U.S. beats Japan for gold medal

By Gary Kingston

SOUTH SURREY, B.C. -- The U.S. women’s softball team didn’t have to go far to reclaim the world title, travelling just across the British Columbia border to South Surrey.

But they did have to go to the long ball to get it done.

Outfielders Haylie McCleney and Michelle Moultrie each blasted three-run home runs as the Americans, losers in the gold medal games to Japan in 2012 and 2014, beat the Asian squad 7-3 before 4,500 sun-drenched fans Sunday evening at Softball City.

The U.S. had won seven consecutive world titles before falling to Japan at the last two worlds. But this time, Japan was without injured pitching star Ukiko Ueno, who beat the Americans for gold at the 2008 Olympics and at Whitehorse, Yukon, in 2012 and the Netherlands in 2014.

The young American team jumped all over Japanese starter Yukari Hamamura in the first inning after two quick outs. Jazmyn Jackson doubled to right centre, Valerie Arioto walked and Aquilar delivered an RBI single up the middle.

Moultrie then smacked a line drive homer over the right field fence to put the U.S. up 4-0 after half an inning.

Japan got one run back in the bottom of the first on an RBI single by veteran outfielder Eri Yamada, but in the top of the fourth, after singles by shortstop Delaney Spaulding and catcher Aubree Munro, McCleney, a light-hitting centre fielder, smacked a Hamamura offering over the centre field fence.

The U.S. had to play the game without slugger Amanda Chidester, a catcher/outfielder who had hit seven home runs in the tournament but who broke a bone in her arm when she was hit by a pitch in the Americans’ 4-3 semifinal win over Japan on Saturday.

But McCleney and Moultrie stepped up to fill the power void big time. McCleney hadn’t homered all tournament and had just three RBI in seven previous games; Moultrie had just one home run and six RBI prior to Sunday.

The U.S. used four pitchers -- Ally Carda, Jessica Moore, Jackie Traina and Delanie Gourley -- with head coach Ken Eriksen bringing both Carda and Gourley into the game after pulling them.

The four combined to give up eight hits, including solo home runs Hamura Sakamoto (off Moore) and Misato Kawano (off Traina) while striking out three.

The next world championships are in Japan in 2018, two years before women’s softball is expected to return to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.