Led by pitcher Sara Nevins, Team USA cruised to a 5-2 victory over Canada on Sunday afternoon in Irvine, California.
Nevins was chosen to start the championship game of the tournament, which was broadcasted on ESPN. The former USF pitcher only permitted four base runners during her 6 1/3 innings of work. When she was eventually pulled from the game, she had struck out eight batters and held Team USA’s 4-0 lead.
The only difficult situation that Nevins encountered Sunday was in the bottom of the fourth when Team USA only held a 1-0 lead. Team Canada led off the inning with two singles and another batter reached later in the inning from an intentional walk.
With one out and the bases loaded, Nevins escaped the jam by striking out the next two batters.
Raven Chavanne was the offensive force for Team USA, going 3-4 and knocking in two runs.
Led by USF coach Ken Eriksen, Team USA finished the tournament with a 6-0 record and is preparing for the 2014 International Softball Federation Women’s World Championships, which will take place in Haarlem, Netherlands from Aug. 15-24.
— Staff report
