Over the weekend, Team USA wrapped up the second and, ultimately, the rubber match of the three-game series with Japan as part of the Japan All-Star Series.
On Saturday, we published USA Softball’s recap of Game 1 which was a 2-1 walk-off victory for the host team… you can read that game report by clicking HERE.
Here’s the coverage of the middle and rubber-games again courtesy of USA Softball…
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Game 2: U.S. Women’s National Team posts 3-2 win over Japan to even record at 2022 Japan All-Star Series (Saturday, Aug. 7, 2022)
FUKUSHIMA –– The U.S. Women’s National Team (WNT) evened up the Japan All-Star Series with a narrow 3-2 win over Team Japan, leveling the record 1-1 with a solo matchup remaining in the series.
Lifting the Eagles to the victory was a clutch three-run home run off the bat of Baylee Klingler and dominant pitching performances from starter Megan Faraimo and reliever Ally Carda.
Faraimo and the U.S. defense showed relentless mentality in the contest, keeping the Japanese offense off the board through six innings before a two-run home run broke the silence in the top of the seventh. The Eagles combined for eight hits in the win behind a 2-for-3 day from Maya Brady and solo base hits from Klingler, Tiare Jennings, Grace Lyons, Jada Cody and Kayla Kowalik.
Getting the start in the circle was Faraimo who set the tone early with two K’s and a pop out in the top of the first. The U.S. put the bat on the ball in the bottom of the frame but were kept off the bases to send the Eagles back to defense.
A leadoff single would look to start something for Japan in the top of the second, but a fly out and a line would record two quick outs before another single put runners at first and second. Remaining calm under pressure, Faraimo fired back to force a fly out to centerfielder Kiki Milloy for the final out of the inning.
Another quiet inning from the U.S. would send Faraimo back to the circle to retire the Japan batters in order through the third, fourth and fifth frames with the score remaining knotted, 0-0.
Getting her debut in the Red, White and Blue, Cody delivered a leadoff single to kick off the bottom of the fifth followed by a double from Kowalik to put runners on second and third with no outs. The Japan defense handled the pressure with ease, recording two quick outs via a ground out and pop out to bring Klingler to the plate who lifted a clutch three-run home run over the center field fence to put the U.S. on top, 3-0.
The Japan All-Star Series is 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘂𝗽 👏
Team USA takes game 2 over Japan behind a strong defensive showing & a 𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙩𝙘𝙝 3-run 💣 from @bayleekling 🔗 https://t.co/wkBUhdviVF
Winner-Take-All finale 𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄 👀
🏟 Yokohama Stadium
⏰ 7pm JT | 5am CT pic.twitter.com/EgaanukJMC— USA Softball Women’s National Team 🇺🇸 (@USASoftballWNT) August 7, 2022
A force to be reckoned with in the circle, Faraimo continued her dominance with another 1-2-3 inning via two ground outs and a line out to keep Japan scoreless through six innings. A single from Brady was all the Eagles could manage in the bottom of the sixth as a ground out and a pair of fly outs would send the game to the top of the seventh.
Refusing to go down without a fight, Japan broke its silence in its final at-bat of the game as a leadoff single followed by a home run narrowed Team USA’s lead, 3-2, with no outs. Another single would look to continue the late-game rally, but a pitching change sent Carda to the circle to retire the first three batters she faced via a strikeout and two ground outs for the final three outs of the game to earn Team USA the 3-2 victory over Japan.
Returning to the Olympic softball venues of the 2020 Olympic Games – Azuma Stadium and Yokohama Stadium – the Japan All-Star Series provided an exciting experience for fans since its inception in 2016 where over 31,000 fans packed the Tokyo Dome while 2017 saw 15,000 fans in the stands at Yokohama Stadium.
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Game 3: Team USA Falls 1-0 to Japan in 2022 Japan All-Star Series Finale (Sunday, Aug. 8, 2022)
YOKOHAMA – Returning to the venue of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medal game between the U.S. and Team Japan, the two countries were welcomed back to Yokohama Stadium Sunday with over 12,000 fans in the stands for the 2022 Japan All-Star Series finale.
Since last year’s Olympic competition, world-ranked No. 1 Team USA and No. 2 Japan have faced off four times with the record now even at two wins and two losses apiece. While the U.S. captured the most recent nail-biting victory in Saturday’s matchup, it was Japan who would walk away with a 1-0 win to seal the three-game series.
𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁.
A warm welcome from 10,000+ fans at Yokohama Stadium. #TeamUSA | #USASoftball pic.twitter.com/dO2wle5Sye
— USA Softball Women’s National Team 🇺🇸 (@USASoftballWNT) August 8, 2022
With the game remaining scoreless through five innings, the lone run of the game crossed the plate behind a leadoff triple and throwing error in the bottom of the sixth.
Pitching and defense were the name of the game in the rubber match as only five hits were dispersed between the two teams with Team USA tallying three and Team Japan with two.
For the Eagles, all three hits came in the top of the fifth as Maya Brady, Jada Cody and Ally Carda strung together three singles but were kept off the board behind the solid Japanese defense.
Starting pitcher for Team USA, Kelly Maxwell, had a strong showing in the circle while limiting the Japan offense to just one hit through five innings before Megan Faraimo came in for relief in the top of the sixth.
The first inning set the tone of the finale contest as both squads went down in order before each putting one baserunner on in the second, but the game remained scoreless as both defenses retired the at-bats via a ground out.
Met with a dominating pitching performance from Japan’s Miu Goto, the U.S. offense remained silent through the third and fourth innings before looking to light a spark in the top of the fifth. A pair of one-out singles from Brady and Cody would record the first U.S. hits of the game and put runners on first and second for Carda who dropped a base hit over the infield for what looked to be an RBI single, but a nice throw home from Japan’s Nodoka Harada in centerfield would record the second out of the inning.
Working to make something happen with runners on first and second, Kayla Kowalik drilled a hard groundball to Japan third baseman, Yui Sakamoto, who fielded it cleanly for the third out of the inning with the score still knotted, 0-0.
Maxwell and the U.S. defense continued taking care of business in the bottom of the frame as two fly outs and a ground out retired the side before Goto and the Japan defense returned the favor in the top of the sixth.
Breaking the silence in the bottom of the inning for Team Japan was Harada who sent a hard line drive to centerfield for a leadoff triple before a pitching change brought Faraimo to the circle for the Eagles. Quickly finding her poise, the UCLA Bruin retired the first two batters she faced with a strikeout before a throwing error from Baylee Klingler at third base allowed Harada to speed home for the first – and only – run of the game.
With three outs remaining in the game, the U.S. offense remained stifled in the top of the seventh as Goto and the Japan defense sealed the 1-0 win following two strikeouts and a ground out.
Faraimo suffered the loss despite a strong relief appearance in the circle for the U.S. following Maxwell’s steady tone with four strikeouts through the first five innings.
A U.S. roster that included six rookies and just one veteran, Team USA showed out in three closely-fought battles while combining for a .219 batting average.
Leading the Eagles on offense was Oklahoma’s Grace Lyons who repped the Red, White and Blue for the first time in her career with an impressive .429 batting average followed by UCF’s Jada Cody who hit .400 as a first-time Team USA member.
The pitching staff of Carda, Faraimo, Maxwell and Kathryn Sandercock totaled 14 strikeouts across the three-game series with Faraimo tallying seven of those in 8.1 innings pitched.
For more information on Team USA, follow USASoftball.com.
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