A look back at —> 2022 USA Softball Border Battle XII report!

July 26, 2023 by DW —No Comments ↓

2022 Team USA Men and Women (pictured above) both won their Border Battle game against Canada! (2-0)

The 2022 USA Future Stars Men and Women (pictured above) also won their Border Battle games against Canada! (2-0)

2022 Border Battle picture album link

2022 Border Battle information, rosters, stats links

Link to Border Battle videos and condensed games (Adding a game each week day)

2022 T's 13 vs Team Canada condensed game link

2022 All Star Plumbing vs USA Future Stars men's condensed game link

2022 T's 13 vs USA Future Stars men's condensed game link

2022 T's 13 vs Team USA men's condensed game link

2022 Women's USA Futures vs Team USA condensed game link

2022 Women's Canada vs USA Future Stars condensed game link

2022 Canada vs USA men's condensed game link

Border Battle 12 was played after a 2 year hiatus due to the covid-19 pandemic. The games were played at the USA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, OK starting Friday morning September 9th and ending Sunday afternoon September 11th. Team Canada, Team USA, and the USA Future Stars (players 32 years old and under) all played a number of exhibition games and then each day concluded with the show case games between each other. Friday evening it was The USA Futures taking on Team Canada in both men's and women's. Saturday evening it was Team USA taking on the USA Future Stars. And Sunday afternoon it was the big show Team Canada vs Team USA in the Border Battle 12!

Friday the exhibition games started at 9:30 AM in beautiful softball weather with Team Canada women taking down Scraps 17-0 scoring 15 runs in the first two innings! Lead off hitter Tina Gulbrandsen and Amanda Howard were each 3-3 in the win. Then T's 13 a very good Nebraska men's 'A' team came from behind after Team Canada scored 13 runs in the top of the 1st inning. T's scored 6 runs in the bottom of the 6th to grab the lead and held on to win 24-20. T's 2nd baseman Keith Foote was 4-4 as was Lance Hansen. Team Canada out homered T's 13 10-9 and leadoff hitter Kyle Knechtel and Hunter Platten were each 4-4 in the loss. Next up at 12:30 PM it was the Women's USA Futures team shutting out Scraps 15-0 scoring 14 runs in the 1st two innings. Futures outfielder Randi Pauly was 3-3 with 3 RBI. At 2:30 PM the USA Future's men took on a scrappy T's 13 bunch with T's surging ahead 14-13 after an 8 run top of the 4th and they increased their lead to 22-17 after a 9 run 5th. Futures never gave up though and scored 8 in the bottom of the 6th to take their final lead winning 28-26. The top 3 hitters in the Futures order Austyn Dawe, Jason Matusik, and Tyler Ervine were a combined 14-15 with 5 HR 14 RBI and 15 Runs Scored! Meanwhile T's 13 pitcher Troy Cloyd, Austin Chambers, Keith Foote, and Austin Isaacson all had 4 hits. T's 13 left 2 HR on the table. At 4 PM the USA Women's team played for the 1st time and jumped all over Tolbert's All Stars scoring 13 runs in the bottom of the 1st inning and cruised to a 17-0 victory. Everyone in the USA lineup reached safely twice in the 4 inning game. At 5:30 PM it was the men's USA National team playing for the 1st time vs All Star Plumbing. All Star Plumbing held an early 7-6 lead in the top of the 2nd inning when Chase Roten hit a 3 run homer but it was all Team USA the rest of the way as they scored 8 in the 3rd and 8 more in the 4th to win 26-11. USA's Andrew Collins led the way 4-4 with 4 HR and 8 RBI.

Friday – Team Canada Women vs USA Future Stars Women

September 9, 2022

Link to Women's Canada vs Future Stars condensed game

Team Canada and Team USA team picture thanks to Erika Vargas photography.

On Friday at 7 PM as the temperatures cooled off the Team USA Future Stars women played Team Canada in the 1st big game of the weekend. The USA Future's struck first with doubles by lead off hitter Kasey Britt and 4 hitter Kylee Studioso to score the games 1st run in the bottom of the 1st inning. Canada grabbed a brief 2-1 lead in the top of the 2nd on a triple by Jaqueline O'Quinn but they left the bases loaded. From there the Future's scratched across a few more runs hitting 3 more doubles and held on defensively to win 6-5.

Futures Amy Halpin singles vs Canada.

Lenny Stoddard doubles to try and keep Canada in the game.

Friday – Team Canada Men vs USA Future Stars Men

September 9, 2022

Link to condensed game – Canada vs USA Futures (men)

Austin Andrews another ESPN quality catch!

At 8:30 PM Friday night the USA Future Stars played Team Canada. Canada was robbed of scoring in the top of the 1st by Future's center fielder Austin Andrews on a spectacular diving catch. In the bottom of the 1st the Future's scored 7 runs on 3 homer's including a grand slam that went over the scoreboard by Josh Fyffe. The game was all but over in the bottom of the 2nd when the Future's added 10 more runs to go up 17-1 and they cruised to a 24-9 run rule victory.

Josh Fyffe is our Long Bomber of the week with a scoreboard clearing grand slam!

Canada's Hunter Platten hit 2 HR and had 4 RBI vs USA Futures

The SoftballCenter.com Border Battle report and condensed games are brought to you by Beloli Softball!

On Saturday morning the exhibition games resumed with Canada women's national team scoring 7 runs in the top of the 5th to grab a lead against Tolbert's All Stars and holding on to win 15-12. 3 hitter Jesse Goddard was 4-4 in the win. Then the USA Future's women's team beat Tolbert's All Stars 20-1 as Future's shortstop Dani Wayt, catcher Kylee Studioso, and pitcher Stacey Moore each went 3-3. At 11 AM back on the field called Integris Team Canada women's beat JMI Sports 21-11. At noon back in the stadium the USA Future men's team beat All Star Plumbing 26-11 by scoring 19 runs in the bottom of the 4th inning after trailing ASP 10-5. Future's pitcher Erik Lehman was 4-4 with 2 HR and 5 RBI. And back on the Integris field T's 13 beat Team Canada men's 25-24. At 2:30 the Team USA women beat JMI Sports 21-3 scoring 11 runs in the bottom of the 1st inning as Megan Baltzell hit 3 home runs and collected 9 RBI in the game! And in the final exhibition game of the day Team USA men's had to score 10 runs in the bottom of the 2nd just to keep pace with T's 13 and then out scored them 11-7 down the stretch to win 25-21 as USA defensive miscues kept T's 13 in the game.

Saturday – USA Future Stars Women vs Team USA Women!

September 10, 2022

Link to condensed game (when available)

The women's USA Future's team is stacked with experience – P Stacey Moore, SS Dani Wayt, MI Shayna Finley

At 5:30 PM Saturday in great weather the USA Future's women's team played Team USA for bragging rights. The Future's held down Team USA early as pitcher Stacey Moore stabbed two middle shots in the bottom of the 1st inning. But the USA Nationals offensive advantage and extra base hits by Mandy Hollman and Patrika Barlow followed by 3 straight singles in the bottom of the 2nd gave them a 5-1 lead. The Future's made things interesting in the top of the 4th scoring 3 runs to cut the lead to 7-5 but an attempted steal led to a "pickle" and they cost themselves the runs that could have tied the game. Team USA secured their 9-7 victory when middle infielder Amber Parrish turned a double play on a grounder and pitcher Shelby Engle stabbed a grounder to end it.

Patrika Barlow with another double for Team USA!

USA middle infielder Amber Parrish makes a leaping stab!

Saturday – USA Future Stars Men vs Team USA Men!

September 10, 2022

Link to condensed game – USA Futures vs Team USA men

USA Futures and USA Men's National team picture.

On Saturday night a storm was blowing in and the wind changed to blow left to right across the field at 16 to 20 miles per hour just in time for the big showdown between the two USA men's teams. In the top of the 1st inning USA left fielder Tyler Marshburn adjusting to the wind made two nice plays to hold down the Future's offense who did get 2 runs on a Tyler Ervine homer. In the bottom of the 1st Team USA scored 4 runs mainly on a 3 run homer by Kyle Pearson but left the bases loaded. In the top of the 2nd USA left fielder Marshburn was at it again making a diving catch to hold the Future's to 2 runs. In the bottom of the 3rd USA scored 5 runs after a close call at 1st base on a great play by shortstop Joe Joe Bennett. In the top of the 4th the Future's Travis Houseman doubled to bring them to within 1 run 9-8. In the top of the 5th the Futures got a curving line drive 3 run homer by Conner Murray after a wind aided outfield misplay and went on to score 9 runs to take a 17-10 lead. In the bottom of the 5th Team USA answered with 8 runs sparked by a pinch hit homer by Mike Jacobsen and went up 18-17. But in the top of the 5th the USA Future Stars made Team USA pay for an error by scoring 12 runs (mostly unearned) including a 3 run homer by pitcher Erik Lehman after USA intentionally walked Tyler Ervine. In the bottom of the 6th Future's pitcher Lehman stabbed 2 hot shots up the middle although USA still managed to pull within 5 runs 29-24 on a 3 run homer by Dale Brungardt and a 2 run homer by Travis Clark. In the top of the 7th the Future's used their last 3 home runs (limit is 10) including a nasty long home run by Ervine over the light pole and the Future's went on to win 33-25! The game featured a lot of great defensive plays and shows how in softball you really have to adjust for the wind.

Tyler Ervine hit 3 HR and had 5 RBI in the win over Team USA

Marshburn makes a diving catch.

Erik Lehman homer's after the intentional walk to Ervine.

Sunday – Team Canada Women vs Team USA Women!

Border Battle XII

September 11, 2022

Link to condensed Canada vs USA men's game

On Sunday morning before the actual Border Battle 12 games the USA Future's women's team defeated JMI Sports 26-10 in an exhibition game and Team Canada beat T's 13 20-8. Then it was time for Border Battle 12. The women started things off at high noon and it was a cool 70 degrees. The defense shined early on as Team USA managed just 1 run in the 1st 4 innings and Canada had just 1 run going into the top of the 4th. In the top of the 4th Canada got a 2 out single from Kate Kloet and a double from Shannon Hilton to take a shocking 3-1 lead on Team USA and validated that lead by holding Team USA scoreless in the bottom of the 4th. But everything changed in the bottom of the 5th when the Team USA offensive juggernaut was sparked by a lead off home run by Alyssa Schreiner and they went on to score 10 runs in an adrenaline fueled inning where Schreiner batted a 2nd time and hit an RBI double off the fence! This was enough to push Team USA to an 11-4 victory!

They had a moment of silence for the late Christan Dowling one of the best Team USA women's players of all time.

Women's Final Border Battle Umpires

Women's Team Canada with Team USA

Dara Thoman at 1st base smothers the opening grounder.

Tina Gulbrandsen led the defense for Team Canada.

Alyssa Schreiner sparks a 10 run game winning inning for Team USA in the bottom of the 5th!

Sunday – Team Canada Men vs Team USA Men!

Border Battle XII

September 11, 2022

Link to condensed game (when available)

Border Battle 12 men's final umpires.

Team USA after struggling defensively in the exhibition games and losing to the USA Future's Saturday night rebounded vs Team Canada in the Border Battle 12 game. They scored 8 in the bottom of the 1st inning and made Canada pay for their fielding errors in the second inning extending their lead to 13-0. USA didn't let up in the bottom of the 3rd inning either scoring 8 more runs thanks to a grand slam by pitcher Mike Jacobsen to go up 21-0. Team Canada showed some life by scoring 8 runs in the top of the 4th but lost by the 20 run mercy rule when Ben Dunn hit a walk off homer in the bottom of the inning to win it 28-8!

It was Team USA's 10th win in 12 Border Battles and they were led by Kyle Pearson, Dale Brungardt, and Greg Connell who each went 4-4 in the final game.