Ricketts Gets Win in USA Victory

July 4, 2012

SURREY, British Columbia, Canada — Fresh off its gold medal in the World Cup of Softball, the USA Softball National Team, which includes OU's Keilani Ricketts and Jessica Shults, opened the Canadian Open Fastpitch International Championship with a 5-4, nine-inning win over Venezuela Wednesday. Ricketts opened the event with a pitching win after entering the game in a relief role while Shults got the start for the United States behind the plate and finished the game with two plate appearances.

After Venezuela tied the game at three runs a piece, Ricketts entered the pitching circle for the U.S. with two outs in the top of the seventh. The USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year struck out the first batter she saw before finishing with four strikeouts in 2.1 innings of action. Ricketts allowed just one hit, a single in the top of the ninth to score Venezuela's fourth run, and no walks.

Heading into the bottom of the ninth down by a run, the U.S. posted two runs for the one-run victory as Stacey May-Johnson scored the game's winning run off a Michelle Moultrie single.

Venezuela jumped out to a two-run lead after Yurubi Alicart smacked a two-run home run. The U.S. answered with one run in the second when a Jenae Leles single scored Valerie Arioto. Arioto would score the first of two American runs in the fourth after a Shults grounder moved the Cal athlete over to third before she eventually scored off a Lauren Gibson single.

The American team returns to action on Thursday with back-to-back games against Puerto Rico and Australia. The U.S. defeated both countries en route to its undefeated run at the World Cup of Softball in Oklahoma City.