International: Team USA Caps Pool Play with No. 1 and No. 2 Seeds Heading into Playoffs (August 2, 2026)

On Day 3 of the 2026 USA Softball International Cup, the two Team USA squads split the day, with the U.S. Women’s National Team (WNT) earning a 10-1 run-rule win over China (6), while the U.S. Elite Team fell to Japan, 2-9, in six innings on Saturday.

With yesterday’s results, the two Team USA squads met today as the WNT claimed the No. 1 seed in Group B while the Elite Team secured the No. 2 seed in Group A.

We’ll have a report on that all-Red, White & Blue game tomorrow!

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WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM: USA 10, China 1

A relentless offensive attack and commanding effort in the circle powered the U.S. Women’s National Team (WNT) to a 10-1 victory over China on Saturday at the 2026 USA Softball International Cup, presented by Mercy.

Remaining undefeated, the WNT secures the No. 1 seed in Group B and will face the Women’s Elite Team tomorrow at 7 p.m. CT.

The Eagles racked up 10 runs on nine hits with zero errors, holding China to just four hits, one run and two errors. It is the third straight game that the WNT has scored 10 or more runs, outscoring their opponents 32-8 in three games this tournament.

China took an early lead in the bottom of the second with a solo shot to put one on the board, while the Chinese pitching staff managed to keep the U.S. bats quiet until the fourth inning, when Aubrey Leach tied things up with a line-drive single.

In the top of the fifth, the U.S. bats found their rhythm with a single from Tiare Jennings sending in Skylar Wallace to give the Eagles the 2-1 lead. The WNT kept the momentum through the frame with a single from Megan Grant, followed by a deep two-run homer from Alyssa Brito to make it 6-1.

The Eagles shut the door in the top of the sixth when Jocelyn Erickson hit Team USA’s second home run of the game and second grand slam of the tournament for USA, bringing home Janae Jefferson, Jennings and Maya Brady to secure the victory.

Erickson wrapped up the game with the only multi-hit performance for the Eagles, going 2-for-3 at the plate with a team-high four RBIs while also scoring three runs herself. Brito added three RBIs to the stat line with her home run, while Jennings came in with two runs, a hit and an RBI.

In the circle, Montana Fouts put together a solid performance, striking out eight of 14 batters faced. Kelly Maxwell came in for the final two innings of the game, collecting two strikeouts of her own.

The U.S. WNT remains undefeated heading into the playoff round, combining for a .412 team batting average with 28 total hits while outscoring opponents 32-8.

Dejah Mulipola leads the Eagle offense with an .800 batting average, followed by Wallace (.667) and Erickson (.600).

In the circle, the U.S. pitching staff of Fouts, Rachel Garcia, Lexi Kilfoyl, Maxwell and Karlyn Pickens has combined for 23 strikeouts, with Fouts leading the pack, tossing eight K’s.

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WOMEN’S ELITE TEAM: Japan 9, USA 2 (6 Innings)

The U.S. Women’s Elite Team came up short in game three of the 2026 USA Softball International Cup, presented by Mercy, falling 2-9 to Japan in six innings.

With the loss, the Elite Team moves to the No. 2 seed in Group A and will face the Women’s National Team tomorrow at 7 p.m. CT.

The U.S. offense struggled to come alive in today’s matchup against Japan with a combined three hits on the day — one each coming off the bats of Aleena Garcia, Taylor Shumaker and Morgan Zerkle.

Keilani Ricketts got the start in the circle for the Eagles, tossing 2.2 innings before handing things over to Ally Carda in the third. Carda struck out three batters, while Teagan Kavan entered in the fifth to face the final five batters.

The Eagles struck first in the opening frame when Morgan Zerkle came across home plate on a sac-fly from Kendall Wells, followed by an RBI-single from Shumaker – her first hit of the tournament – to grab the early 2-0 lead.

Unfortunately, the lead wouldn’t last with Japan scoring two in the bottom of the first on a fielder’s choice paired with a fielding miscue to tie the game up 2-2. In the bottom of the third, Japan would jump out to a 4-2 lead on back-to-back singles before extending their lead to 7-2 in the following inning with a single and a double to walk it off in five.

The U.S. Elite Team wrapped up pool play with a 2-1 record, combining for a .299 team batting average with 23 total hits while outscoring opponents 18-16.

Zerkle leads the Elite Team offense with a .545 batting average, followed by A. Garcia (.400) and Sydney McKinney (.400). In the circle, the U.S. pitching staff of NiJaree Canady, Carda, Megan Fariamo, Kavan and Ricketts has combined for 14 strikeouts, with Carda leading the pack, tossing five K’s.

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Participating Countries:

Group A: No. 1 Japan (1-0), U.S. Women’s Elite Team (1-0), No. 5 Chinese Taipei (0-1), No. 42 American Samoa (0-1)

Group B: No. 2 United States (1-0), No. 4 Canada (1-0), No. 8 China (0-1), No. 11 Australia (0-1)