Sunday night at Devon Park in Oklahoma City, the U.S. Women’s National Team took on the U.S. Women’s Elite Team in the USA Softball International Cup. The Women’s National Team took the 6-2 win. Maya Brady remained dialed in and went 2-for-3 with a home run. Aubrey Leach also finished 2-for-3, and Megan Grant added a two-run home run. Lexi Kilfoyl picked up the win after 4.2 innings of one-run ball.
Morgan Zerkle began with a hit. She took a first-pitch swing and singled off Kilfoyl to start the game. Kilfoyl made it out of the inning unscathed and recorded her first strikeout of the game. With two outs, Zerkle was caught stealing by Dejah Mulipola, with Janae Jefferson applying the tag.
Brady wasted no time and led off the bottom of the first with a solo home run to left field. Then, with two outs, Jocelyn Erickson reached on a single. Aleena Garcia made a diving stop up the middle, but could not recover in time. Megan Faraimo went on to retire the side with no further damage.
Baylee Klingler put up a one-out battle and reached second by way of a throwing error by Alyssa Brito at third. Kilfoyl came back with her second strikeout of the game. Then, Klingler made it to third on a passed ball, but Kilfoyl retired the side without damage.
Leach got into the hit column with a two-out single in the bottom of the second, but nothing further came of the inning. Faraimo settled in with a string of flyouts after the first-inning home run from Brady.
The U.S. Elite Team got a leadoff double from Aleena Garcia in the top of the third. Then, with two outs and Ana Gold up to bat, she moved over to third on a Kilfoyl wild pitch. Gold battled before doubling home a run to tie the game at 1.
Brady continued to come through for the U.S. WNT. She led off with a double in the bottom of the third on a 1-2 pitch. Faraimo then put Skylar Wallace on with a four-pitch walk. Faraimo’s command continued to slip, and after Mulipola grounded into a fielder’s choice to put runners on the corners, Erickson worked a walk to load the bases.
That gave Tiare Jennings a set table, and she capitalized with a two-RBI single to give the U.S. WNT a 3-1 lead. Next, Jayda Coleman recorded an RBI on a fielder’s choice to push the lead to 4-1. Gabbie Garcia committed a throwing error that allowed Coleman to advance to second. That was it for Faraimo, and the U.S. Elite Team went to NiJaree Canady, who got out of the inning.
Kilfoyl had an efficient night, and in the top of the fourth she got great defensive help. After Sierra Sacco-Ferrie reached on a walk, Klingler grounded into a double play. Then, Kilfoyl retired the side on a strikeout of Gabbie Garcia.
Jefferson led off the bottom of the fourth with a single, but was caught stealing with two outs by Sharlize Palacios, who threw down to Aleena Garcia. That rolled into Kilfoyl’s last inning of the night. She retired the first two in the top of the fifth. After recording her fourth strikeout of the game, she was relieved by Karlyn Pickens, who struck out Taylor Shumaker to retire the side. Kilfoyl recorded 4.2 innings with 1 run allowed on 3 hits, striking out 4 against 1 walk.
Canady worked a clean bottom of the fifth and retired the side in order. She picked up a leadoff strikeout of Mulipola before a fly-out and pop-out finished it off. Pickens also kept the top of the sixth scoreless. She gave up a two-out single to Bubba Nickles-Camarena, but fanned Ally Carda to retire the side.
However, in the bottom of the sixth, the WNT added on two more. After Coleman led off with a single, Grant smashed a two-run home run to extend the lead to 6-1. After Leach singled, Canady made a diving play to retire Hannah Flippen and doubled off Leach at first base. With two outs, Canady lost her command and put Brady and Wallace on with hit by pitches. Canady was able to escape the inning without further damage.
Pickens returned for the top of the seventh in hopes of closing out the game. After Klingler lined back to her for the first out, Sahvanna Jaquish took a four-pitch walk. Then, after advancing to second on a wild pitch, she went to third on a Reese Atwood one-out single to put runners on the corners.
That brought on a pitching change, as Kelly Maxwell took the ball. The Elite Team did not go down easy and loaded the bases with a two-out Shumaker walk. Then, Zerkle followed with an RBI single to make it 6-2, but Atwood was tagged out at home for the last out of the game.
With the win, the U.S. Women’s National Team will face Japan in the USA International Cup championship on Monday night, at 8 p.m. EDT, 7 p.m. CDT on ESPN+. The U.S. Women’s Elite Team will finish the International Cup with Canada on Monday at 4 p.m. EDT, 3 p.m. CDT on ESPN+.
