Canada walked away from the WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup with the bronze medal following a 4-2 win over Mexico in Thunder Bay, Ont., on Saturday.
Mexico took the early 1-0 lead until Andréanne Leblanc of Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que. stepped up to bat and evened things up with a bases-loaded groundout.
Then, with the Canadian’s up by one in the fifth, Leblanc was in the box once again and the powerful switch hitter crushed one to deep centre field, her double scoring another for a 3-1 lead.
Raine Padgham of Abbotsford, B.C., took to the mound for the Canadians and posted four solid innings of work, allowing four hits and a run with one strikeout, en route to earning the win.
Alizée Gélinas of Trois-Riviéres, Que., also went 2-for-3, while Ela Day-Bédard of Gatineau, Que., secured the remaining runs.
The win solidified a seventh all-time medal for Canada, five of which have been bronze (2004, 2006, 2012, 2018, 2024), while coming away with silver twice (2008, 2016).