WINESBURG, Ohio — The USA Softball Men’s and Women’s Slow Pitch National Teams (SPNT) traveled to Winesburg, Ohio, for the 16th edition of Border Battle, which took place June 18-20 at Winesburg Park. Throughout the three-day event, athletes from the USA Softball Men’s and Women’s Slow Pitch National Teams and Futures Teams competed in a series of matchups against the Canadian Men’s and Women’s Slow Pitch National Teams, as well as various grassroots clubs, delivering an action-packed weekend of international slow pitch competition.
The Red, White, and Blue swept the final day of Border Battle XVI with victories from both the Men’s and Women’s Futures teams, capped by U.S. wins in the Men’s and Women’s Border Battle matchups against Canada.
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2026 WOMEN’S BORDER BATTLE
Solid at the plate and sharp on defense, the USA Softball Women’s Slow Pitch National Team (WSPNT) secured its seventh-consecutive Border Battle title with a 27-7 run-rule victory over Canada (four innings), improving to a 7-1 overall record in the annual event. Chelsea Zgrabik led the U.S. offense, going 4-for-4 with a single, double, two home runs, four RBI and three runs scored. Patrika Barlow also turned in a stellar performance, finishing 4-for-4 with a single, two doubles, a home run, five RBI and four runs scored, while Fiana Finau blasted two home runs and drove in five. Meagan Pearson added a home run of her own as the Eagles collected 22 hits, including seven multi-hit performances.
Canada struck first with five runs in the top of the first inning, but the U.S. quickly responded to even the score at 5-5 behind home runs from Finau, Zgrabik and Pearson. The Eagles took control in the second inning, exploding for 16 runs on a series of base hits, highlighted by back-to-back home runs from Finau and Zgrabik to extend the lead to 21-5. Canada added two runs in the top of the third to trim the lead to 21-7, but Team USA answered with five runs in the bottom half of the inning to move within one run of the run-rule at 26-7. Zgrabik and Finau combined to score the game-ending run in the fourth inning, sealing the 27-7 victory.
The U.S. offense finished the weekend with a .578 team batting average, totaling 129 hits and 126 runs scored across six games. Zgrabik led the Eagles with a .800 batting average, followed by Jessica Tolbert (.692) and Ruby Richie (.688). Finau led the squad with six home runs, while Zgrabik added five. Megan Baltzell, Barlow and Sarah Davis each recorded three home runs, while Pearson and Richie added two apiece.
2026 MEN’S BORDER BATTLE
The U.S. Men’s Slow Pitch National Team (MSPNT) proved dominant in the 2026 edition of Border Battle with a 32-12 run-rule (four innings) win over Canada’s Men’s Slow Pitch National Team to clinch its 14th overall Men’s Border Battle title. Combining for 31 hits in the win, the Eagles sent 10 home runs out of the park, with Heath Barnes and Filip Washington each tallying two. Ten U.S. batters recorded multi-hit performances, while Barnes, Jeremy Fry and Bubba Mack each turned in perfect 4-for-4 performances at the plate.
Canada took an early lead with six runs in the top of the first behind two home runs and an RBI-single. Team USA responded with nine runs in the bottom half of the frame, highlighted by home runs from Washington and Josh Riley. The Eagles continued their offensive surge in the second inning, plating another nine runs as three-run home runs from Jeremy Yates, Barnes and Washington extended the lead, 18-6. Canada answered with four runs in the third inning to cut the lead to 18-10, before the Eagles tacked on another five runs with a series of RBI-singles and a home run from Brandon Yoder to widen the lead, 23-10. Canada chipped away at the Eagles’ lead with two more runs in the top of the fourth, but the U.S. bats exploded for another nine runs — featuring long balls off the bats of Tyler Marshburn, Barnes and Austin Andrews to walk it off and seal the 32-12 run-rule victory in four innings.
The MSPNT offense finished the weekend with a .627 team batting average and 185 hits across six games. Jeremy Yates led the squad with a .885 batting average, followed by Jeremy Fry (.772) and Tyler Marshburn (.704). Brandon Yoder led the team with eight home runs, while Marshburn, Washington and Yates each added seven, contributing to a total of 59 home runs by Team USA.
Following today’s matchup, the U.S. Men’s Slow Pitch National Team has now clinched 14 titles — outnumbering the Canadian Men’s Slow Pitch National Team, 14-2, since the inaugural Men’s Border Battle in 2009.
For more information on the USA Softball Men’s and Women’s Slow Pitch National Teams programs and to learn about the history of the Border Battle, please visit USASoftball.com.