AJAX – Ashley Stephenson is standing on the baseball field, a half-eaten power bar in her hand, her blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail, her red Mizuno baseball cleats undone.
Minutes earlier, Team USA handed Stephenson and the Canadians their first loss of these Pan American Games. It means the Americans advance to the gold medal game, and Canada needs another win to get there.
“We don’t like each other,” Stephenson, the veteran Team Canada third baseman, says of the U.S. “And no one’s gonna fake it.”
So, is “hate” too strong a word to describe the feeling between these teams? “No,” Stephenson says. “That’s probably the right word.”
Well, good thing we got that settled.
You knew Friday night was going to be a barn-burner: Canada vs. the U.S., a berth to the gold medal final on the line, and two previously undefeated teams going toe-to-toe in a sport making its Pan American Games debut.
The game didn’t disappoint. Canada trailed 3-0 in the bottom of the seventh (there are only 7 innings in women’s international baseball) and mounted a comeback after Stephenson hit her second single of the game, Kate Psota followed that up with a walk, and second baseman Nicole Luchanski hit a double to cash Stephenson and to represent the tying run on second.
That brought this mostly Canadian crowd to its feet. But that’s where the rally ended.
The loss means Canada, now 3-1, has to beat Venezuela on Saturday—the Canadians already beat them 9-3 in round robin play—to earn a berth in the gold medal final.
And if you’re looking for atmosphere, you’re hoping for that Canada-USA rematch. It was hockey-esque at times on Friday, even if it was scoreless until the fourth.
That’s when the American bats got going. Canadian right-hander Jessica Berube gave up a couple of singles, then a walk to load the bases. Another hit and an error later, and the third straight American base runner slid across home plate. That’s when it started in the stands: “USA! USA! USA!” Then, from the other side of the bleachers: “CANADA! CANADA! CANADA!” The crowd was mostly clad in red, and quite a few fans wore hockey sweaters.
“It was fun out on the field, hearin’ them go back and forth,” says Stephenson. She’s 32, and has been with the national team since it started in 2004. Stephenson is a gym teacher in Burlington, Ont., and a bunch of her students were in the crowd. “I give credit to the U.S. crowd, too,” she says. “They were battlin’ it out with us.”
Stephenson pointed out the game went the same way; back and forth. The difference Friday was the Americans—who earned five hits off of Berube (she also struck out six in 5 1/3 innings of work)—capitalized on their chances. Canada got nine hits, and just one run. American right-hander Marti Sementelli earned the win.
Canada must now focus on what the team sees as two must-win games ahead, because it’s gold or bust. These Canadian women aren’t taking this lightly; some have taken time off work or their studies to be here. It’s an eclectic group, made up of a teacher, a doctor, a police officer and a bunch of PhD students, to name a few. The ages range from 17 to 32. They come from Alberta, Quebec, Ontario, and B.C.
And this is the biggest stage there is. Women’s baseball isn’t in the Olympics, so these Pan American Games are the biggest prize out there.
Canada faces a Venezuela team on Saturday that’s riding the momentum of a thrilling come-from-behind win against Puerto Rico earlier Friday that bought them a place in the medal round.
Venezuela is the focus for now, but the Canadian team makes no bones about it: The plan is to be in that final on Sunday against the U.S. “They’re the top team in the world,” says manager, Andrew Lachance. “We can’t wait to face them again.”
Canada and the U.S. are 4-4 head-to-head in international play. This tiebreaker, if it happens on Sunday, is going to be big.
“Two world cups in a row, we beat them when it didn’t matter and they beat us when it mattered,” Stephenson says. “Today that’s kind of what I said to the girls, that’s a reminder. They beat us when it didn’t matter, we got two games and hopefully we’re back here Sunday and we beat them when it matters.”
It’s on.