The tables were turned this year and the USA Softball Men’s National Slow Pitch Team took advantage to register a 25-3 win in four innings over Team Canada in Border Battle III at the ASA Hall of Fame Stadium before a crowd of about 500 Saturday.
After Canada was retired in order in the top of the first, the USA exploded for 10 runs on 11 hits. Five of the hits were home runs and USA Head Coach Steve Shortland was hoping to not use that many homers early. With a homer limit of 10, Shortland obviously wanted to keep the homers for later in the game if they were needed and with multiple runners on base. Three of the five USA homers were solo shots (Greg Connell (Moultrie, Ga.), Rusty Bumgardner (Gastonia, N.C.) and Bryson Baker (Magalia, Calif.) with winning pitcher Andy Purcell (Naples, Fla.) hitting a three-run shot and Brett Helmer (Cicero, N.Y.) a two-run blast.
”It was fortunate they started slow against us,” said Shortland. “We didn’t want to use a lot of homers early but it worked out for us.”
Team Canada, which had 10 players returning from last year, never got untracked against the USA and went down in order the first two innings and didn’t score until the third inning. By then, Canada trailed 15-0 before scoring all its runs in the third. The USA, however, answered with 10 runs on 10 hits in the bottom of the inning.
Team Canada hit only one homer while the USA smashed nine. Team Canada collected only four hits while the USA registered 28 in an impressive performance.
Besides having trouble on offense, Canada struggled on defense, making four errors to one for the USA. The USA’s Dennis Rulli (Moorpark, Calif.) played both ends of the game well, going two-for-three with four RBI and starring on defense at third with five of the 10 USA assists.
All of the USA starters had at least two hits with Brian Wegman (Hamilton, Ohio), Baker, Bumgardner, Johnny McCraw (Wylie, S.C.) and Brian Rainwater (Kathleen, Ga.) having three hits apiece. Bumgardner had five RBI, with Purcell and Rulli having four each. Purcell delivered 54 pitches to 15 batters in the game which took one hour as the USA now leads the series, 2-1.
Besides starting fast this year, the USA “didn’t have a letdown” this year, according to USA Assistant Coach Raper. “Our defense was unbelievable and we came in this game with a chip on our shoulder. No way was it going to happen again (The USA losing).”
Canada Coach Jeff Seguin watched as his team never got going against the USA.”We knew it would take an incredible effort to beat them,” said Seguin.”We have had better days. We are hoping to get another shot at them next year.”
In nine games the USA scored 256 runs and allowed only 94. The win Saturday was the ninth in a row for the USA, which had six run rule victories this year, but the one Saturday meant the most.
2010 Border Battle Recap
Team Canada held off a last inning rally by the USA Softball Men’s Slow Pitch National Team to escape with a 30-29 win in the second Border Battle of slow pitch softball at the ASA Hall of Fame Stadium on Saturday, July 24.
The USA, which led only once in the game at 16-15, trailed 30-25 entering the bottom of the seventh inning and USA fans were anticipating another come-from-behind USA victory after last year’s inaugural Border Battle where the USA rallied after trailing early for a 30-23 victory.
But the USA came up short in the inning after scoring four runs on six consecutive hits to close the gap to the game’s final margin.
Johnny McCraw’s (Lake Wylie, S.C.) two-run homer brought across the third and fourth runs in the seventh, with no outs. That, however, changed in a hurry because the USA was out of homers, limit of 10, and any ball hit out of the ballpark after that would result in an out.
After Rick Baker (West Harrison, Ind.) singled, putting runners at first and second, Scott Kirby (Destin, Fla.) sent the ball over the fence, resulting in the first USA out. Then, losing pitcher Scott Brown (Andover, Minn.) hit the ball over the fence for the second out. Down to its last out, the USA’s Ryan Robbins (Columbus, Ind.) hit the ball back to the mound to Canada pitcher Brian Higginbotham, who ran to second base for the force and the third out to end the game.
Higginbotham, who was the losing pitcher in last year’s Border Battle, contributed four hits to the 32 hit Canadian offense. He drove in six runs on three homers and a double before hitting another homer in the sixth inning, which was past the homer limit. Higginbotham is one of the 10 players back from last year who joined six newcomers on this year’s team.
Team Canada Head Coach Jeff Long is hoping the two teams will play next year. “We would love to play another,” said Long, as he accepted congratulations from his players and fans. “We just wanted to stay close with them and see what we could do. Everybody was on the same page and pulled for each other.”
The loss was the first for the USA after four exhibition games, including two in Cincinnati last weekend. As expected, USA Head Coach Steve Shortland was disappointed, but he didn’t make any excuses either.
“They (Canada) came ready to play. We just didn’t respond,” said Shortland.
If there was a key inning in the ball game it was the fourth inning when the USA made two crucial errors to keep alive the Canadian offense. Instead of getting out of the inning with only two runs, the USA errors kept the door open as Canada scored 10 times on eight hits.
In the fourth, third baseman James Kelly (Amherstburg, Ont.) homered after an out. Then, Ryan Caley (London, On.) hit a grounder to USA shortstop Jeff McGavin (Macomb, Mich.) who couldn’t come with the ball cleanly. Mike Hook (Milton, ON) doubled before Jason Gallichen (Langley, B.C.) hit a routine grounder to USA second baseman Jeremy Isenhower (Olathe, Kan.). He came up with ball but his throw was wide to first baseman Rusty Bumgardner (Gastonia, N.C.). USA middle infielder Brian Wegman (Hamilton, Ohio) got the second out on a tremendous throw from deep shot for the second out, but Canada added six more runs on six hits before the USA retired the side. The inning featured three home runs, including two run blasts by Jeff Gare (London, ON) and Jeff Falardeau (Welland, ON). Gare drove in four runs and finished with a five-for-six performance and was one of the most consistent Canadian hitters throughout the weekend.
The USA out-hit Canada, 35-32, with McCraw perfect in six at-bats and six runs batted in while Bumgardner, Brett Helmer (Newport, N.Y.), J.D. Genter (Fort Oglethorpe, Ga.) and Wegman each collecting four hits a piece.
2009 Border Battle Recap
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. --- When’s slow pitch softball's version of the Dream Team—the USA Men's Slow Pitch 
National Team—is losing 16-8 going into the bottom of the fourth inning, some people might have wondered what was going that Saturday in July 2009 at the ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Okla., in the inaugural Border Battle, a game televised by ESPN. Head Coach of USA Men's National Slow Pitch Team Steve Shortland (Overland, Kan.) was not one of them, however.
"But I was a little bit concerned," Shortland said after watching his team, comprised of the best players in the USA, rally from eight runs down to defeat Canada 30-23 in a game that took only one hour and 36 minutes. Shortland figured his team needed to get in the "groove, relax and play" the game they are capable of. But that didn’t happen until the fourth inning.
By that time Canada, which jumped out to an early 4-0 lead, continued to add to its margin and by the bottom of the fourth had built its margin to eight runs, 16-8. Then the USA, which had used the big inning in winning three exhibition games, scored 17 runs on 17 hits in the bottom of the fourth to turn the game around and move into a comfortable 25-16 lead.
If Canada, which collected 27 hits to 37 for the USA, was to stay in contention it needed to come right back and score some runs in the top of the fifth. Canada went scoreless, however, against USA winning pitcher Andy Purcell (Naples, Fla.) and never recovered from the USA onslaught. Losson White (Omaha. Neb.) pitched the final two innings for the USA to earn a save.
For the USA, which finished undefeated in the Border Battle series of games, Brett Helmer (Cicero, N.Y.) had six RBIs on three homers. JD Genter (Chickamauga, Ga.), Rusty Bumgardner, (Gastonia, N.C.) and Dennis Rulli (Moorpark, Calif.) all had four hits a piece for the USA. Rick Baker (West Harrison, Ind.), who had a three-run shot in the fourth, finished with five RBIs. All of the USA starters had at least two or more hits.
Although the USA was expected to beat Canada to take the Border Battle, the game was indeed competitive. It also helped sell the abilities of the athletes who enjoy playing slow pitch softball at the top level.
"We knew we would have to play a perfect game to beat them," said Canada's coach Jeff (Bug) Seguin (Windsor, Ontario). "The fourth inning was the difference. If we had held them to only seven or eight runs in that inning, it might have been a different game. And we didn’t make an error in that inning. The game showed people that we (Canada) play a pretty good game of slow pitch. We aren’t there yet with the USA, but we can play a good game.
"The ASA (Amateur Softball Association) and Softball Canada did a fabulous job in putting this (Border Battle) together," continued Seguin. "We hope everyone enjoyed it. And I hope ESPN enjoyed it also. Hope we can do it again."
The Border Battle recorded a 0.7 as a standalone game reaching over 650,000 households on ESPN. In 2010, the ASA hopes to hold the second annual event in Oklahoma City in July. Details will be announced when available.
"The opportunity to wear the USA uniform and be on ESPN showcasing the sport of slow pitch was simply just a dream come true," said Team USA Border Battle first baseman Rusty Bumgardner. "It was such a thrill and the television presenceand ratings has really given our sport a strong push of momentum. And tomake theSportsCenter highlight reel wasreally a thrill. It was such a great game and I am looking forward to future opportunities and hopefully to see the Border Battle expand.”
USA ROSTER
CANADA ROSTER