OKLAHOMA CITY — Behind four home runs, the U.S. Women’s National Team (WNT) posted its final win of the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) World Cup Group C Stage Event, defeating China in a 7-0 run-rule victory to punch its ticket to the 2027 WBSC Women’s World Cup Finals. The U.S. and China met in the No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup, while the Netherlands and Mexico finished the Opening Round in the No. 3 and No. 4 spots, respectively. Team USA’s win sends China to face the winner of the No. 3/4 matchup for the second spot in the Finals.
Click here to view full schedule & results »
With a trip to the 2027 WBSC Women’s World Cup Finals on the line, the U.S. and China kicked off the action at 1 p.m. CT. Maya Brady led the charge offensively for the Eagles, going 3-for-4 with all three hits leaving the park. Kayla Kowalik also turned in a multi-hit performance while three other U.S. batters recorded a hit in the matchup, including a two-run blast from Tiare Jennings in the bottom of the first.
Karlyn Pickens got the start in the circle for the Eagles, fanning four before Rachel Garcia took over in the fourth inning, retiring six via strikeout. The pair did not allow a single hit through six innings and secured the Red, White and Blue’s sixth-straight shutout victory. Team USA did not allow a single run through all six games and stands as the only team across all three Group Stage Events to accomplish this feat.
Quick to the board, the U.S. saw four runs cross the plate in the bottom of the first thanks to a pair of two-run home runs from Brady and Jennings to put the Eagles ahead, 4-0. In the second inning, Brady tabbed her second home run of the game to extend the lead to 5-0. China managed to quiet the U.S. bats over the next three innings, but Brady once again came through in the bottom of the sixth to walk it off with a two-run shot.
Today’s win marks Team USA’s sixth-straight shutout en route to clinching its spot in the WBSC World Cup Finals, with Opening Round wins over Mexico, Brazil, the Netherlands, New Zealand and China. The U.S. WNT dominated throughout the tournament, winning each matchup via the run-rule. Leading the U.S. offense during its undefeated campaign through the Group C event was Brady with a .647 batting average, followed by Jayda Coleman (.615) and Aubrey Leach (.545). The U.S. pitching staff of Montana Fouts, Garcia, Lexi Kilfoyl, Kelly Maxwell and Pickens shined in the six wins, totaling 49 strikeouts and allowing just eight hits while not giving up a single run.
The Eagles led the tournament in 12 offensive categories and two pitching categories, including batting average (Brady – .647), hits (Brady – 11), RBIs (Grant – 12) and home runs (Brady – 5). To view complete stat leaders, visit WBSC.org.
The WBSC World Cup Finals will take place in 2027 in Redcliffe, Australia, and will feature the top two teams from each Group Stage event (Groups A, B and C), in addition to two wild card selections. Japan, Puerto Rico, Canada and Chinese Taipei, along with hosts Australia, have all qualified so far. For more information, visit WBSC.org.
To learn more about the U.S. Women’s National Team, visit USASoftball.com.