U.S. No-Hits Hong Kong in World Cup Group Stage Finale

ROCKFORD, Ill. — Team USA rattled off 26 hits and threw a combined no-hitter en route to a 34-0 win over Hong Kong, China, Sunday in the finale of the 2026 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Women’s Baseball World Cup Group Stage Rockford at Rivets Stadium. The United States finished Group Stage play with a 5-0 record and clinched a berth to the 2027 WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup Finals.

The United States wasted little time taking control, as Kelsie Whitmore opened the scoring in the first with a two-run home run, the first of Team USA’s 26 hits. The U.S. sent 18 batters to the plate in the opening inning, producing eight base hits while Alex Hugo and Whitmore each homered during a 13-run outburst. The red, white, and blue would plate nine more runs across the next two innings before posting 12 runs in the fourth. Five players drove in runs during the inning, highlighted by a grand slam off the bat of Kylee Lahners. Nine players recorded multi-hit performances, while Ashton Lansdell, Whitmore, and Addy Wilson led the team in RBIs with four apiece.

Thanks to a combined effort between Jordan Andreas, Bailey Brown, Sarah Lessig, and Wilson, the United States tossed a no-hitter for its second shutout in as many days. The pitching staff nearly faced the minimum, allowing just one baserunner after a hit-by-pitch in the third. Brown toed the rubber in the first and turned in 2.0 innings of no-hit ball before Wilson followed with a clean inning of her own. Lessig earned the win after striking out all three batters she faced in the fourth, and Andreas closed things out with two strikeouts in the fifth to secure the no-hitter.
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Kate Blunt opened the with a leadoff walk before Whitmore hammered the first pitch she saw for a two-run home run.

• Denae Benites followed with a double and later scored after Hugo sent a 2-1 offering into orbit for a two-run homer to make it 4-0.

• Lahners drew a bases-loaded walk to plate Team USA’s fifth run, while a dropped fly ball would score the sixth soon after.

• Whitmore added her third RBI of the inning with a groundout, while two-RBI base hits from Baum, Lansdell, and Naomi Ryan capped the 14-run first.

• Whitmore kicked off the scoring again in the second, lacing an infield single to score the first run of the inning.

• Lansdell drove in a pair for her third hit in two innings, while RBI base hits from Jill Albayati and Hugo, along with a throwing error, extended the U.S. advantage to 19-0.

• In the third, back-to-back base hits and a walk would load the bases before Ashanthy Marcano lined an RBI single through the right side and began a three-run third inning.

• Wilson later drove in a run on a ground ball while Albayati lifted a sacrifice fly to hand the U.S. a 22-0 lead.

• A walk sandwiched between singles allowed Team USA to load the bases three batters into the fourth frame. Alexia Jorge capitalized and laced a first-pitch offering to left field, scoring two more runs.

• Wilson tallied her second RBI with a base knock, while a walk issued to Albayati made it 26-0.

• With the bases still juiced, Lahners tagged an 0-2 pitch to left for a grand slam to push the U.S. lead to 30-0.

• Jorge added another RBI single later in the inning before Marcano got on via single. Wilson followed with a two-RBI base hit to cap the scoring and make it 34-0.

NOTABLES

• The Women’s National Team improved to 4-0 all-time against Hong Kong and has outscored it 84-1.
• Blunt scored five runs, tying the program’s single-game record previously set by Lansdell against Hong Kong in 2023.
• Lansdell was named Tournament MVP after batting .846 (11-for-13) with 14 RBIs, 10 runs scored, and six stolen bases.
• Lansdell set a new program record for highest batting average in an international event (minimum 10 at-bats), surpassing Tamara Holmes’ .765 batting average in 2016.
• Tonight’s no-hitter marks the fourth no-hitter thrown in program history and first since Team USA no-hit Hong Kong in 2023.
• Team USA hit at a .500 clip and set a new program record for highest batting average in an international event. The previous record was .437 set by the 2016 Women’s National Team.
• Team USA tied the program record for most runs scored in a game with 34, matching its 34-0 win over Pakistan at the 2016 WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup.
• Team USA hit a combined 13 home runs, setting a program record for most home runs in an international event. The previous record was 11, set by the 2019 team that hit 11 homers in seven games.
• The Women’s National Team averaged 20.4 runs per game, the highest mark in any previous international tournament since the program’s inception in 2004.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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