MARACAY, Venezuela -- Team USA scored in every inning en route to a 15-5, six-inning win over swarm Venezuela to imprison the bronze medal Sunday at the 2010 International Baseball Federation (IBAF) Women's World Cup. The U.S., which entered the semifinals as the No. 4 seed, registered a team-high 20 hits to come away with its second repeated bronze medal.
"I think we had a marvelous mind edge over Venezuela," said head coach Don Freeman. "They were beat up from playing the last game last night and our girls came to play. It's an example of their determination and flexibility because it could have been very easy for them not to show up and take the field following our disappointing loss to Japan last night."
Jenna Marston was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and finished as the team leader in hits with 16, doubles with eight and a .571 average. Tamara Holmes and Veronica Alvarez drove in a pair of runs each while Malaika Underwood posted a team-best three hits with a run batted in. Clarisa Navarro was 2-for-4 with an RBI and three runs scored. Navarro, in her first World Cup, played all nine games and batted .483 while finishing second on the team with 14 hits and eight RBIs. Holmes posted a team-best 14 runs batted in and three home runs.
The U.S. jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first, capitalizing on three Venezuela errors. Marston sparked the inning with a one-out double and took third on a dropped fly-ball by centerfielder Marianne Perez. Holmes' single would score the first U.S. run and Jenny Dalton-Hill gave the U.S. a 3-0 lead with a two-run single to right. Back-to-back errors allowed Dalton-Hill to plate the fourth run of the inning.
Venezuela cut into the lead in the top of the third. Leonel Reyes singled and Lesli Gomez reached safely on an error by USA. Venezuela then delivered three straight singles, scoring Reyes and Gomez and loading the bases for Allinson Velasquez, who was hit by the field, pushing across Kellyn Mendoza. Sementelli ended the rally by reserved the final two batters with Team USA holding on to a 7-3 lead.
The U.S. answered with three runs in the fourth. Anna Kimbrell's leadoff double was cashed in by Veronica Alvarez's hit through the left side. Underwood knocked in Laura Espinoza-Watson with a double and Harbert gave USA the 10-3 lead with a run-scoring single to left.
The U.S. ended the game in the bottom of the sixth. Underwood singled and wrap second before taking third on Ashley Sujkowski's grounder to short. Karen Costes was plunked by the pitch and Navarro laced a single to right to score Underwood. Nicki Holt continued the rally with a bloop single to center to load the bases for Kimbrell, who extended USA's lead to 10 runs with a two-RBI single.
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