair of doubles and drove in five runs.
Left fielder Miu Shiraishi had a double and two RBI for the victors.
The United States also held their opponent off the scoreboard on Wednesday as they eliminated Chinese Taipei from the medal hunt with a 9-0 triumph.
Kelsie Whitmore, Jillian Albayati and Valerie Perez all drove in two runs for the Americans.
A full schedule for the WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup can be found on the event’s website.
Tickets for the tournament can be purchased at Port Arthur Stadium or online.