USA Wins World Cup of Softball; USA Juniors Finish Fifth
Saturday, July 4, 2015 | Softball
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- University of Florida infielder Kelsey Stewart and Gator alumna Michelle Moultrie helped the United States national team to a championship this past week at the World Cup of Softball X, while outfielder Nicole DeWitt and incoming freshman Kelly Barnhill earned a fifth-place finish with USA Juniors squad.
UF head coach Tim Walton was an assistant coach with the U.S. Juniors.
The Stars and Stripes won the World Cup for the eighth time in the event's 10-year history. Moultrie captured gold in a World Cup for the fourth time in her five-year career with Team USA (also: 2011, 2012, 2014), and Stewart earned a medal for the third consecutive year after she won silver at the 2013 ISF X Junior Women's World Championship and a gold at last year's General Tire World Cup of Softball IX with the USA team.
Below are the full World Cup results for the United States and USA Juniors squad:
| UNITED STATES | UNITED STATES JUNIORS | |||
| Opponent | Result | Date | Opponent | Result |
| Mexico | June 29 | Argentina | ||
| Puerto Rico | June 30 | Canada | ||
| Argentina | July 1 | |||
| USA Juniors | July 1 | USA | ||
| Japan | July 2 | Puerto Rico | ||
| Canada | July 3 | Venezuela | ||
| July 4 | Mexico | |||
| Venezuela | July 4 | Japan | ||
| Japan (Championship) | July 5 | Mexico (5th Place) | ||
Stewart appeared in all of Team USA's eight games during the week in Irvine, compiling a .350 batting average with seven runs scored, three RBI, two extra-base hits and two stolen bases. Meanwhile, Moultrie played in each game as well and scored eight runs, recorded five walks and hit .250.
For the USA Juniors, Dewitt, who's known primarily as an offensive table-setter, drove in the deciding run with a single in the sixth inning as her team rallied to beat Mexico and finish in fifth place. The Garden Grove, Calif. product led this year's World Cup with nine RBI, and eight of those came over the final four games.
In the circle, Barnhill appeared in six games for the Stars and Stripes where she recorded 28 strikeouts in just 20.1 innings pitched.
Below are the complete game-by-game statistics for all three Gators at the World Cup of Softball:
| GATOR | AB | R | H | RBI | AVG. | Notes |
| Nicole DeWitt (USA Juniors) | ||||||
| June 29 vs. Argentina | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | .500 | |
| June 30 vs. Canada | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | |
| July 1 vs. USA | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .500 | SB/HBP |
| July 2 vs. Puerto Rico | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .250 | |
| July 3 vs. Venezuela | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | .333 | 3B |
| July 4 vs. Mexico | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .333 | 3B |
| July 4 vs. Japan | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .500 | |
| July 5 vs. Mexico | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | .666 | BB |
| TOTALS | 24 | 6 | 9 | 9 | .375 | 2 3B |
| GATOR | IP | H | R/ER | BB | K | W/L |
| Kelly Barnhill (USA Juniors) | ||||||
| June 30 vs. Canada | 6.0 | 9 | 4/4 | 1 | 4 | L |
| July 1 vs. USA | 1.0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | ND |
| July 2 vs. Puerto Rico | 6.0 | 2 | 2/1 | 0 | 12 | L |
| July 4 vs. Mexico | 3.0 | 5 | 2/2 | 2 | 4 | ND |
| July 4 vs. Japan | 1.1 | 0 | 0/0 | 0 | 3 | ND |
| July 5 vs. Mexico | 3.0 | 5 | 4/4 | 2 | 5 | ND |
| TOTALS | 20.1 | 21 | 12/11 | 5 | 28 | 0-2 |
| GATOR | AB | R | H | RBI | AVG. | Notes |
| Michelle Moultrie (USA) | ||||||
| June 29 vs. Mexico | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | .333 | BB |
| June 30 vs. Puerto Rico | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | .666 | |
| July 1 vs. Argentina | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .333 | |
| July 1 vs. USA Juniors | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 2 BB |
| July 2 vs. Japan | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | BB |
| July 3 vs. Canada | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | BB |
| July 4 vs. Venezuela | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | |
| July 5 vs. Japan | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | .500 | |
| TOTALS | 16 | 8 | 5 | 4 | .250 | 5 BB |
| GATOR | AB | R | H | RBI | AVG. | Notes |
| Kelsey Stewart (USA) | ||||||
| June 29 vs. Mexico | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | |
| June 30 vs. Puerto Rico | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 2 BB |
| July 1 vs. Argentina | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | .666 | SB |
| July 1 vs. USA Juniors | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | |
| July 2 vs. Japan | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .333 | SB |
| July 3 vs. Canada | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | .666 | 2B |
| July 4 vs. Venezuela | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | .666 | 2B |
| July 5 vs. Japan | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | |
| TOTALS | 20 | 7 | 7 | 3 | .350 | 2 2B, 2 SB |
USA Softball's Website has box scores for all World Cup games, along with the Team USA roster and summer schedule. The next international event is the Pan American Games, which begins July 15 and runs through July 26 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
For the latest updates about the 2015 National Champion Gator Softball team, stay tuned to GatorZone.com, follow the Gators on Twitter and visit them on Facebook.
