World No. 1 USA defeated No. 3 Puerto Rico, 7-0 in six innings, in the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games softball gold medal game and claimed their 10th title. Ali Aguilar ended the game with a walk-off double in the bottom of the sixth to secure the gold for USA. No. 4 Canada grabbed the bronze medal, after a 7-0, five-inning win against No. 6 Mexico.
USA players combined for 12 hits in the win with five U.S. batters tabbing a multi-hit performance on the day – including Ali Aguilar (2-for-4), Rachel Garcia (2-for-3), Amanda Lorenz (2-for-3), Haylie McCleney (2-for-3) and Dejah Mulipola (2-for-3). In the circle, Ally Carda limited the Puerto Rico offense to one hit and no runs while fanning seven batters through six innings.
USA has made an appearance in each Pan American Games gold medal matchup since softball was added to the program in 1979, winning silver only twice in 12 appearances. According to USA Softball, their team extended its overall record to 106-5 in the competition.
For Puerto Rico, it’s their fourth silver medal in the Americas multi-sports event. They lost to USA in their three previous gold medal contests (1979, 1987 and 1995). It’s Puerto Rico’s sixth medal overall, and third in a row, after winning bronze in Toronto 2015 and Lima 2019.
In the bronze medal game, Canada secured their 10th overall medal with a 7-0 victory against Mexico. Kelsey Harshman, Kianna Jones and Callum Pilgrim homered for the read and white squad. It’s Canada’s second bronze medal in the history of the Pan Am Games, adding to two previous gold and six silver medals.
The three medal-winning teams will compete in next year’s WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup Finals, to be played in Buttrio and Castions di Strada, Italy, from 15 to 21 July. They will square off against world No. 2 Japan, No. 7 Australia, No. 8 Italy, No. 9 Netherlands and No. 11 China.
The Santiago 2023 Pan American Games finished on Sunday with the Closing Ceremony. The 2027 Pan American Games will be held in Barranquilla, Colombia.
Cover photo: Ramon Monroy Panam Sports via Xpress Media.
