US routs Canada 15-0 in warmup for Japan rematch

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Before an anticipated rematch against Olympic gold medal winner Japan, the U.S. softball team used a meeting with Canada to get in some batting practice.

Natasha Watley hit a grand slam, and Andrea Duran and Jenae Leles also homered as the Americans routed Canada 15-0 at the World Cup of Softball on Saturday for its most lopsided victory against its northern rival.

"It definitely gives us a lot of momentum going into Japan," Duran said of the upcoming matchup Saturday night. "Hopefully we didn't waste all of our hits in this game, but I'm sure we left a little for Japan."

Duran and Leles each hit three-run home runs as the Americans (3-0) warmed up to face Japan, which beat the U.S. 3-1 in the gold medal game at last summer's Beijing Olympics. That ended a run of dominance for the U.S., which had won the three previous gold medals in Olympic play.

The Americans jumped on starter Leah MacIntosh (0-1) for five runs in the first and added nine more in the third - with all 14 runs coming with two outs. The game ended because of the mercy rule following Ashley Hansen's RBI single in the bottom of the fourth.

"Anytime we step on the field from this moment on with everything that's going on with our sport, with it being taken out of the Olympics, this is just another way for us to expose our sport," Watley said. "We're expecting a great game tonight."

The stakes won't be the same, and neither will many of the participants, for the rematch.

Seven U.S. players have retired since the Beijing Games, and Japan has also had its fair share of roster turnover. Ace Yukiko Ueno, the international pitcher who has given the U.S. the most trouble in recent years, isn't with her country's team for the World Cup.

"They've had a lot of players retire and we've had a lot of players retire, too," U.S. pitcher Monica Abbott said. "It'll be interesting to see how the younger players have stepped into different shoes and experience that rivalry and that intensity that we have during that game."

The U.S. and Canada (2-1) had met four times in the previous two weeks at the Canada Cup, with the Americans needing to rally late in two of their four victories.

This time, the Americans eclipsed their 14-1 victory at the 1991 Pan-American Games for the largest margin in the series.

After back-to-back RBI singles by Jennie Finch and Leles, Duran broke the game open by smacking a three-run homer well over the fence in left-center field.

Reliever Marissa Litster then got herself into trouble by walking three straight U.S. batters before Watley lined a 2-2 pitch over the fence in right to make it 9-0. The Americans tacked on five unearned runs after third baseman Megan Timpf couldn't handle Kaitlin Cochran's two-out grounder, capped by Leles' third three-run blast in three games.

Leles is 7 for 8 with three homers and 11 RBIs in three World Cup games.

Abbott (1-0) struck out seven and allowed two singles.

Canada 6, Italy 4

Jennifer Yee homered and Jennifer Caira threw six strong innings in relief as Canada overcame a three-run deficit.

Italy had a 3-0 lead in the first inning when the game was suspended Thursday night due to an approaching storm, but the Canadians took control after play resumed Saturday morning.

Sheena Lawrick tied it with an RBI triple in the bottom of the third and scored on Evelyne Pare's single to make it 4-3.

Yee added a solo shot in the fourth inning. Caira (2-0) allowed two hits and one unearned run.

Kate Gentile hit a three-run homer for Italy (0-4), which is playing in its first World Cup.