麻豆社区

Canada's 8-1 victory over Great Britain on Monday night at the ISF Women's World Championships lasted only six innings.

On Tuesday morning, they did even better.

After jumping out to a 7-0 lead against New Zealand in three innings, Canada added five more runs in the top of the fifth.

New Zealand was able to bring one run across the plate in the bottom half of the inning but trailing 12-1 the game was called before the teams could take the field for the sixth.

The victory improved Canada's record to 4-1, their lone defeat coming in a 6-2 loss to Japan on Sunday night.

Canada's veteran left fielder and lead-off hitter Melanie Matthews started the game with a home run to right field, her third of the tournament.

Canada would add two more in the second, including an RBI single from Mississauga's Natalie Wideman, who got the start at catcher.

Wideman made the most of her opportunity going 2-3 at the plate and driving in two runs.

"It was nice being behind the plate again,鈥� said the 20 year-old who also serves as a utility infielder.

"I'm used to playing back there so it was good to be in my home again.鈥�

With Wideman behind the plate, Canada's veteran catcher, Kaleigh Rafter was moved to designated hitter.

Rafter, from Guelph, Ont., is known for her vocal leadership on the field, pushing the younger players to perform at their best.

Wideman brings a different presence to the field, using her energy and enthusiasm to keep the team motivated.

"We're both very different catchers,鈥� said Wideman.

"Her size helps her out with being that dominant catcher and I just have to work with my strengths but she's definitely taught me a lot.鈥�

Mark Smith, Canada's head coach, was disappointed with the amount of runners left on base in Canada's win over Great Britain.

In their match-up against New Zealand, he thought the team was able to correct those mistakes.

"These are tough games to play,鈥� he said.

"When they get one-sided it becomes difficult for either team to stay motivated but I thought our at-bats were good and we made the adjustments we needed to make.

"In this tournament you see a different style of pitching everyday so you have to be quick in adjusting to it and I thought today we did a really good job of that.

"Defensively we struggled a little bit, it's hard to get into a rhythm when you're not getting a lot of balls hit to you.鈥�

Canada will be tested by one of the top teams in the tournament when they face Australia tomorrow night at 7 p.m.

The Aussies defeated Canada 7-0 two weeks ago in the bronze medal match at the Canadian Open Fastpitch International in Surrey, B.C.

Smith said there's no lingering memories from that loss.

"We've got to play well against them and be prepared for them to come out and play their best game of the ball tournament against us. We've done what we needed to get to this point so now we just need to get our sights set on tomorrow.

"We've got a history of being really competitive with each other, I think if anything it gives us an edge because I think our girls will be motivated to avenge that performance.

"They caught us at point where we were about 22 days into the trip, we were tired physically and tired mentally and it showed in our performance. I'm not worried about those factors tomorrow night.鈥�

Canada will also receive a boost from the arrival of Danielle Lawrie, a 麻豆社区pitcher who up until this point has been playing with her Florida-based professional team.

"We've got Danielle coming into town and our pitching staff has been doing a good job of keeping runs off the board. Anyone could take the mound right now,鈥� said Caitlin Lever, another veteran member of the team.

Lawrie, whose younger brother is Blue Jays third baseman Brett Lawrie, was named the U.S.A Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year in 2009 after leading the University of Washington to their first national championship.

She received the honour again in 2010.

Currently she's one of the top pitchers in the National Pro Fastpitch league, anchoring the starting rotation for the USSSA Florida Pride.

"The moment this game ended we started thinking about tomorrow,鈥� said Lever.

"We didn't play our best game last time against Australia so I think it's important we play our best and don't beat ourselves. We're finally putting the pieces together and our offence is consistent.鈥�

"We know it's a big game and we have to focus on getting the win,鈥� added Wideman.

"We beat them once in Surrey and we lost to them but we learned from that game. We know we're able to beat them. We're ready for it.鈥�