Monday night at Devon Park, the U.S. Women’s National Team defeated Japan 2-0 for the USA Softball International Cup gold medal. Montana Fouts carried a perfect game into the seventh inning before Yamato Fujita led off with a single.
Fouts began the game with the top half of the first retired in order. Then in the second inning, Fouts and the U.S. defense recorded another 1-2-3 inning.
Miu Goto had kept the first inning fairly quiet. Then after striking out Dejah Mulipola to begin the bottom of the second, she gave up back-to-back one-out singles to Jayda Coleman and Alyssa Brito. After Hannah Flippen worked a walk to load the bases, Coleman scored on a Janae Jefferson sacrifice fly to take a 1-0 lead.
Fouts was dominant and picked up where she left off on Saturday. In the top of the third, she struck out the side. Fouts’ location was on point, and she gave Japan trouble. Then, Goto began the bottom half by allowing a single to Skylar Wallace. But with one out, Megan Grant lined into a double play to short, and Wallace was doubled off at first base.
The work Fouts showcased against Japan mirrored her Athletes Unlimited Softball League season with the Talons. Japan could not make decent connections on her pitches and either popped out or grounded out for the most part.
Goto did what Japan needed her to do and kept the U.S. at bay. She began the bottom of the fourth with a strikeout of Mulipola and went on to retire the side in order. Goto had only given up 1 run and 3 hits through four innings.
Saori Yamauchi put up a good fight to begin the fifth inning. But on the ninth pitch, she struck out looking for Fouts’ fifth strikeout of the game. Fouts kept things clean and retired her fifth consecutive inning in order.
Japan went to the veteran Yukiko Ueno in the bottom of the fifth. Goto finished the night with 4.0 innings pitched and allowed 1 run on 3 hits with 2 strikeouts and 1 walk. Ueno started with a strikeout of Flippen. Then, Jefferson doubled to the left-center field wall and came home on a Maya Brady RBI single to make it 2-0 U.S. Brady then reached third base on a fielding error in center field. Ueno got out of the inning with no further damage.
Fouts continued with no issue. She fanned back-to-back hitters to open the sixth inning and went on to retire her 18th consecutive batter. After Ueno kept the bottom of the sixth scoreless for Japan, Fouts returned, and Fujita broke up the perfect game. Fouts went on to finish and sealed the deal with her eighth strikeout of the game.
