Ricketts Helps U.S. to Win over Japan

July 23, 2011

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -- Oklahoma's Keilani Ricketts collected her second win in as many days as she and Jessica Shults both recorded starts for the USA Softball Women's National Team Saturday at the World Cup of Softball. The American squad recorded a bounceback 8-4 win over Japan after falling to Canada, 4-3, earlier in the day.

Ricketts pitched four innings and ended the night with two strikeouts against just one hit while giving up two runs, one earned, and two walks. The win for the San Jose, Calif., native came one night after she pitched 1.1 innings of relief to pick up the win in USA's 5-2 win over Australia on Friday night.

Ricketts entered the circle with a 1-0 lead as Michelle Moultrie doubled to open the game before advancing to third and coming home on back-to-back sacrifice bunts by Rhea Taylor and Stacy May-Johnson, respectively. Japan plated a run in each of the first two innings despite not recording a hit in either inning with the scoring runners reaching base via a walk and a fielding error.

Ricketts' teammates gave her support at the plate in the top of the fifth with two runs before she was replaced by Chelsea Thomas in the bottom of the fifth. The U.S. tacked on five more runs in the sixth as Japan countered with two runs of their own in the bottom of the inning.

Shults started the game vs. Canada behind the plate but was unable to reach base at her one at bat in the second inning against the Canadians. With the U.S. down 4-2 with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Ricketts entered the game as a pinch hitter and helped the American squad climb within a run with an RBI single between first and second that brought home Michelle Moultrie and moved Taylor Hoagland to third. The U.S. was unable to pull off the comeback, however, as Stacy May-Johnson grounded out to the Canadian pitcher.

Shults, Ricketts and the rest of the U.S. team return to action Sunday as they take on Great Britain at 4 p.m. at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium. With Saturday's results, the U.S. enters the final day of preliminary action with a record of 3-1.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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