Findlay, Ritter and Hutchins Golden at World U Games
7/23/2006 12:00:00 AM | Softball
KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan -- Led by U-M head softball coach Carol Hutchins, Team USA posted a pair of extra-inning wins on the final day of competition at the World University Softball Championship to win gold against Chinese Taipei (July 23).
Senior Jennie Ritter (Dexter, Mich./Dexter) earned both victories on the final day of competition and sophomore Samantha Findlay (Lockport, Ill./Lockport) hit back-to-back walk-off, game-winners against Japan and Chinese Taipei to help the U.S. win the championship.
The U.S. won its first four games by a combined score of 35-3, with the only real competition coming from Japan in a 4-2 win. In the final game of round robin play, Team USA suffered its first loss in a 4-2 defeat to Chinese Taipei. Chinese Taipei downed the U.S. again the next day, 5-1, in the first contest of the medal round, forcing the U.S. to take on Japan for a chance to face on Chinese Taipei for gold.
The U.S. gutted out an extra-inning, 3-2 win over Japan on Saturday (July 22) with Ritter taking the win and Findlay hitting a walk-off, game-winning single, sending Team USA to the gold medal game later that afternoon. Team USA and Chinese Taipei took the rematch to extra-innings in the gold medal game where Chinese Taipei took a one-run lead in the eighth, leading to Findlays second walk-off, game-winning hit of the day, scoring a pair and giving the U.S. gold.
Ritter posted a 4-0 record with two wins coming in the medal round, while Findlay hammered a pair of game-winning hits when they mattered most, finishing the championship with six RBI. Ritter gave up her first international run in 55.0 innings in the circle but has yet to allow an earned run in international play, pitching 66.2 innings in her international career. Ritter is 11-0 in international play with a 0.00 ERA, earning three gold medals (International Cup, Pan-Am/World Games Qualifier and World University Games) and a silver (Canada Cup).
After four days of torrential rain associated with the passing of tropical storm Bilis, the USA World University team was able to play and win two run-rule games Monday (July 17). The organizers of the championship switched from a double round-robin preliminary round to a single round-robin format, with the opening games moved from the Ho Shun Liao Sports Park in Tai-nan City to Fong Hsin Stadium in Kaohsiung.
Ritter pitched a perfect game in a 15-0 win over South Africa in the opening contest of the championship Monday (July 17), striking out nine of the 12 batters she faced. Findlay finished 1-for-3 with a double and two RBI, driving in a pair of runs in the first with runners on first and second. The U.S. scored five runs in the first, sixth in the third and four in the fourth before the run-rule came into effect.
In the second game of the opening day of the championship, Team USA downed Thailand, 7-0. Findlay did her part with a 1-for-3 performance, hitting a key two-out single in the first inning that led to a game-winning double in the next at-bat. Team USA put up two runs in the first, four in the second and a single in third to cruise to its second-straight shutout victory.
Ritter got a rest on Tuesday (July 18) in Team USAs 4-2 win over Japan. Findlay went hitless for the first time in the championship, going 0-for-4 at the plate. The U.S. got on the board first with a solo home run in the third, but Japan tied it up in the fourth with a one-out single. The U.S. rebounded with two runs in the sixth, but Japan scored on a passed ball in the bottom half of the inning to make it, 3-2 Team USA. The U.S. added an insurance run in the seventh and the U.S. retired the side to preserve the win and improve to 3-0.
Ritter took to the circle against one of the better teams of the championship in Team Australia, Wednesday (July 19), but the Red, White and Blue bats provided her with nine runs through four innings in an eventual, 9-1 win. Ritter allowed the first run of her international career in the fourth, breaking up a consecutive innings shutout streak spanning 55.0 innings, when a throwing error allowed an Australian batter to advance to third on a single. A single in the next at-bat scored a run and Ritter settled down to retire the next two batters in order. Ritter finished with four strikeouts, while giving up five hits through 4.0 complete-game innings. Findlay finished 1-for-2 with a walk and a RBI single in the fourth, giving her three RBI in four games.
In a showdown between the only remaining undefeated teams, Chinese Taipei downed Team USA, 4-2 on Thursday (July 20) in the final game of the round robin format. The U.S. took a 1-0 lead in the first but back-to-back triples and an error handed Chinese Taipei a 2-1 advantage heading into the second. Chinese Taipei added another run on a throwing error from the U.S. catcher in the bottom of the second but the U.S. clawed back within one run with a solo home run in the fourth, making it 3-2. Chinese Taipei added an insurance run in the fifth when the leadoff batter walked, advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on a single to make it, 4-2. Ritter rested for the medal rounds, while Findlay went 0-for-4 in the contest.
Team USA faced the daunting task of taking on Japan once again for a chance to advance to the gold medal game. The U.S. and Japan met Saturday (July 22) and battled to a 2-2 tie through four innings when Ritter took to the circle. Ritter shut down the Japanese bats, giving up just two hits through four innings as the teams played an extra frame. With the international tiebreaker rule in effect, Ritter retired the side in the top of the eighth, setting up a dramatic bottom half of the inning for Team USA. With a runner placed on second, Team USA sacrificed her to third, setting up back-to-back intentional walks to bring Findlay to the plate. Findlay pulled a ball to left field, nailing a walk-off single and giving the U.S. a 3-2 extra-inning victory.
Less than two hours later, the U.S. faced Chinese Taipei for the third time in the tournament, this match-up deciding the gold medal. Ritter stayed in the circle for the U.S. with the championship on the line. The U.S. took a 1-0 lead in the third but Chinese Taipei responded with two runs in the fourth off a throwing error put the U.S. down, 2-1. Team USA tied it up in the bottom of the fifth and neither team could scratch across another run in regulation. Heading into the top of the eighth with 11 innings on Ritters arm already, Chinese Taipei placed a runner on second for the international tiebreaker, sacrificed her to third and scored on a bad throw to home in the next at-bat to take a 3-2 lead. Ritter bore down to strike out a batter for the second out and Findlay snared a line drive for the final out of the eighth. Once again the U.S. placed a runner on second and the next batter reached on an infield error to put runners on the corner with no outs. A single in the next at-bat loaded the bases and Chinese Taipei finally recorded the first out of the inning with a force at home bringing Findlay to the plate. For the second time Saturday, Findlay ripped a walk-off single to left field, scoring a pair and giving the U.S. a 4-3 gold medal victory.
Contact: Richard Retyi (734) 763-4423
