THUNDER BAY – Team Canada had to settle for a split of their two-game series against the Play it Again Sports Lakers, but winning or losing wasn’t really the end goal for the national women’s baseball squad.
It was a chance to work out any kinks, in actual game action, ahead of Tuesday’s scheduled start of the Pool A qualifier for the 2024 World Baseball Softball Confederation Women’s Baseball World Cup, slated for next year in Thunder Bay.
Sunday’s 10-1 defeat, coming on the heels of Saturday’s 10-8 triumph, was disappointing, but coach Anthony Pluta said overall, he’s happy with how the team perform, with Mexico on the horizon in their tournament opener.
“It was getting us to play as a team and get a couple of games in,” Pluta said on Sunday night, the game played in front a few dozen fans at Baseball Central, the home of the event for its first two days, before the action shifts to Port Arthur Stadium on Thursday.
“We had a lot of practices coming into this and working and just trying players in different positions, messing with the batting order a little bit and then we got to play the international (extra inning) rules with runners on first and second was awesome for that last inning.”
Second baseman Ela Day Bedard, whose second-inning double made her Canada’s lone runner to reach scoring position before the seventh, said the two games against the Lakers were a great warm-up before they get ready to welcome the world in two days.
And like her coach, the Gatineau, Que. native said there’s not better preparation than a little game action.
“We’ve been practicing for a week now and we could see the hard work we were doing. It was a pleasure to play just to consolidate everything that we’ve been doing,” Bedard said.
“We have a young team, but I’m pretty sure we’re all going to have fun and do our own thing and everything is going to go great.
The game itself was a bit of the Liam Willmore show.
The Lakers lead-off hitter singled in his first three at bats, scoring twice, then homered in the sixth, slamming the ball over the wall in left off Canadian reliever Alexane Fournier, the fourth national team pitcher of the night.
Adam Tassone got the start for Thunder Bay and was solid through five, allowing just two hits and two walks, while striking out five.
His counterpart, Julia Koningshofer, was almost as impressive, allowing one run on two hits in two innings of work, Team Canada choosing to run out five pitchers on the night to ready their arms for the qualifier. Catcher Nolan Height had three hits and three RBIs for Thunder Bay, the top three Lakers hitters combining for nine hits in 12 at bats.
Canada, who had just four hits on the night, scored its lone run in the seventh, designated hitter Emily Baxter drawing a bases loaded walk that score Jhustine Marin, placed on second to start the inning.
Canada will take on Mexico at Baseball Central on Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m.
