SURREY, British Columbia, Canada—The Australian National softball team captured the silver medal at the Canadian Open Fastpitch International Championships on Monday in Surrey, British Columbia. The Australians finished the tourney strong, staving off elimination by winning games against Venezuela and Canada on Sunday. Then on Monday, the Aussies knocked off Team USA, 2-1 in eight innings to advance to the gold medal game where they fell to Japan, 2-0 in another eight inning game. Australia posted a 6-4 overall record in the tournament.
 
The Australian's win over the American was their first since the 2000 Olympics. UH All-American Kaia Parnaby got the start and held Team USA scoreless through the first four innings. She allowed seven hits with a walk and two strike outs.Vanessa Stokes threw the final four innings and earned the win. Fellow former UH All-Americans Stacey Porter (UH 2001-02) and Clare Warwick (2006-09) both started for Australia. Porter started at first base, but went 1-for-4 at the plate, while Warwick was 0-for-4 with the start at shortstop.
 
In the title game against Japan, the Australians battled in their second eight-inning game of the day. The game was scoreless until the eighth when Japan scored the first two runs of the game. Parnaby fired the final four innings of the game and suffered the loss. She gave up two hits and two runs with three walks and one strike out. With the international tie-breaker in place, the runner starting at second advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt to the pitcher. The next batter, Rie Nagayoshi hit a ball that resulted in an error on the third baseman that allowed the first run to score. Later, Nagayoshi scored an insurance run on an RBI single by Yuka Ichiguchi. Warwick started at shortstop and was 0-for-3 while Porter went 0-for-2 with a walk.
 
Canadian Open Fastpitch International Championship—Australia Results
Pool Play
July 16    Australia 8, Venezuela 2 (Box Score)
July 17    Canada 3, Australia 0 (Box Score)
July 18    Australia 4, USA 5 (8 innings) (Box Score)
July 19    Australia 4, California A's 1 (Box Score)
              Australia 3 Japan 1  (Box Score)

Bracket Play
July 20    Australia 0, Japan 7 (Box Score)
July 21    Venzuela 2, Australia 9 (Box Score)
              Canada 4, Australia 6 (Box Score)
July 22    Bronze Medal Game – USA 1, Australia 2 (8 innings) (Box Score)
              Gold Medal Game – Japan 2, Australia 0 (8 innings) (Box Score)
 
 
Australia 4, Canada 3 (8 innings)
Box Score
 
The Australian Open's Women's softball team held of Canada to capture the bronze with a 4-3, eight-inning win at the US World Cup of Softball in Oklahoma City, Okla. The Aussies avenged their 2-0 loss earlier in the tournament to the Canadians and finished the World Cup with a 2-3 record.
 
The game was scoreless through the first four innings. But in the top of the fifth, Australia took a 1-0 lead on an RBI-fielder's choice by Hawai'i alum Clare Warwick that drove in Belinda White from third.
 
Canada knotted the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the sixth with an unearned run off an RBI single by Caitlin Lever to score Victoria Hayward.
 
Then in the top of the eighth, the Aussies posted three runs to go ahead 4-1. With the international tie-breaker in place, a runner was placed at second. After a pop-out to first, former UH standout Stacey Porter got things started when she was intentionally walked. Chelsea Forkin followed with a single to right-centerfield to score Leigh Godfrey. Porter then crossed the plate on an error on the catcher and later Forkin scored on a Stacey McManus single.
 
Canada, however, fought back in the bottom of the eighth. Lead-off batter Joey Lye reached on an error that pushed the tie-break runner to third. Lever then collected her second RBI with a single to center to score Hayward from third. After a swinging strike out, Jennifer Gilbert loaded the bases on an error and Sara Hopwood singled to right-center to score Lye. Australia though escaped the jam getting a pair of infield fly-outs to end the game.
 
UH All-American pitcher Kaia Parnaby earned the win in relief, throwing the final three innings. She gave up three runs on four hits with a walk and three strike outs. Warwick went 1-for-4 with an RBI while Porter was 1-for-3 with a runs scored.
 

Saturday, July 13
Australia 6, Puerto Rico 2
Box Score
 
Australia picked up their first win of the World Cup with a 6-2 victory over Puerto Rico to start their Saturday. The Aussies scored one run in the third and two in the third before Puerto Rico responded by tallying two runs in the fifth. But Australia answered the call in the bottom of the frame, crossing the plate three times to go ahead, 6-2 for the win.
 
Warwick, who's been Australia's utility player, started the game in centerfield after playing at shortstop and third base earlier in the tournament. Warwick officially was 0-for-0 at the plate, but was able to score a run off a walk. Porter was 0-for-1 in the game while Parnaby did not make an appearance.

 
Canada 2, Australia 0
Box Score
 
Team Canada shut out the Australians, 2-0 in the final pool-play game of the World Cup. Parnaby entered the game in relief down 1-0 in the 3rd inning and held the Canadian batters scoreless until the 5th inning.
 
Australia's best opportunity to score came in the fourth inning. A one out error put Clare Warwick on first base. Jodie Bowering then hit an infield single to give Australia to put runners at first and second. A double steal advanced Warwick and Bowering to thirrd and second respectively, before Forkin hit an infield single to load the bases. Unfortunately for Australia, Stacey McManus drove a ball to the opposite-field but it hit Chelsea Forkin on the foot for an automatic out. Canada squelched the rally with an inning-ending strikeout.
 

Friday, July 12 
USA 4, Australia 0
http://www.pointstreak.com/baseball/boxscore.html?gameid=159283
 
Team USA shut down Australia, 4-0 on the second day of the US World Cup of Softball. With the Aussies already down 4-0, Parnaby replaced Aimee Murch in the fourth inning and held the USA lineup for the remainder of the game. Parnaby threw three hitless innings with a walk and three strike outs. Outstanding defense by the Australians was the highlight of the game, with McManus making some highlight-reel plays at shortstop.
 
Porter was the leadoff batter for Australia, going 0-for-2 with a walk and a strike out, while Warwick started at third and went 0-for-3.
 

 
Thursday, July 11
Japan 3, Australia 2

The Australian national softball team fell to Japan, 3-2 in their opening game of the World Cup of Softball VIII in Oklahoma City, Okla. on Thursday afternoon. Three former Rainbow Wahine all saw action for the Aussies—Stacey Porter (2001-03), Clare Warwick (2006-09) and Kaia Parnaby (2010-13).
 
Team Japan jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Parnaby then entered the game in the second inning in relief of Aimee Murch who had started the game. Parnaby suffered the loss, giving up one run in three innings of work with two walks and no strike outs.
 
Australia tied the score at 2-2 in the bottom of the third, but Japan took the lead for good posting a single run in the top of the fourth off of Parnaby for the win.
 
Warwick, the starting shortstop, led Australia at the plate, going 3-for-4 with three singles. Porter, who was the leadoff hitter and starter at third base, was 1-for-4.
 
Australia continues action in the World Cup tournament on Friday when it faces host, Team USA at 7:00 p.m. (EST). The game will be broadcast live on ESPN. Earlier this week, the Aussies defeated the Americans earlier in a practice game, 2-0. It marked the first time since the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games that the Australian Team defeated Team USA. Murch and Parnaby combined for the two-hit shutout.