A day after defeating Chinese Taipei in eight innings, the U.S. Women’s Elite Team returned to Devon Park to face American Samoa in the USA Softball International Cup. The U.S. took this one in five, with a 10-3 run-rule victory. Morgan Zerkle remained hot and finished the day 3-for-4 with a three-run home run, 5 RBIs and the walkoff two-RBI triple to end it.
NiJaree Canady started for the U.S. Elite in the circle and faced early traffic. Ailana Agbayani and Matalasi Fa’apito worked back-to-back walks and moved up on a Mary Iakopo sacrifice bunt. However, Canady battled to get out of the inning unscathed.
Rita Tavita started in the circle for American Samoa and began with a strikeout of Zerkle in the bottom of the first. Tavita went on to retire the side in order after a couple of flyouts landed in Chloe Malau’ulu’s glove.
Canady recorded two quick outs, including a strikeout in the top of the second. But back-to-back singles by Cairah Curran and C. Malau’ulu stretched the inning before a third out was recorded.
American Samoa made Canady work in the first two innings, as she threw 41 pitches with 10 batters faced. The U.S. Elite Team then broke through in the bottom half.
Sierra Sacco-Ferrie began by reaching on an error. Then, with one out, Reese Atwood and Bubba Nickles-Camarena loaded the bases with back-to-back singles. Sacco-Ferrie was the first to score on a Baylee Klingler RBI sacrifice fly.
Then, Atwood scored on a Sydney McKinney two-out RBI single before Zerkle knocked a three-run home run to center field to make it 5-0 U.S. Elite. American Samoa avoided more damage, getting out of the inning after Sahvanna Jaquish walked and Ana Gold reached on an error.
Canady worked through three innings of scoreless ball. Her stuff looked better as time went on, and in the bottom of the third, she recorded her third strikeout of the game. That was the last inning for Canady, as Teagan Kavan came on in the top of the fourth. Canady finished with 3.0 innings pitched, 2 hits allowed, 3 strikeouts and 3 walks in 62 total pitches.
Ayla Tuua, who is going into her freshman year at LSU, took the ball for American Samoa in the bottom of the third inning. She faced immediate trouble. Rachel Garcia led off with a double, and after a Kendal Wells walk, Nickles-Camarena singled to load the bases. Aleena Garcia collected her first hit of the International Cup and cleared the bases with a three-RBI double to make it 8-0 U.S. Elite.
Tuua got McKinney to go down on a called strike three before Zerkle put runners on the corners with a single. That was it for Tuua, and American Samoa went to Key-Annah Pu’a in the circle. Tuua saw six batters and tossed 30 total pitches with only one hitter retired. Pu’a got Jaquish on called strikes and went on to get out of the inning without more damage.
Sinalei Tilataina hit a one-out double to the left field corner in the top of the fourth. Then, with two outs, C. Malau’ulu brought Tilataina home with an RBI single for American Samoa’s first run of the USA Softball International Cup.
Agbayani followed with a single to put runners on the corners. Kavan battled with American Samoa as it showed resistance and continued the two-out offense. Fa’apito worked eight pitches for a two-RBI double to cut the U.S. Elite Team’s lead to 8-3 before Kavan could get out of the inning.
Ahead in the top of the fifth, American Samoa was able to get a couple of runners on, but Kavan kept things scoreless in the frame. Even though the U.S. held a five-run lead, the hit column was almost even through four and a half innings.
A. Garcia reached on an error to begin the bottom of the fifth. She stole second with Taylor Shumaker at the plate, and Shumaker worked a walk. That gave Zerkle the runners needed to walk off the game with the two-RBI triple for a 10-3 final.
